Mind your own spirit.
Smell sounds, taste colours and feel words
This month, psychic Pasha is passionate about everything, well almost everything as her opening line in her article will tell you.
Isn't life a steaming great pile of horse manure at the moment?
The weather is gloomy, the state of the world is gloomy and there are far too many programmes about murder on telly. It's hard work maintaining a positive outlook, isn't it?
Hard work, but still possible, my friends! I can see you all shaking your heads in disbelief, but it's true. One thing I've learned this year is to find joy wherever I can. I find it in watching the birds gathering on my bird feeders for breakfast. I've noticed they come at the same times every day, and every sparrow looks different. I can now hear the difference between the various blackbirds that visit, and have established a relationship with the family of collared doves by repeating the sounds they make. We talk to each other although I've no idea what we're all saying. I look forward to getting up now and greeting the birds while I drink my tea.
This week, I've been rereading my favourite book, 'The Phantom Tolbooth' by Norton Juster. It's a children's book, but relevant to anyone who is lacking in joie de vivre. It's about a boy called Milo, who is bored with everything. One day, he finds a toy car and a tollbooth, which take him on a strange journey. He makes friends with a dog and together they travel and rediscover their curiousity. I recommend it for everyone - it will change the way you see everything and will reawaken your imagination. It will make you notice what's around you and appreciate even the smallest nuggets of fun.
And that's the key to happiness; noticing and appreciating what's around you. Mindfulness. When you drink a cup of tea, notice how it smells, feels, tastes and moves. When you get caught in the rain, notice how it sounds, smells and feels, look at the droplets sparkling like jewels on leaves, splash through puddles and listen to the giggling gurgle of it going down the drains. Hear the sound of wet tyres on roads, and the tune the rain plays on the roof. Notice the chattering of the birds when the rain stops.
The nights are getting longer now, but that means I get to see the local bats before I go to bed, illuminated by the stars and moon. When I get up for work, I can watch the sunrise, stroking streaks of pink, yellow, orange and purple across the sky, and if I'm lucky, I'll see the sun at one side and the moon at the other. Amazing!
I listen to the reassuring rattle of the central heating coming on, the music the kettle makes, and I hum along to the sound of my fan assisted oven. Everything is music. I can smell sounds, taste colours feel words because I have synaesthesia. I'm so grateful for this gift. Maybe you have it too, but have been so caught up in to do lists, chores and work, that you haven't noticed. I can smell and taste names, which is great for most names (Helen is yellow and smells and tastes of lemon curd), but some aren't quite so pretty (Bernard smells and tastes of cabbage!).
I teach part-time at a college. We started our new term last week, but on Friday, a member of staff tested positive for Covid, so we've had to close for a week. It's frustrating and disheartening, but it's made me think how much I'll miss teaching my students face to face this week, and look forward to seeing them again the week after. It means I'll have to face my fear of online teaching and try out my recent training, and it also means I can have an extra hour in bed. Every cloud has a silver lining, so next time you see a cloud, look for that silver lining. Sometimes the linings are gold.
Love Light and PEAS
Pasha x
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