Friday, September 25, 2015

Messy Mosaics

A swirly mosaic... not from Fishbourne!
For a few years at school I studied Latin, which wasn't actually as bad as it sounds. The textbook was a story of a family living in Pompeii, and had I persevered in my studies I would have followed their flight to Britain upon the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

All I can remember of my basic studies was that Caecilius was in the forum, and canis the dog was in the via. One highlight of my short time learning Latin was a field trip we took to Fishbourne Roman Palace, on the south coast of England.
"For a few years at school I studied Latin..."
Fishbourne is apparently the largest Roman residence north of the Alps, and has a larger footprint than Buckingham Palace! What it's most famous for though are the extensive and well preserved mosaics covering the floors. I distinctly remember the scale and grandeur of these, hundreds of years after they were first laid.

My kitchen floor... and some toy dinosaurs!
I've never laid a mosaic, but I have tiled a kitchen floor, one of the pieces of DIY I'm most proud of in our house. It was very satisfying to undertake, although it took me a few days to gradually piece it together tile by tile.

Since the room had various corners I had to cut numerous tiles into different sized rectangles and squares. The end result is a uniform layout, perfectly functional for its end use.

I'd like to say at this point that life is like laying a tiled floor, you fit each regularly shaped tile together to make the desired pattern, but in reality it's much more like making a mosaic.

The tiles we're working with are irregular, often small, and multicoloured.
"I'd like to say at this point that life is like laying a tiled floor"
In recent years, mosaic posters have come into fashion. From a distance, the poster looks like a regular picture - maybe a film star or a landscape - although a little pixelated. but upon closer inspection each of the pixels, each of the tiles is it's own image. Depending on your perspective, you'll see something completely different.

I like this as a life metaphor (I feel like I spend a lot of time looking for metaphors about life in the world around us). Each day we live it's like we're placing a new tile in the mosaic of our life. We may not get the whole sense of the big picture, and we'll see different pictures within the bigger one depending on where we look.

Stained glass
The beauty of the Roman mosaics at Fishbourne are the exquisite animals and people they depict, in particular the famous dolphin mosaic. What strikes me is that to make exquisite art you actually need irregular shapes, broken pieces. Whilst my tiled kitchen floor is a masterpiece in my own opinion, it's purely functional!
"To make exquisite art you actually need irregular shapes, broken pieces."
St. Philip's cathedral in Birmingham is home to gigantic stained glass windows designed by the eminent pre-Raphaelite artist Sir Edmund Byrne-Jones, and made by William Morris.

They depict various scenes from the life of Jesus, in rich coloured glass. Depending what time of day you visit, and the light outside, the colours seem to vary so that the images look different every time. I love sitting in the hush of the cathedral and drinking in the vibrant colours.

The reason I mention these windows is that, like the best mosaics, they're made up of thousands of broken pieces of glass. Often its the parts of our lives that we feel are most broken which can end up making the most beautiful artwork in our life.
"No matter what tiles life has dealt us... we can be confident a masterpiece will emerge."
I wish I had a deep and profound ending this week, but I don't. Instead I just want to leave us with encouragement that no matter what tiles life has dealt us, even the broken ones, if we place those broken pieces in the hand of a loving creator, we can be confident that a masterpiece will emerge. We're all messy mosaics, and that's ok.

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Thanks for taking the time to read Messy Mosaics. If you've enjoyed it please share it with your friends on social media! Why not subscribe to The Potting Shed Podcast on iTunes or Stitcher for expanded musings and much more (direct RSS feed is here). 

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If you want to stay up to date please sign up to my mailing list, and do check out my book Life Space on Amazon.

Friday, September 18, 2015

Releasing your song

The streets of Riga...
Some years ago I found myself in a bar in Riga, Latvia with two of my closest friends. It was a quirky locals bar off a backstreet, but we didn't feel unwelcome, and we were swapping stories and reminiscing as old friends do.
"Some years ago I found myself in a bar in Riga..."
As the minutes stretched into hours the bar filled up, but we weren't really paying attention so long as we weren't getting in anyone's way and there was space at the bar to order the next round.

