Also, I love that John Paul Flintoff is one of your readers!
So, true story, in my former life, I read John’s book called, Through the Eye of a Needle and loved it so much that I wrote to him trying to convert him. 🙈😁
You see, I was frequently very poorly, narcolepsy, cancer, chronic depression, to name but a few.
In the faith I was in, one had to report each month, how many hours you’d spent in “field ministry”. Although this sounds rather like something you might have worked at back in your Dulani days it actually entailed knocking from door to door - an experience I never ever came to find easy and would often just pretend to ring the doorbell. 😬
Aaaaaanyway, the guilt I would feel if my report card was low - even if unwell - was immense. So I’d write letters, which always felt so much easier because I could inject some of my own personality, do it in the safety of my own home, and yet still count time for the report card (crazy, I know).
John Paul Flintoff sent a really lovely snail mail back, which I still have inside the book.😁
Ahhhh talk about 6 degrees of separation.
Oh please. Can we three do a collab one day? With our combined experience and stories and well, magic, it would be something sooooo delightful! 🤓 Just putting it out there.
I think this might be a nudge for one of my Literary Libations to be from The Eye of A Needle. 🪄
That really is a six-degrees situation, Suzy. I don't know how you ever managed to do that door-knocking thing. Even the idea gives me anxiety.
JP was one of the tutors on an Arvon life writing course I took a few years back. He's a very generous teacher and really encouraged me to think about whose story I was telling; a spark that has changed the direction of my writing, the business I'm creating and the course I'm about to launch. I think this is another example of not knowing how far we've come until we lift our heads high enough to look back.
I'm not sure if I've told him all that ... I can't seem to tag JP on the web version of Subtack. I might have to hop into the app and tag him there.
I really feel you, Miranda. That, “Wow, look at me now!” moment (until I fall in dog shit for again 😂).
I had no idea JPF had done writing classes etc. Finding a good teacher in the art we love means so much me thinks.
Yeah, I didn’t know how to tag either.
And yup, constant anxiety about the door knocking thing...I often have nightmares about it even now...except, in my dreams, I’m not only in full blown anxiety about the door knocking, I’m also being shunned by those I’m doing it with! 😂Yaaaay. Fun times.
Oh HOW I LOVE THIS! OH SOOO MUCH RESONATES. Sorry to shout but I really mean it! I love how, in the end, we can appreciate the WHOLE FLIPPING journey, as we realise, more and more, that it’s all served us. Even when in the moment back there, it felt like wading through shit. 😁🕺🏼✨🪄
Ha! I'm not sure if the shit-wading ever really ends or if life is an endless river of effluence interspersed with small sweet-smelling islands.
I don't regret selling the flat. The damp problem, while it emerged at a fecking inconvenient moment, was the final straw and confirmed selling was the right choice. I didn't have the funds to fix it and the freeholder was holding us leaseholders to ransom with increasingly costly demands. I loved the space, but hated the complications that came with it. Life is so much better and less stressful when I don't live with constant background anxiety that the kitchen might be flooded (again) by the flat above. Or that the freeholder was about to employ Bodgett and Scarper to tear the roof off my bathroom extension.
Oooh, I can feel the anxiety building at the memory. Anyway - yes, it's so much easier to see how far we've come when we're on a distant hill looking back.
Bodgett and Scarper! 🤣😂 I’m sorry Miranda... I don’t mean to laugh but you do make me smile.
Funny, about the wading through shit thing...The week of Xmas I had three separate encounters with dog poo. It was just horrible. 😅Even as it was happening I had to smile because I felt like it was the universe chuckling away at me whispering, “Hey Suze, ain’t ya tired of carting all ya shit around?”😂
This all sounds incredibly professional Miranda, I’m hugely impressed. I can only imagine the amount of work and self motivation it has taken to get his far even... I get to this part “telling people about what I’ve created.” And run terrified back to my hole... all plans and ideas with me to be filed under - don’t be ridiculous, you’re kidding yourself - I wish you every possible success! No quicksands, no wolves.... xxx
I’m on high alert for quicksand and wolves. Actually, that’s a perfect analogy for the two types of fear that keep me stuck. The slow sinking hopelessness at my lack of progress; and the watchfulness for what’s about to attack from the shadows.
I’d love to know what you’re creating, Susie. Are you working on something?
That's fantastic. Congratulations! I'd love to join you but have forbidden myself any more courses until my own is out in the world. Do you know yet when you might run it again? I'd love to have details even if I can't join you just yet.
Hey John Paul Flintoff...I can’t seem to tag you in comments but if you scroll down you’ll find some fun bits like, the time I wrote to you and also a really lovely testimonial to your writing classes which I found very moving. Hope Miranda doesn’t mind my writing this comment... I can’t seem to tag her in on it. 🙈
Also, I love that John Paul Flintoff is one of your readers!
So, true story, in my former life, I read John’s book called, Through the Eye of a Needle and loved it so much that I wrote to him trying to convert him. 🙈😁
You see, I was frequently very poorly, narcolepsy, cancer, chronic depression, to name but a few.
In the faith I was in, one had to report each month, how many hours you’d spent in “field ministry”. Although this sounds rather like something you might have worked at back in your Dulani days it actually entailed knocking from door to door - an experience I never ever came to find easy and would often just pretend to ring the doorbell. 😬
Aaaaaanyway, the guilt I would feel if my report card was low - even if unwell - was immense. So I’d write letters, which always felt so much easier because I could inject some of my own personality, do it in the safety of my own home, and yet still count time for the report card (crazy, I know).
