A dark week brightened by felt tips

IT was a strange week, one which plunged me into uncharacteristic gloom.

A day in London reminded me how much I enjoy being ‘in’ the world, rather than burying myself full time in the countryside — and the very thought felt disloyal to my lovely life.

Doing my (willing) fill of family duties proved yet again that I am the ‘sandwich generation’ — tired, but with parents and grandchildren to pay attention to.

My first grandchild turned seven, making me terrified of the passage of time. And then there was President Trump’s visit, the hatred on London’s streets, and my husband’s insistence on watching Saving Private Ryan to mark D-Day week.

I’d never seen it and was in tears of rage, horror and grief — followed by a sleepless night.

What to do? I always turn to the written word, so plucked a selfhelp book with a difference from my pile of waiting-to-be read volumes. It was its title that grabbed me: Singing In The Rain by Rachel Kelly. Yes, I thought, there’s a time when all of us need to sing in the rain.

Kelly is a superb writer who has suffered clinical depression and written about it movingly in her book, Black Rainbow. This latest offering is an ‘inspirational workbook’ offering ‘52 practical steps to happiness’.

What fun it is — inviting you to take a pencil, think, make notes, smile, get creative, discover more about yourself. I started a couple of the calming exercises and immediately felt better.

Each of the 52 sections is short, sweet and to the point, giving a range of tips from how to eat, listening to music, not comparing yourself to others, rethinking mistakes and so on.

Never written a poem? Why not try — gaining some inspiration from Rachel’s own touching poem about her mother’s terminal illness, on page 152.

Never drawn? Why not grab a pencil and some felt tips and have a go on the special page?

Full of self-doubt? Well, join the club — because you’re in good company. And hey … the sun just came out!