All of a sudden the place erupted into song, catching us quite off guard. We hadn't noticed that as people had arrived many of them had brought instruments with them, and now we found ourself in the midst of an uplifting and moving moment. Rich vocal harmonies blended with folk instruments and much foot stamping and table thumping, and I for one was captivated by the emotion, the passion and the music.

It was honestly one of the most memorable and moving moments of my life, and every now and then the memory surfaces and a smile creeps across my face. I later read that Latvia has a proud musical tradition, and that certainly came across during that experience.
"...all of a sudden the place erupted into song"
"Alas for the one that never sings but dies with their songs still in them" - Anon

Like the Latvians that night, we all have a song in us of one kind or another. Not necessarily words and music, but that thing that makes our soul sing. Alas indeed if we never manage to express that. 

Are you thinking in terms of hits and misses?
One limiting mindset that can inhibit us in releasing our life-song is comparison with people who excel in our chosen area. 

We can get sucked into thinking of life as hits and misses. Unless we're a hit then we must automatically be a miss. 

And of course, if you grew up in the late 20th century then you know that hits are few and far between.  Thinking in this way can stifle our own song, perhaps we even choose to keep it in rather than be an automatic miss.

"We all have a song in us of one kind or another"
The thing is, as we've moved into the 21st century, the idea of hits and misses has been completely turned on it's head, a concept that Chris Anderson explores in his book The Long Tail: How Endless Choice is Creating Unlimited Demand. Unlike the TV and radio age, when hit makers filtered and selected what they considered would be a hit, in the internet age it's all about unlimited choice. Chris Anderson calls this the long tail - the bottom of an exponential graph as it tends towards zero. The funny thing is that given this abundance of choice, many people aren't choosing the hits, but instead they're looking for specific niches in the long tail. 

Big retailers like Amazon and iTunes have found that a significant proportion of their sales are from this long tail - from all the niches. Niches that would have been "misses" in a previous age, but which can now reach their full audience through the empowerment of distribution that the internet brings.
"What this means for you and me is that we don't need to be intimidated by the hits we see around us."
Don't wear someone else's armour!
What this means for you and me is that we don't need to be intimidated by the hits we see around us. We shouldn't hold in our song, but fully express it, in all our quirky individualism. Why? Because other quirky and individual people will appreciate it! We don't need to feel pressured to copy others, instead we are free to release our own song.

I'm reminded of the story of David and Goliath. One detail in the story is that King Saul, the big hit in Israel - the King himself - suggests that the shepherd boy David wears his armour. David tries it on but it doesn't fit, it's too heavy. 

David ditches the king's armour and faces the giant in his own way. We all know the end of the story.

You don't have to wear someone else's armour. You don't have to sing someone else's song. In the age of the long tail there is space for all of us to be completely ourselves. To contribute our own voice and allow our own soul to sing. 
"So don't stifle your soul song"

You're probably not Latvian. You may not be a hit or a king. But one thing you're not is a miss. So don't stifle your soul song, but ditch comparison, ditch the king's armour and go be all you're made to be.

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Thanks for taking the time to read Releasing Your Song. If you've enjoyed it please share it with your friends on social media! Why not subscribe to The Potting Shed Podcast on iTunes for the audio version and much more (direct RSS feed is here). 

I'd love to hear from you, so feel free to comment below or email me at stricklandmusings@gmail.com 


If you want to stay up to date please sign up to my mailing list, and do check out my book Life Space on Amazon.


Friday, September 11, 2015

Settlement

It's good to escape from it all at times
My family and I recently spent a week’s holiday camping in mid-Wales. It’s great to take time out
together, and in particular this holiday we avoided screen-time – not only to preserve phone batteries but also because we were so deep in the countryside that we didn’t even have phone signal.

