Bouncing back with blackberries

Following a year of injury and illness, leading to insight and inspiration (eventually), I am now ready to write again.

Last week I was thrilled to have my first proper run in almost three months. I had been forced to stop running by a rather unfortunate incident with the lawnmower. I have since recovered and the lawnmower has not.

On this run I spotted some blackberries offering too good an opportunity to pass by. I like to pick them, fling them in the freezer for safe keeping, then dip into this stock throughout the Winter to make crumble and the likes. Yum.

While I was relieving the bushes of the biggest, best and juiciest of berries, I was careful to avoid the thorns, wasps, nettles and spiders. As I continued to search with my eyes and grab with my hands, I had the same thought I always have whenever I pick blackberries. Instead of simply focusing on the berry at hand, my eyes were constantly scouring the surrounding branches convinced that there would be a bigger, better-looking berry just over there to the left or the right or too far up, or deep in, for me to reach.

As always, this led me to reflect on the parallels with my approach to life where I am just as greedy for everything I love as I am for the biggest and best berries. However, when I become distracted by exciting looking things to my left or to my right, I cease to fully focus on what I am doing. It is only when I say ‘no’ to all the ongoing temptations that I can continue to say the biggest, fattest ‘yes’ to staying on task enough to begin to bear fruit. I also become more adept at spotting and avoiding life’s equivalent of wasps, nettles and the like!

As a wise friend recently remarked, ‘Jo, sometimes you even have to say ‘no’ to things that you love doing’.

I will now attempt to go forth, stay focused and become more fruitful.