MEDIUM

Radio:      Written sketches and  gags for topical shows like
                   DEAD RINGERS. and. NEWS HUDDLINES

T.V:          Written gags and anecdotes for.  11 0 CLOCK SHOW

Theatre:   As member of  Liverpool Playwright's, I wrote 2 one act
                 plays that were showcased during Hope Street festivals.
 
OTHER.    I wrote sitcom for BBC talent that  was shortlisted by
                  their own judges.
 
                 I've. Written Greeting Cards' - Funny Range- for various
                 Companies.            

 By this time I thought g it was all over
 My head above watr
   Emotions that crush the soul.
   Gone!e
                                                                                                                                                                                                            

   I carry on forward with new gusto           
   and hope... Suddenly... There's a
   tap on my shoulder.
  "We need to talk"

   My departed unwanted guest still
   here. This is  Grief,..my Grief.
   He plys his trade on bereaved lost
   souls. Plays mind games too.


    Maybe he's not that clever after all.
    Doesn't need to be. Vulnerability makes
    me weak, If my head's above water.the
    my feet are sinking in quicksand,
     .  I

    It's relentless.Grief grows after every attack,
    My strategy changes somehow, I watch.
    hold back,stand my ground. My nemesis
    backs down a touch. Am determined to 
    understand the essence of this villain, And
    of course with time...
..

    Time is good. Time's a good healer.In our
    world.time seperates good from evil 

   ,.

    So...after many sleepless nights, I wait. Ready
    for what is. What I know.... Grief really does go.
    Well can't be sure but the instinct is good. Grief
    was right after all..The anti-hero' both good and.
    bad. from a timeless world?   
       
    Grief is tough love...But above all, Grief is love
    I thought it was all over....Wisdom prevails.
    Well maybe it's over,.Just maybe

     

           


                                                                                                             
                                                                                                               ,                                                                                                               

In our day to day lives we run around like headless chickens.  In fact in our everyday running around and getting everything done we are in what is called  'DOING MODE'. Obviously this is a
very good state of mind to be in because without it we would get nothing done. However doing mode is also associated with the desire to change things, pressure and expectations. We can easily be affected by negative thoughts and uneasy feelings.

Mindfulness offers a way of managing these issues so we can achieve a more healthy balance between doing and another state of mind called /BEING MODE'. Mindfulness enables us to quickly get into being mode, which means delibrately paying attention to the present moment with an open attitude of acceptance and compassion.

HOW DO WE DO IT?

The easiest way to start is to anchor yourself on your breathing. The anchor point can be the abdoman where you can feel this rising on the in breathe and falling on the out breathe. You can also use the nostrils as an anchor point where you breathe in cool air and breathe out warmer air. A simple process is to breathe in and count 1 and on the out breathe count 2.. If you find that your mind wanders in this process, simply accept the thought and guide it back to one of the anchor points and then simply carry on counting. When people first begin mindfulness, they start to panic somewhat when a thought creeps in. This process though is all about the very essence of mindfulness. You have to go through this to learn. The very idea of accepting the thought and dealing with it with compassion means that it will slowly just wander away like a passing cloud.  So later on when the whole thing can be used in everyday life, when a nagging thought creeps in, dealing with it in the correct way and watching it slowly melt away will not only give you immense satisfaction but also the ability to stay calm and relaxed as you get on with your day.

In mindfulness we can also focus our attention on our external world such as what you can see,hear,taste,touch and smell moment by moment. As a good rule of thumb if you can anchor yourself in one of the 5 five senses tghen you should be able to get into a mental state of being. How many times do we actually sit down and just completely not think about nothing at all? It's very difficult! With a concerted effort if you can sit and just clear your mind of everything, after about 5 minutes you get a very relaxed feeling within. 

Try now looking at an everyday object like a piece of fruit sitting in the fruit bowl. Dont make any harsh judgements. Simply describe to yourself what you see in relation to shape and simple things like that.
Again dismissing any thoughts that are not relevent with acceptance and compassion..

The one thing that mindfulness enables us to do is to stay in the present moment. We have to understand that truly this is the only way to live a satisfying life. Problems like depression creep in when one dwells too much in the past and anxiety  pops up its ugly head when we fear the future.

NEXT TIME

LETS TAKE A LOOK FURTHER INTO HOW IMPORTANT LIVING IN THE NOW IS AND CONSEQUENTLY HOW BENEFICIAL IT IS TO PRACTICE MINDFULNESS

We then did some 5 minute - keep your head down, don't look up- exercises. Adding the premise of food made it more interesting. I've realised that food makes for some diverse writing.

I remember on a course I did a good while ago, a book called  ARISTOTLE'S POETICS  for SCREENWRITERS...When translated, it emerges that when writing Drama, discovering a characters' eating habits is essential and this goes all the way back to the dawn of western civilisation.

When feeling down, you've got to be kind to yourself, that's why it's comfort food for me... Corned beef hash with a sausage, Sheperd's Pie and thick homemade chips with loads of salt and vinegar... The truth is, I love this food so much I eat all these when I'm happy too. This makes me think:  

If you are what you eat..       What is a cannibal?

We had our first session   with Sarah, with the main incentive being trying to discover our own voices.  We used vernacular words and phrases that we've all used before to get a wide spectrum of ideas.  I've got Irish blood running through my veins, so I should have a rich tapestry of phrases tucked away in the ol' grey matter.

One word that always comes to mind for me, meaning a" fool" or  " waste of space" is GOBSHITE.  There was never any malace in the word and was more a term of endearment than anything else.

When I was a small kid and fell over grazing a knee or God forbid spilling a bit of that Irish blood on the pavement, when a grown up looked at the wound and realised the extent of the exaggeration, they would say....."LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM"...  "HE FELL OVER A MATCHSTICK AND A FLY KICKED HIM"... I know, its confusing to say the least. and still struggle to get my head around it.

I think you get a sense of your own voice too by reading a lot, stuff you like and also dislike to give a broad spectrum.