This was a blessing in disguise as it took away the temptation to check my phone every five minutes for blog traffic, podcast downloads and emails.

Away from the whirling, churning daily distractions my mind was able to settle, slow down, and in the process I was able to find some additional clarity to thinking that had become muddy and opaque.
"Away from the whirling, churning daily distractions my mind was able to settle"
Now I’m not saying that smartphones, emails and the like are all bad – they’re not. But they do tend be party to an overall speeding up of our lives, and for all their positives they can make it harder to switch off. We can feel like we need to be constantly available to others - our friends, our employer. In reaction, it’s therefore healthy to occasionally re-orient and re-calibrate ourselves – to allow ourselves to switch off and slow down. To make ourselves available to our own feelings, dreams and thoughts. It’s often in these times that our priorities become clearer as the turbulence settles out.

I’m reminded of a science experiment about sedimentation that I must have done in primary school. We filled a bottle with water, sand, soil and pebbles of different sizes, then shook the bottle up. At the beginning the mixture was cloudy and turbulent, but over time the particles settled out, the bigger ones ending up nearer the bottom and the lighter ones near the top – the water cleared and the layers of different particles were easy to differentiate.
"There’s much to be said for being still and for allowing space in our lives for ideas, dreams, emotions and thinking to percolate."
Has your thinking become muddy?
Like the materials in the bottle, it’s often our lives that are the turbulent, turbid muddy waters – and we all need regular time for things to settle out.

Since we home educate our kids, a practice we enforce with them is the daily pattern of quiet time. Usually either just before or just after lunch they have an hour or so playing separately in their own rooms. No screen time, just imaginative play or reading.

We find that it really helps them to process not only the learning they’ve been doing that day, but also the emotions they’ve been feeling. It’s a time for those muddy waters to settle out. If they’ve been particularly energetic we often find them asleep!

There’s much to be said for being still and for allowing space in our lives for ideas, dreams, emotions and thinking to percolate. One of my little weekend treats is making myself a cafetiere of proper coffee on a Saturday morning (just decaf these days). It’s something I can’t rush – I need to leave it to brew for it to gain strength. 

Sloe gin and damson vodka take time to mature...
Similarly, just this week I’ve started making a batch of damson vodka. This is also a long process – having frozen and defrosted the damsons (to break the cell structure down a bit), I’ve mixed them with sugar and vodka in a sealed jar.

Every day or so for the next few months I need to shake the jar up to allow the damson flavours to seep out and for the liqueur to develop. Unlike the sediment jar, this mixture starts out clear but will eventually turn crimson the longer it’s left.

The rich and strong flavours of our lives often come out when left to settle, perhaps even when we have the right balance of mixing and settling.

Sedimentary rocks form as layers upon layer of sediment settle at the base of rivers, seas and lakes, gradually turning from soft particles into hard bedrock. AsI’ve said before, our days accrete into the bedrock of our lives like individual pieces of lego, or the particles in a sedimentation jar. Which leads me to ask myself, what layers am I putting down and is it what I want to form my bedrock?
"The rich and strong flavours of our lives often come out when left to settle"
It can be hard to slow down, settle and be still in our daily lives. Holidays are great, but most of our waking time is in the midst of the turbulent day to day. One resource that’s help's me to slow down is my friend Stefan Smart’s book “Deeper”, which is about forming habits of contemplative prayer. I’ve also recently enjoyed Nathan Foster’s book “The making of an ordinary saint”, in which he tells the story of the successes and frustrations he experienced on a journey into various spiritual disciplines in his day to day “normal” life. Much of this was about slowing himself down.

What's taking up space in your jar?
There's a parable about priorities in our lives in which a teacher fills a jar with golf balls or big rocks and asks his class if it's full. They reply yes. 

He then fills it with pebbles, which fill the gaps between the golf balls. He asks the question again, and the class agree it's full. 

