Three Good Things

I’ve been wondering whether it’s time to leave social media but a gentle voice within tells me to stay. I have met so many kindred spirits through my soul care Instagram account and have truly felt the movement of Love in that space. I could tell you any number of stories to illustrate this and maybe I will another time. For now I’ll just say that I’m writing this to you on a sunny Friday afternoon because I’m feeling inspired by my dear friend Debbie Horrocks who I met through Instagram years ago (if her name sounds familiar if might be because I wrote about her retreat in my last letter).

Debbie is endlessly encouraging and our weekly Thursday voice note exchanges are one of the highlights of my week. Last week I shared with her a new idea for how I might use my Instagram account.

“I’m calling it Three Good Things,” I told her, “and it will be as simple as it sounds. I’ll just share good things, a few at a time.”

Debbie replied by saying that she loved the idea and would like to join in.

I then mentally replied, “I’m thrilled you want to join in.”

Notice the phrase “mentally replied”….

If you have my phone number and regularly message me, you’ll probably know that I either reply straightaway or not at all. It’s not because I sometimes care and sometimes don’t. It’s just because I replied in my head and then forgot to actually type it out and press send. (I’m sorry, I know this is annoying. I’m working on it). When I say I “mentally replied” to Debbie I mean that I forgot to type out or record a voice note reply.

Unfortunately that meant that Debbie wondered if she’d overstepped in saying she wanted to join in.

“If you want to keep it as a thing you’re doing by yourself, that’s absolutely fine,” she told me in a voice note.

I immediately replied to let her know that I appreciated her consideration but I didn’t and I don’t want to keep it as something I’m doing by myself.

“If me sharing Three Good Things sets off a chain reaction of people sharing their Good Things then I will consider that A Good Thing,” I quickly typed before I had chance to forget.

Today I shared three good things on Instagram but as I hit the share button I thought about Debbie, felt her encouragement, and thought that maybe Three Good Things is a practice I could also write about here. Maybe it could even become a regular way in which I write to you. Instagram has its life-giving side but it is not a space for pausing or even for lengthy captions (although I still insist on writing them).

I don’t know if this will be a one-off Three Good Things letter or the first of many but here goes at least one instalment. If Instagram is the summary post, this is the extended edition. I hope it inspires you to take a moment to reflect on your week and remember some Good Things. Not as a practice of toxic positivity or spiritual bypassing but as a way of savouring more fully the goodness that has been offered to you during the past few days. And if you feel moved to post about your Good Things here or on Instagram, please know that I am thrilled. Like St Ignatius, who placed gratitude at the heart of Jesuit spirituality, I’m convinced that any practice that nurtures genuine thankfulness is a practice that attunes us to the movement of God in our lives, connects us with our belovedness and moves us more fully into the flow of goodness in the world.

Thanks as always, for being here.

“Give beauty back, beauty, beauty, beauty, back to God, beauty’s self and beauty’s giver.” Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J.

Henry and I met my parents for a walk in the bluebell woods near Gamlingay and had a wonderful hour soaking in the beauty of the springtime woods. My mum told me that if I got any good photos she’d like me to share them with her because hers never seem to do the bluebells justice. I shared the photos I took but I don’t think mine capture the beauty of the bluebell woods either. It’s frustrating but also wonderful. It feels like the bluebells are saying, “you can’t capture us so you might as well enjoy us”.

The other thing I noticed as I sat on a log in the woods was that my presence felt completely welcome and also completely unnecessary. The bluebells don’t wait for an observer to arrive (or leave) before they bloom. They just go ahead and bloom when they are ready. In this excessively image-conscious and hyper-self-aware age, that feels like wisdom I need to sit with a little longer.

Yesterday I looked at the sky so long it started to look purple. I wondered if I was having a mystical experience or had hurt my retinas (maybe both?!). I love clouds but a huge expanse of blue really communicates SPACE and encourages me to breathe more deeply. I love the ocean or a large lake (looking at you Lake Michigan) for the same reason but it’s rare that I get to be beside one of those. Looking up to see acres of blue has been a gift this week.

I’ve been experiencing some health issues lately and I’ve decided to take a break from drinking alcohol. I have been amazed by how much better I feel (and also how much more aware I am of my levels of sensory/social overwhelm when I haven’t had a glass of wine - a mixed blessing). Although I’m enjoying the increased energy and reduced anxiety that come from not drinking, I am missing the ritual of pouring and savouring a glass of wine so I’m currently having fun tasting non-alcoholic alternatives. I find most of them too sweet but this Bottlegreen “Hugo Spritz” was very light and refreshing. A friend in my art class recommended Trip drinks so they are next on my list. Let me know what else I should try.

Take a few minutes to look through your camera reel or replay the week in your mind. Ask yourself:

Where was beauty?

What brought me joy?

When did I give or receive love?