The wisdom of the homeless I think I know all about homelessness. I’m a long-term supporter of a homeless charity. I certainly know the statistics. Homelessness has increased by 169% since 2010. Homeless people are 17 times more likely than any other group on the street to be assaulted and abused. Stark and shocking as those statistics are, that’s all they are: statistics. The reality behind those statistics isn’t just stark and shocking; it’s soul-searing. Everything … [Read more...] about A Christmas reflection on homelessness
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Pilgrimage as a series of holy days
'You're doing what?', says my brother. 'Walking from London to Santiago.' 'Why?' 'Because I want to go on pilgrimage, rather than walk a pilgrim trail. That entails closing my front door behind me.' 'How long will it take?' 'No idea.' 'Can I have a list of where you'll be staying?' 'No.' 'Why not?' 'Because I don't know where I'll be staying.' 'Doesn't sound like much of a holiday.' Such is my family farewell when I set off on my 2,075 km pilgrimage in March … [Read more...] about Pilgrimage as a series of holy days
Top ten things walking has taught me: #4
Acceptance is a beautiful thing
Acceptance and I are new acquaintances. For many years, I couldn’t see its beauty. I thought it equalled resignation: sitting on the couch, hunched into my shoulders, and slowly shaking my head in a sad, Eeyore-type way. But acceptance is an active and dynamic force. It precedes and provokes change. For many years, I’ve been familiar with psychologist Carl Rogers’s contention that: ‘When I accept myself as I am, then I can change’. But I still found self-acceptance tough. In a … [Read more...] about Acceptance is a beautiful thing
Love: how to love ourselves more
According to the Troggs, 'love is all around'. So how come we're not very good at loving ourselves, never mind loving ourselves more? As someone who’s experienced some of those ‘slings and arrows of outrageous fortune’ that Hamlet harped on about, I may now have a partial answer. Without getting too far into a forensic analysis that can only lead us up our own backside, I think there are probably at least two main reasons: 1 We think to love ourselves is to be selfish, but this is to … [Read more...] about Love: how to love ourselves more
How to discover your potential in one step
Now notice that the headline doesn't say anything about discovering your potential in 'one easy step'. That's because I don't want to lead you astray from the beginning. Later on, maybe; right from the start, no. That would be plain wrong. Let's start by acknowledging that 'potential' comes from the same stem as 'power'. My favourite definition is: "latent qualities or abilities that may be developed and lead to future success or usefulness". That strikes me as worth some effort, as worth … [Read more...] about How to discover your potential in one step