Monday 1st February . F is for Fun

F is for Fun...and F is for February and I want to know who stole January ! With all the snow and disruption it seems as if January disappeared and we are now rolling on into Spring.

This is just a short entry to post some fun !!....I spent some time on Saturday with the Exposition group...this is the writing group that the church has under the Unique Women's Ministry banner and we had a day away planned which was excellent in many ways. Joining in with a group of women of all ages ..sharing our words and thoughts together was stimulating and challenging. It was all the more challenging for me as for the last 3 meetings the group has focus-ed on poetry....and just to explain..

I do not "do " poetry..don't write it ..don't like it...don't read it...just plain don't "do"!!

I will hopefully work out how to post my offering of poetry with this blog but I wanted to share a kind of "epiphany" I have had about myself brought about by Exposition over the last year. For as long as I can remember I have always felt slightly inferior with regard to academic ability...leaving school at 16 with O levels and never really undertaking any higher education I am very aware that I often mix with folk who have degrees and are hugely more intelligent that me in the academic sense. Exposition has stretched me way beyond my comfort zone and at times I have often thought to give up ..especially when it began to focus on poetry...In the run up to the day the emails were flying with all the poems being sent round so we all knew each persons offerings.I only had to read some of the introductions and explanations to realise that I was way out of my depth...and then reading the actual poetry just blew me out of the water.

But..I have slowly reached an acceptance and understanding of who I am and what I have to offer and decided that rather than try and be what I most definitely am not...I would just be myself and write as I see it.This in itself is a step forward for me as I have sometimes found myself pretending to be other than I am...if that makes sense? Have you ever sat in a group doing ice breaker kind of activities and you have to say something "encouraging" about each person in the room...or where you have to use one word to describe each person in the room?? Over the years if ever this has been my experience the main thing people would say about me would be comments about "how funny I am "...or about "my sense of humour " and whilst there isn't anything wrong with that I have so often wanted the words "wise " "spiritual" "strong" "adaptable"...and other remarks like this...and at times I have said "I wish people could see past my humour " to the real me.!!

The awakening realisation I have been experiencing for this last year is that actually being funny...humerous...bringing laughter into life is a vital part of the "real me " and is a gift in itself and I could relax into it without feeling in any way inferior. As we all shared our poetry on the Away Day and each of us read our offerings I was so very aware that each persons poem was much deeper and more mysterious and needed lots of thought to get the meaning and to understand and grasp the truth of the words they had written. I knew as my turn approached that there was no hidden meaning..no depth...no mystery...just laughter at the basic humanity of a woman. In the past I would have felt so very much out of place and been nervous and worrying about what others perceived me to be...but instead I just felt a complete and utter freedom that I had written something fairly good and very funny and it provoked exactly the reaction I had expected..planned ...and wanted...laughter...much hooting and giggles.!!

Fun is good..laughter is precious...and if my wee poem makes you giggle then this blog entry has been worthwhile...

JUST ONCE


Just once,
Can I get through the day
without squeezing whilst sneezing
or holding tough when I cough
when walking to the car seems way too far.

Just once,
Can I get through the day?
without a queue for the loo
or crossing of legs like pegs
When running for buses causes down below fusses.

Just once,
Can I get through the day
without Senna or Tena
or creeping whilst seeping
when a heavenly sigh confirms that I am dry,

Just once,
Can I get through the day
without slickers as knickers
or whinging and cringing
when the cold hits the tight bits.

Just once,
Can I get through the day,
without a sneak for a leak
or constant wee-ing and pee-ing
when daytime dribbling becomes nocturnal widdling.