Castle Writers
Out of the Cocoon
Athlone 2020
pressures of society cram in on us and everyone wants everything done YESTERDAY. We need to remember that we have 24hrs today and that tomorrow we will have yet another 24hrs so each one should be used wisely. Whatever your mountain, consider it well. Some mountains are not meant to be climbed alone. Is yours a team mountain? If so, think about who would be willing to join your team to help you. What assets could they bring and how exactly would they help and enable you to climb that mountain. Get your plan of action in place (with your team of course) and then set it in motion, one step at a time. After a few weeks review it. What is working, what is not? Does it need to be adapted? If so adapt. Remember these mountains are there for a purpose and will develop your strengths, perhaps inspiring you to go on to much better things. Janice Dobbie
Revisiting my Native Place On a sunny March day just passed, I went to see the house where I was born, now roofless, without a door or windows. I got the sense of love and security, from that old ruin, that had existed there in my younger days. I could smell the turf fire burning on the hearth. I remember five children and my mother, a young widow, sitting around it to keep warm on a cold winter’s night; we got turns sitting on the hob. In the shed behind the house, I had a vision of a rope hanging from the rafters – our swing. I recalled all the hours spent swinging there. In my mind’s eye I saw again the barrel outside catching the rain water. Then I went to the well, now choked with weeds. I thought of all the buckets of water I carried in from there to the house, in hail, rain, or snow. In the dyke beside it I found a bunch of primroses with their heavenly smell. I left with all those memories and they will stay with me, as this will always be my favourite place. Imelda McKiernan
18
