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Sally G Freed's avatar

Thank for this Helen - enormously encouraging and inspiring. From a despairing American and a fan of your writing - keep it up. You give us hope!

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Helen Conway's avatar

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ thanks for the much needed encouragement and validation…. And connection!

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Dea Devidas's avatar

Helen, this is not just a post - it’s a summoning. 🔥

Artists who don’t disturb the peace? They’re decorators, not creators. Real art shakes, shatters, wakes. And yes, that comes with a cost: but the cost of silence is always greater.

And this - "If you create waves, your own boat is going to bob up and down too." That line? That’s it. That’s the truth most people don’t want to hear. Disruptors aren’t immune to the chaos they stir. But the ones who can stand in the storm, soaked and unshaken: that’s who shifts the world.

Keep shaking foundations. Keep telling truth. The real ones will hear you.

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Helen Conway's avatar

You have no idea how I needed to hear that. Now I’m going to envision behaving like a Cornish fisherman in my yellow Sou’wester arms stretched to the storm!

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Dea Devidas's avatar

That’s the spirit! Arms wide, heart steady, eyes locked on the horizon. The storm is never the enemy: it’s the invitation. And something tells me… you were never meant to stay on the shore. ⚓🌊

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Kate Nyx's avatar

Love this! And I’m with you, finding my voice, disturbing the peace, standing in that human chain that encircles the world. Well done! ❤️

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Dr Sharon Blackie's avatar

Love this. (And fuck 'em.) x

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Carlo Navato's avatar

Helen there so many great bits in here it’s tough to know where to start. As I said in my repost it’s as sharp as the edge of a Henckels…this for example: “All we have to do is extend a hand a few inches out from that self-protective ball and say: it feels like crap. That alone can liberate the stranger to get out of their ball.” This should be on every National Curriculm and shared in every leadership training programme (even the shittest ones full of bro culture nonsense). Keep giving us this stuff please

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Helen Conway's avatar

Well I had to google what a Henckels was so I’m clearly not that sharp! But thank you and I’ll try my best to stay cutting edge!

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Virginia Stevenson's avatar

Beautiful essay! Typo in 3rd paragraph: “…in a book Southern Women by the editors of Garden and Gun…” (not Garden & Sun)

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Helen Conway's avatar

Sigh. Typos are sneaky lurking things I can never catch no matter how hard I try and no matter how I use the software AND my husband to proofread. Now corrected along with some other glaring ones I saw as soon as I pressed publish! Thanks for the help and the compliment.

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Oonagh Summerbell's avatar

This was amazing. I really needed this today so thank you. For the connection.

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Helen Conway's avatar

I'm so glad. Indeed your comment today too! Connection is always two way!!

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Rosalind J Turner's avatar

What a wonderful piece of writing. Thank you for writing and sharing.

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Helen Conway's avatar

Thank you Rosalind. Glad it touched you.

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