John Paul Flintoff sent a really lovely snail mail back, which I still have inside the book.😁
Ahhhh talk about 6 degrees of separation.
Oh please. Can we three do a collab one day? With our combined experience and stories and well, magic, it would be something sooooo delightful! 🤓 Just putting it out there.
I think this might be a nudge for one of my Literary Libations to be from The Eye of A Needle. 🪄
That really is a six-degrees situation, Suzy. I don't know how you ever managed to do that door-knocking thing. Even the idea gives me anxiety.
JP was one of the tutors on an Arvon life writing course I took a few years back. He's a very generous teacher and really encouraged me to think about whose story I was telling; a spark that has changed the direction of my writing, the business I'm creating and the course I'm about to launch. I think this is another example of not knowing how far we've come until we lift our heads high enough to look back.
I'm not sure if I've told him all that ... I can't seem to tag JP on the web version of Subtack. I might have to hop into the app and tag him there.
I'm always up for a juicy collab ...
Consider me tagged! And thank you 🙏🏻 😊
Yaaaay! 🥳🪄🤸🏼♀️
Ahhaaa. Magic. Aaaall the magic, right there.
I really feel you, Miranda. That, “Wow, look at me now!” moment (until I fall in dog shit for again 😂).
I had no idea JPF had done writing classes etc. Finding a good teacher in the art we love means so much me thinks.
Yeah, I didn’t know how to tag either.
And yup, constant anxiety about the door knocking thing...I often have nightmares about it even now...except, in my dreams, I’m not only in full blown anxiety about the door knocking, I’m also being shunned by those I’m doing it with! 😂Yaaaay. Fun times.
Hooray. I love The pretend doorbell ringing
😁
Oh HOW I LOVE THIS! OH SOOO MUCH RESONATES. Sorry to shout but I really mean it! I love how, in the end, we can appreciate the WHOLE FLIPPING journey, as we realise, more and more, that it’s all served us. Even when in the moment back there, it felt like wading through shit. 😁🕺🏼✨🪄
Ha! I'm not sure if the shit-wading ever really ends or if life is an endless river of effluence interspersed with small sweet-smelling islands.
I don't regret selling the flat. The damp problem, while it emerged at a fecking inconvenient moment, was the final straw and confirmed selling was the right choice. I didn't have the funds to fix it and the freeholder was holding us leaseholders to ransom with increasingly costly demands. I loved the space, but hated the complications that came with it. Life is so much better and less stressful when I don't live with constant background anxiety that the kitchen might be flooded (again) by the flat above. Or that the freeholder was about to employ Bodgett and Scarper to tear the roof off my bathroom extension.
Oooh, I can feel the anxiety building at the memory. Anyway - yes, it's so much easier to see how far we've come when we're on a distant hill looking back.
Bodgett and Scarper! 🤣😂 I’m sorry Miranda... I don’t mean to laugh but you do make me smile.
Funny, about the wading through shit thing...The week of Xmas I had three separate encounters with dog poo. It was just horrible. 😅Even as it was happening I had to smile because I felt like it was the universe chuckling away at me whispering, “Hey Suze, ain’t ya tired of carting all ya shit around?”😂
Dog shit is one of the most powerful and frequently recurring metaphors for so many of life's ills.
I can't seem to tag John Paul. Or anyone. Is Substack glitching again or can you just not do that in comments?
Well you are asking the wrong person there. 😂 What I do really feel about Substack is that it’s missing a DM box🤓 Love you hugely Miranda. 💫🪄
This all sounds incredibly professional Miranda, I’m hugely impressed. I can only imagine the amount of work and self motivation it has taken to get his far even... I get to this part “telling people about what I’ve created.” And run terrified back to my hole... all plans and ideas with me to be filed under - don’t be ridiculous, you’re kidding yourself - I wish you every possible success! No quicksands, no wolves.... xxx
Professional? Steady on, Susie.
I’m on high alert for quicksand and wolves. Actually, that’s a perfect analogy for the two types of fear that keep me stuck. The slow sinking hopelessness at my lack of progress; and the watchfulness for what’s about to attack from the shadows.
I’d love to know what you’re creating, Susie. Are you working on something?
This bit!
“perfecting and tweaking the thing that no one knows about”
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
This is normal, right? I know I'm not the only one who does this, but I'm really pissing myself off with this endless faffery.
How's your interview course creation coming along?
Haha. Glad you asked. First session on Friday lunchtime! Happy to send more details if you wish. 😊
That's fantastic. Congratulations! I'd love to join you but have forbidden myself any more courses until my own is out in the world. Do you know yet when you might run it again? I'd love to have details even if I can't join you just yet.
It’s my plan to run two sessions a month for the foreseeable future.
Would be glad to have you join / totally understand otherwise
I'd definitely like to join a future session.
Hey John Paul Flintoff...I can’t seem to tag you in comments but if you scroll down you’ll find some fun bits like, the time I wrote to you and also a really lovely testimonial to your writing classes which I found very moving. Hope Miranda doesn’t mind my writing this comment... I can’t seem to tag her in on it. 🙈
Thank you for the tip off!
(Always. Suzy pulls up her coat collar and pulls down her cap and scurries into the darkness...but not before stepping in dog poo! 😂)