Great description and advice of how to find one’s place and purpose and the profound role of friendships. I love the inclusion of Hebrew. Beautiful writing Helen!
Beautiful writing and quite thought provoking! I relate in many ways. For years I have been fascinated with the concept of experiential placemaking, the alchemy of the places we call home, and how place in general influences our identity, creativity, and personal growth.
I’ve been working on a book about this - but hesitant to share my work with the world. Especially now that I am in this new chapter of life with my children grown and more time than I’ve ever had before - because I suddenly find the places I’ve spent so many years intentionally creating feel inexplicably empty and uninspiring! So much so that I feel a restless deep in my bones - an intense need to find a new place to be on this next leg of the journey.
Because of this I often feel lost - untethered, and definitely unsure of how to reach these new “castles in the sky” I find myself constructing while contemplating what comes next as I enter this new era of becoming.
This liminal space of being is at times enthralling when seeing the world through the lens of possibilities and potential. Other times it is a vast wilderness of loneliness and solitude that I’d rather not be visiting - which can be frustrating because a life designed to support your individual creativity can, at times, be quite isolating but also so necessary!
I look forward to reading more about your journey! It’s encouraging to find other wayfinders, fellow writers, and creatives who also feel and ponder this phase of life and the influence of the places we inhabit so deeply. ❤️
Your penultimate paragraph is spot on for me! A but like that moorland - gorgeous in good weather and an inhospitable wilderness in the bad. At one time I’d have seen your words as a problem that needed solving. Now I’m more inclined to say it’s a truth that needs sharing ( as you have of course!) sharing the loneliness doesn’t mean we don’t experience it but I at least experience it in a different way knowing the various qualities of it that others have shared. Like being in that winter moorland is still cold and wet and dark but if you know there is a criss cross of paths you feel less lost, more hopeful.
Beautiful and wise writing. Thank you. Each life transition seems to have its own requirements that need to be unearthed. New roles bring out different sides of us, and they need our patience as they emerge.
This truly spoke to my heart, my soul, my place and work in this world. I have often likened my work as an herbalist ti the idea of inviting my clients to sit at my table with a cup of tea. I want to expand on that and provide them a guest room in which to do their work, coming back to the table whenever they need. 💜 Such beautiful writing, thank you so much!
Yes yes, my nest has to feel right too. Creativity struggles to appear when there’s something not quite right with my surroundings. This essay brings back memories of my beloved Derbyshire, and so it enrobed me gently but firmly in a blanket of recollections.
Great description and advice of how to find one’s place and purpose and the profound role of friendships. I love the inclusion of Hebrew. Beautiful writing Helen!
Thank you for the compliment and taking time to read Ellen. Both also play a profound role in my confidence as a writer!
🫶
I really loved and resonated with this. Your writing style is luminous.
I needed to read this today. Beautifully observed, beautifully written. Thank you Helen.
You are welcome. Thank you for reading and bothering to encourage me.
What a beautiful piece of writing- Thank you
And thank you for taking the time to read and comment. Much appreciated.
Beautiful writing and quite thought provoking! I relate in many ways. For years I have been fascinated with the concept of experiential placemaking, the alchemy of the places we call home, and how place in general influences our identity, creativity, and personal growth.
I’ve been working on a book about this - but hesitant to share my work with the world. Especially now that I am in this new chapter of life with my children grown and more time than I’ve ever had before - because I suddenly find the places I’ve spent so many years intentionally creating feel inexplicably empty and uninspiring! So much so that I feel a restless deep in my bones - an intense need to find a new place to be on this next leg of the journey.
Because of this I often feel lost - untethered, and definitely unsure of how to reach these new “castles in the sky” I find myself constructing while contemplating what comes next as I enter this new era of becoming.
This liminal space of being is at times enthralling when seeing the world through the lens of possibilities and potential. Other times it is a vast wilderness of loneliness and solitude that I’d rather not be visiting - which can be frustrating because a life designed to support your individual creativity can, at times, be quite isolating but also so necessary!
I look forward to reading more about your journey! It’s encouraging to find other wayfinders, fellow writers, and creatives who also feel and ponder this phase of life and the influence of the places we inhabit so deeply. ❤️
Your penultimate paragraph is spot on for me! A but like that moorland - gorgeous in good weather and an inhospitable wilderness in the bad. At one time I’d have seen your words as a problem that needed solving. Now I’m more inclined to say it’s a truth that needs sharing ( as you have of course!) sharing the loneliness doesn’t mean we don’t experience it but I at least experience it in a different way knowing the various qualities of it that others have shared. Like being in that winter moorland is still cold and wet and dark but if you know there is a criss cross of paths you feel less lost, more hopeful.
Beautiful and wise writing. Thank you. Each life transition seems to have its own requirements that need to be unearthed. New roles bring out different sides of us, and they need our patience as they emerge.
Trouble is I’m terrible at patience 😬
Actually, I am too, but it feels like an unfolding that we slowly discover, even if it's not at the pace we'd like.
I agree. And I suspect that the less patient we are the longer it takes and the more we need to be patient!
Sigh...what a bind...
I so resonated with this. So glad you’re traversing the landscapes of change and creativity and that you have the support of friends along the way 🙏🏼
This truly spoke to my heart, my soul, my place and work in this world. I have often likened my work as an herbalist ti the idea of inviting my clients to sit at my table with a cup of tea. I want to expand on that and provide them a guest room in which to do their work, coming back to the table whenever they need. 💜 Such beautiful writing, thank you so much!
Thank you. I’m humbled to know it affected you that way.
Ooh so good; delicious! I’ll have one of those, discovering its own path of digestion.
Beautiful to read , and so gorgeously written x
Thank you so much!
Yes yes, my nest has to feel right too. Creativity struggles to appear when there’s something not quite right with my surroundings. This essay brings back memories of my beloved Derbyshire, and so it enrobed me gently but firmly in a blanket of recollections.
Lovely to read this Helen.
Thank you. And your friend too.
Yes, beautiful writing. I feel I could sit with each paragraph for some self-study. Many thanks.
Thank you! If you do that self- study sometime I’d love to hear what you learned!
All of this is so relatable to where I am at the moment! Found it quite moving. Especially the last piece. Many thanks Helen x