He then repeats this with sand and then finally with water. Each time the class agrees the jar is full!

The metaphor is that if you fill your life with small stuff like material possessions etc then there isn't room for the big important stuff - health, family, relationships. 
It's about getting your priorities right, and I think it's a helpful metaphor. Sometimes to see what room is in our jar we need to let things settle out.
"Sometimes to see what room is in our jar we need to let things settle out."
So whether you’re feeling shaken up at the moment or not, I hope you can find some time this week to settle down and be still, and in the process to gain strength and enable the rich flavours of your dreams and talents to form.


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Thanks for taking the time to read Settlement. If you've enjoyed it please share it with your friends on social media! Why not subscribe to The Potting Shed Podcast on iTunes for the audio version and much more (direct RSS feed is here). 

I'd love to hear from you, so feel free to comment below or email me at stricklandmusings@gmail.com 

If you want to stay up to date please sign up to my mailing list, and do check out my book Life Space on Amazon.

Friday, September 04, 2015

Beacon Keepers

Is your beacon lit?
There's a scene in the film The Return of the King when the kingdom of Gondor is in dire need, and they light the chain of emergency beacons to summon aid from the neighbouring kingdom.

This is my favourite scene from the whole trilogy, and I always get a bit emotional when I watch each beacon light up, creating a chain across the mountains.

Thanks to the beacons, and the diligence of the beacon keepers, the message gets through and aid is sent on it's way.

"Beacons are important, but they're also lonely mountaintop places."
A few years ago, in celebration of the Queen's diamond jubilee, the beacons were lit all across the UK. Our nearest one was visible from our upstairs windows, and the day before it was due to be lit we climbed the hill to find a giant pile of pallets and brush standing ready to be lit. Whilst it wasn't quite as dramatic as the scene from The Lord of the Rings, it was exciting when darkness fell and we watched from a distance as the fire blazed into life.

The Jubilee Beacon we visited...
Beacons are important, but they're also lonely mountaintop places. They encourage people from afar, but the beacons themselves aren't accessible for many.

In this way I think they make a good metaphor for our creative gifts. How often do we feel a little lonely on our mountaintop, steadily building our beacon ready to be lit?

It can feel isolating putting in the hard graft, crafting our words into coherence, making our art - whatever it looks like. Placing our talents like the wood of the beacon, ready to catch fire. Being a beacon keeper.

And yet, if those manning the beacons gave up then the chain would be broken. The message wouldn't get through to those who need it. It's important work! Your gifts and talents are important too. Your contribution is for the benefit of others, like a beacon. As much fun as it can be to pile your wood up, the real benefit is for those who will see it, however far away they may be.
"If those manning the beacons gave up then the chain would be broken."
Your gifts are for others...
Whatever your gift, it's ultimately not for you. We're given treasures to give away - to hold in open hands - even though that can be a scary and vulnerable place.

Fear of criticism and rejection can tempt us to stay closed, to withhold ourselves, but our talents are needed - they're beacons for someone.

A link in a chain. A lighthouse. A landing strip. Cats eyes on a road. They provide direction and encouragement for others.

So take heart, take courage and light your beacon. Put your gifts out there where they can be seen by others.

Your talents and abilities are given for a reason, your contribution is needed - they're a beacon. And as Dr Seuss put it so well:

"You're off to great places
Today is your day
Your mountain is waiting
So get on your way"

Your mountain is waiting, it's time to build your beacon.
"So take heart, take courage and light your beacon."

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Thanks for taking the time to read Beacon Keepers If you've enjoyed it please share it with your friends on social media! Why not subscribe to The Potting Shed Podcast on iTunes for the audio version and much more (direct RSS feed is here). 

I'd love to hear from you, so feel free to comment below or email me at stricklandmusings@gmail.com 

If you want to stay up to date please sign up to my mailing list, and do check out my book Life Space on Amazon.