Small things, big feelings
On small wonders in spite of it all
There’s something both unnerving and yet beautiful about photo memories.
The way a particular photo can appear completely out of the blue or just at the right time.
The way they can shine a light on all the selves we carry with us.
The way they remind us of the times we would have perhaps otherwise forgotten or overlooked.
The photo above was one from 2020 and it appeared again, a flashback from before, at just the right time last week.
It’s a photo from the pandemic, when the world was in lockdown and I was still counting my lucky stars that my husband had made it back from California to Lisbon before the borders had closed.
It was a wild, wild time.
We had moved to Lisbon in 2019 for my husband’s work but ended up spending the majority of COVID there. Like many across the world, we spent months on end in a haze of sadness and loss - caught up in the juggle of homeschooling, working from home and being stuck in a flat with long periods of confinement and curfews and far away from our loved ones.
During one of the early lockdowns, I was having a particularly difficult day. Utterly overwhelmed by a list of to-dos and a simmering sense of despair and uncertainty. Tears were threatening and I just needed to find a little pocket of peace and a place to cry away from the children. As I stepped outside onto our little balcony there hidden away was a tiny viola growing in between the cracks…
Quietly determined—a tiny miracle in spite of it all.
There were no flowers or plants on our balcony and there were none nearby so this seed must have been carried on the wind.
It stopped me in my tracks and made me take a breath.
It was a microdose of awe at a much needed time of despair.
Fast forward to 2025 and I find myself in a strange time, confronting big things, asking tricky questions and trying to stop the rippling feeling of uncertainty over my work and my writing tip me over.
On Sunday morning, as I took myself out for a run to try to quieten my whirring mind, I was stopped in my tracks again…
This time by heart-shaped petals that had scattered across the lane in front of me.
Still vibrant and bright even though they had fallen, a collection of heart-shaped wayfinders nudging me along and making me notice again.
So often in the whirr and blur of busy, the everyday joy and unexpected magical ordinary can pass us by. *I should already know this (reader, I absolutely already do know this), in fact I write about this all the time and I tell others to notice and pay attention all the time.
Yet very often and especially at times like now, I need another reminder to bring my attention back to the moment and to turn my gaze to that which is right in front of me.
These tiny petal-shaped nudges have been kind and gentle encouragement to keep noticing…
But above all, they have been a timely reminder that beauty can still be found in between the cracks.
*In other news… I’m taking a little break from co-writing for a bit, I hope to be back soon. In the meantime, you can get some writing inspiration in the form of my Small Acts of Attention Cards and there’s a couple of in-person workshops taking place this month and a writing competition I’m delighted to be part of. Thank you so much for reading, it truly means the world.
Small Acts of Attention cards are back in stock
One small moment in your day.
A time to pause.
A little while to reflect.
One word.
One small act of attention.
Small Acts of Attention is a set of word cards that can be used to help kindle your imagination.
Whether you are looking for some daily inspiration, a moment of quiet reflection or would like a prompt to help you journal or write, each card is intended to be an invitation to help spark a moment for you to pause and reflect.
What’s included
40 individual word cards
A cotton pouch so you can easily carry your cards with you wherever you go
Suggestions on how to use the cards
A selenite crystal – known for its calming and cleansing properties
Sowing seeds and tending to dreams
11th June | 18:30 - 20:00 | Nansledan, Newquay
I’m delighted to be running a Creative Writing Workshop as part of Nansledan Arts Festival in June.
From sowing word seeds to making wishes, from free-writing to flash fiction, join me for a creative writing workshop that invites you to gently tend to your dreams and start writing.
This workshop will explore how to find inspiration in the invisible and often unseen through a series of gentle and playful creative writing exercises.
The Power of (500) Words: Flourish! Competition
I’m over the moon to be a judge on the Nansledan Arts Festival 500 words writing competition. Head to their website to find out more.