Mandala

On Wednesday evening I attended a Mindful Mandala workshop - an offshoot of the wellbeing day I went to at the end of February - and I have to say I really enjoyed it! It’s a little scary to be working in pen rather than pencil - there’s no way of correcting errors - but our lovely teacher Chloe takes us through stage by stage. Initially, we all work on identical patterns within a particular ring, but then we’re free to do our own thing. It’s at this point that several of us just stop. What do we do without direction? Again, there’s a fear of ‘going wrong’, but as Chloe says, there’s always a way back.  

By the end of the two hours, our designs are each held up to be appraised - all positive of course - and it’s amazing how everyone has produced something different. And looked at from a distance, all our work looks great! I’ve photographed mine for today’s blip, and of course it’s very easy to be critical of the  uneven details zooming in! 

Much as I enjoy this, it comes at a price. After a tough few days, sitting for a couple of hours is the final straw and by the time I go to bed I’m in so much pain. A sleepless night is followed by a call to the surgery for more Oramorph, and when I get a call back I discover that last week’s blood test had revealed my borderline thyroxin levels have fallen significantly. Yes, this means more medication, but I’m relieved to find a reason for my tiredness and increased depression  - and to know that there’s a simple pill that I can take to at least make this side of things better. A diagnosis is so much better than not knowing. 

So I spend the whole day lying down, trying to sleep and catching up on television (I’ve finally got round to watching Ripley- so beautifully filmed). I’m afraid that once again  I’ve not even looked at journals.