Author: Lee Heywood
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AdventWord 2023: Ponder
Ponder for me… Variants of this conversation have happened so many times in my life: Person: “I am having [problem] and it’s so annoying!” Me: “I avoid that problem using [system].” Person (who was JUST complaining about how annoying this problem is): “WTF why do you have a system for that??” Me: “…???” Photo by
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AdventWord 2023: Truth
“Stick with the truth, it’s easier to remember.” Has anyone ever told you that? I find the claim fascinating. I think it’s the psychopathy; we Cluster B folks seem to lack a certain mental “friction” that other neurotypes have when it comes to fabrication. Which does make me a fluid storyteller, a talent I’ve been
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AdventWord 2023: Awake
Awake Have you ever described yourself as “being on autopilot”? Well, you probably were! Specific regions of the brain, together called the “default mode network”, kick in when we do a practised activity. One study watched the brain activity of volunteers while they learned a card game. When they first started playing and were trying
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AdventWord 2023: Hidden
If you read my blogs last year, you’ll already know that I spend a lot of my life thinking about the stories we’re not allowed to tell. The things we’re taught to keep hidden. Masking neurodivergence, closeting our romantic and sexual orientations (or lack thereof), plastering a front over our health issues (temporary or chronic)…
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Quaker A-Z: N is for Non-assumptive Language
Thinking about the language you use… I’m sure you’ve heard the old truism about “ass-uming”. But our society actually trains us to make various assumptions, usually based on “normal” behaviour and lifestyles. The language we use is no different. Picture this: you are a volunteer manager. Your charity is holding some event – perhaps a fundraiser,
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Quaker A-Z: G is for Gender Neutral Language
Quakers have a testimony to equality. For over sixty years Quakers in Britain have struggled with gender and sexual equality. Gender inclusive or gender neutral?
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AdventWord 2022: Birth
I’m going to be cheeky and talk about REbirth instead. Of course, depending on the school(s) of philosophy you ascribe to, you might believe that there is no difference. And you may well be right. Because while the general concept of “rebirth” in my culture is about one-off, landmark incidents (generally having an epiphany and
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AdventWord 2022: Beloved
What is love? Photo by Renate Vanaga Don’t start singing that nonsense 90s song at me. I want a serious answer. Because this is a question which has haunted me for most of my life. What is love and what does beloved actually mean? I say “haunted” because most of the definitions of love I’ve
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AdventWord 2022: Winnowing
Photo: Hannah Grace – A good approach to life as well as writing! What do we mean by winnowing? Well, put simply, to winnow is to separate a large number of things, into a smaller amount of things. Let us take editing as an example. Editing is an art. I know, I know, of course,
