So I haven't written in a while, let me explain. The beauty of an alphabetical blog is that you can predict which letter is coming next and I have been thinking of “F” words and themes for weeks, reluctant to commit to just one. “Feet” sprang to mind when I was at Pilates once; I never realised how important it was to think about what pressure we put on our feet everyday and to scrutinise how we stand, curl and spread our toes and the domino effect that our feet have on the rest of our body. Try this; spread your toes out when you stand and try to press your smallest toes down the most; can you “feel” the response in your knees, maybe even your back? I am “filled” with “fascination” by how the strength and manipulation of one part of a machine that is the human body, can have such power over how the rest of that same machine operates.
Blog on hold; we went to “France” for Easter. What a wonderful city Paris is, so easy to move around and so romantic to see the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. We stayed with wonderful cousins, so hospitable and warm. So I considered this as potential subject matter; scribing about loving “feeling familiar” yet “foreign” in our neighbours' land. But our time was short and we were back home so soon and other “F” words floated around.
“Forgiveness” was something I had to talk about recently to a “friend” and I do want to give this its due; I have only recently learned the true benefits of forgiving, letting go and moving on. The most important thing for me to remember is that no-one ever really does something to me; my reaction and pain is my own to feel and I can control that. “Fear” is that other 4 lettered “F” word that we give so much importance to and I repeatedly tell the kids to overcome this, but sometimes this seems futile. They do understand what I say when they discover their own power over fear, through their own growing knowledge and confidence of themselves, but I still tell them anyway.
So what “F” word have I pinned down? Yesterday, my daughter celebrated her seventeenth birthday; I am still in denial! With each day, she grows more “free” and independent to choose her own path and as a parent I know it won't be long before she flies away. It is with that sense of sweet conflict that I write about “Family” as my chosen “F” word; these bonds are strong and cherished and learning to let go is really tough. I hope I will figure this out at the right time. What's funny is that the impact that the actions of one member have on the rest of the Family as a whole is not very different to the impact our movement of our smallest toes have on the rest of our bodies. You see that I have come full circle, appreciating that if I take care and love my feet, the rest of me will be okay too.
