My eyes have recently witnessed the, not far off, miraculous as my five-year-old has finally got the hang of the simple joy that is riding a bike. What a milestone of childhood and a moment of liberation it is, travelling fast and fuss-free under your own power. After some unsuccessful dilly-dallying in the park with her Mum and Dad, we signed her up to a course that promised quick results – and, sure enough, after a handful of sessions during which we made ourselves scarce, we returned to watch that eureka moment when she first took-off pedalling around the Scout Hall; equally as exhilarating to clap eyes on, in my opinion, as it is to be the one free-wheeling, care-free downhill. It might’ve normally struck me how unequal it is that my kids come wide-eyed to so many new experiences, braving teachable heads and hearts whilst I’ve let at least a decade go past since adding any new life skills to the repertoire. Except, I’d just spent a week living life as a novice, tackling snowy slopes with a pair of skis clipped to my feet. So, I could relate; recalling the jittery anticipation that loomed large as I psyched myself up for ‘beginners’ class on day 1. Right before that trip, the priest Richard Rohr had dedicated a weeks’ worth of his daily newsletter to ‘the beginners mind’. I, in preparation, had lapped it up. But soon discovered that it’s not the trying of new stuff he was endorsing (tricky enough as it is to work through each day’s to-do list) but that there’s something in the way a beginner looks at stuff, their approach, that’s praiseworthy. He wrote, “(the) Beginner’s mind is a readiness to always be in awe, to always be excited… (it’s) one’s mind before the hurts of life have made us cautious and self-protective.” I know that adulting can zap me of the immediate delight and curiosity I see in my children; there’s an expectation that we’ve seen already rather than are ready to see anew… but that video on my phone - recorded for posterity - Rory propelling forward, wheels in motion, is a reminder for me to try to bring the humility and zest of a starter to my seen-before, done-before days. Pause for Thought | BBC Radio 2 | 16th May @bbcradio2

A (friendly) sparring snippet @revdpeterson @gmb #gmb

Countdown to conversations @campbestival 🗣️✨🎪 #campbestival #literarytent #summer23

“I find one of the most bittersweet bits of parenting small children is the alarming rate at which they outgrow their pint-sized clothes. Of course, I’m glad they’re growing up and out in all the right directions but that very definite, and quite literally material, reminder of the change afoot sure is one powerful emotional cocktail - and one that can, sometimes, be a bit too stark for my liking. But! All is not mopey where this sartorial sadness is concerned as I think I’ve found the best remedy possible. And I’ve found it in the joy of the old school hand-me-down system. Because my gorgeous Goddaughters, Ivy and Dora, a few years younger than my eldest, have breathed new life into many of Rory’s most loved togs. It was a tradition we started in one of the lockdowns, me and their soon-to-be Mums spaced apart in the garden divvying up swaddles and first rave glitter leggings into bags. We’ve since gone on to create something of our own ritual - as I pull each item out of the latest sack of best pickings, the gut instincts of who they’re most suited to kick-in and them being the great friends they are with enviably photographic memories, they can often recall the occasion or even the video I once sent them of Rory wearing that very thing. We reminisce and then get excited for the new memories to be made – the teeny swimsuits simply a vehicle to these two mainstays of friendship. More than just a wardrobe clear-out or new haul, our ceremonial transfers provide a moment of awareness for the three of us; the stages that await and those that’ve passed. We’ve turned the ordinary into something of a soulful practice. The ever-sage Richard Rohr, priest, and writer on spirituality, has said that Western people are a “ritually starved people – and in this are different than most of human history.” His emphasis on the need for ritual to provide “clear closure, transition and… direction” has stuck with me and in all the ways I can, clearly (!) I’m trying to inject it back into my life; seeking out ways to find connection and meaning in the everyday – whilst allowing those rehomed mini-faux-fur jackets to take me back to moments that go too fast!” #handmedowns

Goin’ round the twist @twist_museum 🍭