The One With Windmills, Metaphors, Rebels and Kate Bush
It is the end of week six and this morning is not sunny but chilly, in fact the weather has felt a little unsettled all week. There has been sunshine in the mornings, rain in the afternoon and vice versa; Mother Nature seemingly unsure of herself, very much like all of us.
I feel as a world we are on the beach, there are those who feel content to lay in the sun, those unsure dipping toes with caution and then there are those who ride the waves, experiencing every high and low.
This week I have been the surfer, the waves have been my friends (hence the title for those who also fell in love, with Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Chandler, Ross and Joey).
I am still jogging, I still look like a runner on the last leg of a marathon, I am still enjoying it.
I have found myself thinking so much during this time, my creative gene seems to be at the forefront. I have felt both darkness and light and I have penned four poems, one of sadness although I think it holds beauty, two of past yet present memories, one of age and one that has been swirling around in my brain for months but the words hidden.
Running seems to clear my mind and allows me to dream and wander, metaphors seem to be my shooting stars in this strange, current, galaxy.
My students tell me that metaphors are difficult to write and understand, it is perhaps why I love them so much. I always tell them that we live in a world of metaphors.
How many of us say when asked “I’m fine?”
We say this because we are in too much of a hurry to explain our complex feelings or we think that person is just asking out of courtesy which really, is most often the case.
Our close friends however, are the ones who notice, our families too but we are adept at hiding those, love makes us shield and protect.
Friends are important, the phrase “Friends are the family we choose” no matter how cliche is pretty much spot on.
My jogging route takes me to my childhood and friendship memories and although the fields I run through are almost unchanged there is a huge landmark of my youth missing.
The Windmill.
I grew up in an age of ‘Windy Miller’ a character in the children’s television programme ‘Trumpton’ (a metaphor in itself) a predecessor no doubt to ‘Wallace and Gromit.’ I think this is where my love of windmills began, for me they are magical and beautiful.
As a child the sight of this local wonder was special and unique. It featured regularly on aged postcards of the area, a comforting and reassuring stalwart of life.
This is linked with one of my childhood best friends she has her own special memories, her Great-Grandfather being born in that very windmill.
It’s crumbling frame was demolished, unrestored, discarded, thoughts which make me so very sad. There is now in its place a wind turbine and though while I agree with its principle, it is ugly and mechanical without the soul or romance of age.
So, this week in particular my friends have helped me glide through the highs and waves of lows.
One of my amazing friends wrote and recorded a poem about me, which made me laugh and cry happy tears, one line that would make no sense to anyone but ourselves. At the end of the poem she signed off with the nickname we once gained and kept. These names came from another memory, one filled with life and laughter.
My WhatsApp groups pop in and out, messages from family and close friends, Messenger too has been in full swing. All these notes of love are special.
I don’t think anyone would call me a rebel, I will always follow the straight and narrow path. However, every now and then tiny moments happen. Not earth shattering but just enough to make you smile. One that made me laugh out loud this week especially when I found out I wasn’t the only one involved as I previously thought. There were in fact four in the end who joined the rebel gang!
We need these silly sprinkles of joy, we are dealing with something beyond anything we have ever known. It is important to remember these moments as the world continues to battle.
I have been missing the ‘Red Admirals’ on my run it seemed the ‘Cabbage Whites’ were the only butterflies following me on my journey.
On Friday the butterfly I had been seeking rejoined. The reason I had missed this creature is because it is so beautiful, as human beings we seem to be drawn to the dazzling and delicate perhaps because we seek this in ourselves.
But while I watched the cabbage whites flutter and follow I realised that they were equally beautiful, the world has finally replaced the dazzling and discovered another beauty. These butterflies too have alabaster wings their appendages are made of blue gossamer and they wrestle an unseen foe, their beauty far more worthy than the elusive, sparkling, red butterflies.
When we have our red admiral days, when we don’t feel quite good enough, it is friends and family that help us to shine and realise our cabbage white worth.
The little messages, the giggles from videos and memes passed. The one line message ‘You ok?’
Shall we ‘Zoom?’ The new phenomenon many of us never knew existed until now…
Which leads me neatly into ‘The Quiz’ (it also makes me think I could be a presenter) something it seems our world is having so much fun in participating.
My family quiz and my work family quiz, seeing those faces you realise you have missed, so very much.
So many too have been dressing up for these occasions and with nowhere to go it gives us the chance to be creative with whatever we have to hand. Last week my family quiz’s theme was Disney this week it was pop stars and I didn’t go for the easy obvious choice that I knew my family were expecting I did however stay in the same decade. You can take the girl out of the eighties but you can’t take…
This next week remember how blessed we are to have family and friends, no matter how sad or fed up with the tragic and scary side of life we are all currently sharing.
Stay safe,
Joy xxx
🦋 (I couldn’t find a white one but blue seems perfect)
If only I had her scatter cushion lips ❤️