Interior weather

Don't let your interior weather affect how you interact with others.

This page made me think of sunshine, rain, and rainbows. The weather around us can affect how we react - cold grey days can make us feel like hunkering down and avoiding anyone else; sunny days see us eating outside and inviting friends along.

We also have interior weather - our mood. We might be feeling sad or angry or smug, and that can affect how we interact with others. It's hard to be kind when we're feeling put-upon, but we must work at it. If we let our mood dictate our interactions, we will damage a lot of relationships.

We can cope with any sort of weather if we are properly dressed for it. The same can be said of our interior weather. With training and care, we can make our interactions generous and edifying, no matter what is going on inside.

(I'm not talking about wearing masks all the time because that isn't healthy. However, we can work on not taking out our bad mood on those around us.)

Noisy!

I'd forgotten how noisy large groups of small children are!

I recently stepped out of my comfort zone and volunteered to help out in the kitchen at the church toddler group, making tea for the carers and snacks for the children. Being in the kitchen is totally my comfort zone, but small children definitely aren't. The sheer noise was enough to wear out an introvert like me! By the end of the morning I was worn out.

I wanted this page to reflect the noise and vibrancy of the experience, which for me it does.

Where you are

Wherever you are is the best place to start.

Those little blue shapes on the left of this page reminded me of the pins that get dropped on some digital maps signifying where you are or where you're heading. It made me think about place.

How often do we think, 'I'll do such and such once so and so has been achieved'? For instance, I'm sure many of us think, 'I'll start to exercise when I've reached a particular weight' for example. But really, the best place to start something new is where we are right now.

Why delay?

Make a start towards that goal.

You may only be able to take small steps at the moment, but you can make sure that they are in the right direction.

Life is short

Life is short - work out what really matters.

You never know when life is going to throw you a curve-ball - that shock diagnosis, a job falls through, a death in the family. These things can be hard to cope with, but they also help us to reset our priorities.

No-one ever said, 'I wish I'd spent more time at the office,' when they're on their deathbed.

Not alone

You're not alone!

You know when you're at that party and you feel out of place?

Or that job you've just taken on and don't feel competent enough?

That feeling of being an imposter?

You're not alone. Someone else in the room feels exactly the same. It's just that some people are really good at putting on the mask that says 'everything's fine, I know exactly what I'm doing, I belong here'.

Take heart. Other people feel just as scared/left out/out of place as you do. So make it your aim to make others in the room feel comfortable, no matter how hard that may be. By concentrating on others, you can overcome your own negative feelings. Be the person you want someone else to be for you.

Take the plunge

There comes a time when you have to move off the bank and get into the water.

Spillover

Let your spillover be useful so you build others up.

Once I stuck the 'spillage' paper on to this page I knew what it had to be about. I always put a piece of paper under the page I'm working on to stop things spilling over and sticking the pages together. It makes interesting paper as the marks are all accidental. You can't manufacture paper quite like it.

And that made me think about the accidental ways we all spill into each other's lives. We can't help it - we interact and thereby leave marks on one another. Sometimes we have no idea that we have left a mark, whether for good or ill. But when we deliberately interact, we can make it our aim to only spillover in positive ways. Make each interaction with someone else leave them in a better place than where you met them.

Make time

The simplest action can have a profound effect.

The other day my husband invited people back for coffee after the morning service. He called me to let me know they were on their way, which gave me just enough time for a quick scurryfunge (that act of tidying what you can while on your way to the door to let people in). I had been about five minutes away from heading out to the shops, but put my plans on hold and the kettle on. We enjoyed an hour chatting and everyone headed home.

I made my planned walk to the shops and thought no more about it.

The following day one of the women who had come for coffee arrived on the doorstep with a plant. She wanted to thank us for the time we had given the day before. It was just coffee and a chat - an hour of our time - but for her it was obviously so much more.

When we put our plans aside and give people time, it lets them know that they are seen and heard. The community moment was well worth the delay to my plans. So leave some wiggle-room in your calendar because you never know what divine appointments might crop up.

Simplicity

Simplicity.

Calming. Soothing. Quiet.

My pages just lately have felt very busy and a bit overwrought. I suppose it reflects my thoughts, but it can get a bit much some days! So here is a simple page to try to bump me out of my rut. It was made with gelli-printed greaseproof paper, a little scrawl of leaves, and a few lines of Neocolor II.

Whenever you feel a bit overwrought, find ways to simplify your life. It may be that you need to clear your calendar for a day. Or maybe you need to sit down with a special mug of coffee and a book for an hour before the children come home from school. Find the thing that works for you and simplify.

Sometimes I feel...

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed...

... by the size of the universe and the smallness of man.

... by the beauty of creation.

... by the whirling, barely-formed thoughts that whizz around my head.

... by the love I feel and receive.