I've been out and about lately. First at a Freefall writing retreat with the wonderful Barbara and then in Devon for the wedding of two very dear friends.
I had to abandon my chickens to the care of my daughter. I was concerned that she had not received the appropriate amount of training for such an important job, I was scared that my chickens would suffer terribly from my absence.
Who would sit in a chair in the middle of our lawn watching them for hours as they pecked about?
Who would get up at first light to let them out in case they were fed up of being cooped up (literally!)?
Answer: Nobody, if I'm not there.
I had to let these thoughts pass through my mind and then release them. Chickens are only one symptom of my incessant worrying and speculating and wanting everything to stay exactly as it is. Allowing them to just be as they are and trust everything is how it should be is good practice for the rest of my life.
In the event, my chickens were perfectly happy on my return, though my daughter was a little apprehensive in case they made some form of complaint against her.
The spokeschicken (above) had no comments other than "Can we have extra corn?" so that was a relief all round.
My writing is better if I allow it to come rather than plot it out in my head and try to deliver some pre-conceived scenario. It might not always go where I want, or even where I expect it to, but in many respects that's a much better way for me to be. In writing as in life.
So, back to practising letting go, releasing, relinquishing control over the uncontrollable, feeling that everything is as it should be.
