Good relationships (‘hakuna matata’)

Experiencing close connections with a wide variety of people/ channelling our unique qualities for greater friendship and creativity.

I am a member of a creative group that welcomes all kinds of honest expression. We are made up of very different personalities with hugely varied gifts and interests. We receive each other’s works with acceptance, openness and curiosity which is crucial for authentic sharing. Let me introduce you to the seven members:

Panda: An intuitive wonder, fierce confidence, mover and shaker, soft caramel heart, huge desires for glory and magnificence. Panda tends to surprise, be it with a killer poem, a whopping short film or an academic reflection that shakes your soul. She always leaves you longing for more.

Golden Retriever: A passionate presence, sees the best in people, astute, wide-eyed, fun-loving, an old soul, loves to smile with you. Goldie tends to see the world in colour and images. She can offer you a watercolour painting, a stunning translation from her native tongue, or just a look of sheer wonder.

Chimp: A bekinding soft soul, always holding the family of things together with a liquid golden appreciation that melts every edge away. Chimp can gently craft a story in the form of a blogpost, podcast or video. A shooter of one-liner jokes, great attention to detail, and celebrator of God in all things.

Warthog: A hairy gent, attentive, well-spoken, nuanced, great fun, a prankster, big, strong, arms-outstretched, with bold dreams. Hog draws from his love of English literature and diverse interests to give you a tantalising poem of the senses, or he can pause, and whip up a magical story on the spot.

Swan: Fiercely intelligent, a warm presence and speaker, deeply loyal and trustworthy, likes to be goofy with a joke or bar of music. Swan invites you to fly with her as she unearths the meanings of a mosaic or monastic settlement all through a reflection that truly beckons. She paints too!

Billy Goat: Dead sound, refreshingly logical, sensitive and sweet, up for a laugh and an adventure, sculpted, and agile. Billy climbs mountains east and west to offer you photographs of seismic proportions. You can hear him sing from the hills with a guitar in his hooves. Loves a good rinsing.

Tiger: A burst of power, research-minded, a ‘take-it-all-in’ presence, the deepest belly laugh, huge goals (watch this space!). Tiger can paint a masterpiece and then cut it all up with showers of poems. She can stop, steady herself, see a movement of nature, and relay a universal message. ­­

All of us creatures – Panda, Goldie, Chimp, Hog, Swan, Billy and Tiger – sing our own song and paint our own scene. Yet we stretch the gap between our beats so we can witness each other creating. We come from colourful corners and cover a lot of ground. We move in light ways, heavy ways, with or without sound. We listen to the winning of hearts and souls, and we nod to the spirit of light and day.