Conversations with Victoria

Read Between The Lines. "Read between the lines, then meet me in the silence if you can" (May Sarton) www.LifeLineswritingservice.com Letters, cards, paper things - remember them ? I’m happy to be called old-fashioned if it means that I care about some of the things, usages, habits that are falling into disuse in the rush to take advantage of the amazing technology now at our disposal. Don’t get me wrong, I happily use much of it - I’m using it now to write this and am glad to be able to google for quick information. But - and it’s a big but for me, aren’t some of the ‘old-fashioned’ things worth hanging on to because they serve a unique purpose, an added dimension which touches something different and more human in us. I was searching through some personal papers recently and unearthed my father’s hand-written, hen-scratched pages of our family tree. Almost as indecipherable as when I first received them perhaps because I no longer receive cards or letters ...

 "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go". (Thomas Stearns Eliot) We all like to feel comfortable in our surroundings and in our relationships whether with family, friends or work associates. Feeling uncomfortable is ......well ..... uncomfortable and affects our enjoyment not only of the moment but often influences our behaviour. Most of us are not usually at our best when we are stressed or in situations we don't particularly like. We may react in a negative way by retreating into silence, or by being rude, hostile or antisocial in any number of ways which don't reflect our character or normal way of interacting.  And yet, the flip side of feeling discomfort is that it can be the very motivation we need to change and grow. When we are comfortable we don't always appreciate the positives in our lives, we take them for granted and become complacent. Whilst being settled and at peace, happy with our choices is some...

Seaweed I close my eyes  and breathe - smell the seaweed strewn across the sand, hauntingly familiar, the mind-madness momentarily, magically  arrested. Old memories capture me enrapture me and I am free to wander through old dreams. Child, girl, woman in moments of bliss on English days. Cold seas,  shells and seaweed. Or the summer smell of chalk y country lanes -  of hot tar melting on the  road,  shimmering  like oily water  in the sun -  or a meadow, cowslips and cowpats  sharing the space. As I raise my face in this foreign land  looking for release,  the smell of  seaweed  more evocative  than any perfume rescues me. It winds itself  around me,  lingering,  like longing does. Healing. Senses saturated, I drift away. The generous sea sends me home  on scented waves of salt. 

The sea comes to me seaweed on its salty tongue, licking my senses, teasing me; seizing me with longing like no other. I breathe and breathe but it’s not enough, will never be enough to quench my insatiable thirst for those other times, other places, with traces of childhood faces, Slippery ribbons of seaweed and salt start a craving like candy.  Sun-lit moments trapped and snapped in black and white - ancient Kodak memories  revived, alive again. Strands of time strewn on the sand under my hand -  and they are mine.

The Journey Begins - please join me. Reaching Out & Leaning In I will have a birthday this month and I usually make this event an opportunity to review where I am personally and professionally since the previous one. This year although the actual day hasn't yet arrived I have decided on the path I want to pursue more vigorously. Not a radical deviation merely a redirection of priorities. 2019 will see me focussing specifically on inspiring and mentoring women to be their best selves. This is something that has always been spontaneously incorporated into my writing, my interactions with others and the way I live. Sometimes it isn’t always intentional it seems to be layered into my subconscious. I like sharing and helping others to find their best selves or to help clear a path enabling them to see how to get to their destination more clearly.  This is also a way of my being my best self. It’s been many years now since I spearheaded a team and established a s...

Victoria Sarne 2019 Update. More about the Author:Professionally, she writes copy; ghost writes speeches and statements; press releases and publicity material. she has completed writing a biography and more recently her own very full autobiography. She writes a bi-weekly column for The Tribune newspaper in Nassau, Bahamas. She was excited and challenged from 2017 to 2018 to have been involved in more than one medical/techno project and community mentoring project: The HEALin and SingularityU Nassau Chapter - and despite the challenge of writing in unfamiliar genres has safely added new expertise in writing medical, legal, technological, academic, design thinking articles and other  material, to her portfolio. 2019 means more freelancing and consulting as she partners with Insight Stage, a platform for mentoring and guidance in life skills both emotionally and spiritually. Putting her event planning, creativity and communication skills together to create their first event for the...