It’s been touch and go this weekend as to whether I’d get this out. It’s been busy with a trip home and wanderings in the woods! I made it though… And that’s something to be proud of!
Monday, 29th April
“The clouds line a sky of bruises” - Carolyn Jones
Even in springtime, bruises appear in cornflour skies, hues of dark puce to lighter lavender, midnight blue to fading cerulean—until nothing is left but shades of ice; the darkness is forgotten, and the pain is diminished. Whether physical or mental, the pain, in time, fades. We heal, little by little, day by day.
Tuesday, 30th April
“Caffeine puts a man on her horse and a woman in his grave.” Ernest Hemingway.
Wednesday, 1st May
“Anything worth dying for is certainly worth living for.” Joseph Heller
This quote is from Heller’s most famous novel, ‘Catch 22’. The theme of being trapped within a ‘no-win situation’ runs through the book. No matter how we feel about life- if we are willing to give it up, then indeed it is worth living for - to sacrifice our time on Earth, to invite death for something we believe so firmly in - this points to the importance of preserving our beliefs to continue through life and improving our wellbeing to ensure that we can.
Thursday, 2nd May
“Tangerine skies” - Carolyn Jones
Friday, 3rd May
“Take me to the country” Carolyn Jones
I haven’t been home since mid-March… Not seen the offspring, the parents, my sisters… It was time. I made this piece after booking my flight home - excited to be reunited.
Saturday, 4th May
“My whole life I’ve never loved anything else.” Amos Oz.
I was talking to my s.o about this quote earlier today - and although Oz wasn’t talking about writing in this quote, this is where it took me. There are only a few things I love without boundaries - my children, the love of my life and writing… Writing is the only thing that has been with me since the beginning - the only thing that has stuck around. I can rely on writing to keep me company, cheer me up when I’m down, and encourage me to move forward when stuck in a rut. Something about manipulating words - the magic of it, the majesty- reaches me in ways that nothing else can.
Sunday, 5th May
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” Lao Tzu
I have wanted to use this quote in my diary for a while. I have adored nature since childhood - it’s my favourite place to be. It enables me to contemplate my use of time and what I achieve with it. This profound quote asks us to consider how we utilise time - whilst nature is patient, moving effortlessly but still attaining the most remarkable results. We run around, constantly chasing our tails, desperate to catch up, dying to find the time to do something we feel is worth our time.
I read Tzu’s Tao Te Ching last year, hoping to bring his wisdom into my everyday life. His idea of wu-wei (non-doing) is something that gripped me from the get-go - the fact that ‘non-doing’ isn’t sitting back and watching from the prone position, but a more natural action - action sans stress, without giving 110% at all times - where what we deliver is perfectly attuned to the natural flow of life.
This year, the rest of this year, promises a lot of change—change for good, change for happiness, change for a brighter future—and as I head towards these summer months, I choose to do so with only the love, the desire that lies within my heart—to do only what I want to do, not be swayed by the external, and let my next chapter unfold naturally.
I hope you have enjoyed my ponderings and art from this week!
Carolyn
So wonderful to read, you have a beautifully eloquent command of language. I've read your pieces and learnt new words! The art work is vibrant. I have been inspired by reading your pieces too x
I love all of this! You are so talented! Thanks for sharing, Carolyn.