On retiring from teaching late 2021, I found myself in a liminal state of uncertainty. From the mad, hectic and oh so busy life of teaching, I now found that empty days were turning into empty weeks which all seemed to lead nowhere. My husband was still working. My sons were quite rightly busy and getting on with their own lives - always available and checking in on me but I knew that I had to forge ahead and shake myself out of this state of disquiet and inertia.
In my search to find meaning and purpose in this 'new' life, I tried so many new ventures which all, eventually fell by the wayside. That is, until I picked up the paintbrushes which my husband had bought me as a tactic to ease the stressful life of Ofsted rounds and leadership meetings on results, results, results!
The paintbrushes replaced the pen and thus the journey began. There were times before I started painting that I had serious worries about my mental health - that I had slipped into an invisible world which no doubt many of us visit when we venture out from one journey to the next. Or as I like to think meta-morph from the caged chrysalis and back to the freedom of the butterfly.
So here I am today re-visiting this blog which I started way back when Guard a Silver Sixpence was first published in 2012. Back then it was my publishers Macmillan that suggested it as a promotional strategy to attract sales but now, I re-visit to share my next journey - not to promote but to enjoy!
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| Working the Light (2022). |
