In our weekly bit where we chat about mental health and well being, a few ideas and thoughts on finding some favourite things to keep us going.
Hello, and welcome to Wednesday and our weekly spot for a look outside our windows. And this week, to have a good shiver.
Forgive me if I go a bit Julie Andrews on you today. I am generally impervious to happy messaging and the horror that is Valentine’s Day, but having been clobbered right round the maypole by neurological issues this week, I’m looking for a few of my favourite things as a distraction.
Snow days are one of them. If you live in my part of the world, the Beast from the East is back in all its Storm Darcy glory. Delicate name for such a vicious entity. Hail is pelting my window, a wind that gives you a free facial peel every time you step outside. And makes you feel alive when you step out into it, bundled up in a duffle coat and pom-pom hat.
I’ve been standing at my back door, gazing up at a moon ringed with hoarfrost, the stars harsh against the black night sky. Crunched ice underfoot when it’s still fresh. Then indoors to brushed cotton sheets, soft and snug against the skin. Yes, I am old!
There’s the happy thunk on the mat of a monthly magazine delivery, a Fortean Times or two to snort over, to walk with poltergeists and spirits. Truffling online for books with eclectic names and covers, just for the joy of it. I took delivery of Frederik Pohl’s The Age Of The Pussyfoot, and boy is it a fun slice of cryogenic dystopia. Like a 60s Altered Carbon versus The Running Man.
I’m hoovering up Stephen King again. Up to date on The Stand. There’s something comfortably horrifying in his never-ending genius in bumping people off. Harold (a brilliant Owen Teague) in the latest adaptation is a true monster. His evolution from bullied kid to human monster is astonishing. And while clowns may lurk in drains, it’s the humans amongst us who are often the scariest.
What am listening to as I type? My cheesy 80s rock playlist. Right now, it’s belting out Billy Idol’s Dancing With Myself, which back in the actual 80s I wouldn’t have been seen dead actually dancing to. Now? I’m chair boogying with joy.
My favourite things: daft books, dafter music, a shiny magazine, and Stephen King getting nasty on humanity’s ass. Plus the occasional walk in the snow. My own self care prescription.
What are your favourite things? You don’t have to sing them out loud. Just a word or two, a sentence, about something that chases the blues away. And ignore my carping about Valentine’s Day. If it’s your thing, have a brilliant time with your loved one this weekend. We need all the joy we can get right now.
Also, shout away if there’s something you’d like to see us cover in future. Presenteeism in the workplace has been requested as a subject, and is pretty pertinent right now. We’re open to topics of discussion.
Thanks for reading, and take care.
PS. A huge thank you to one regular reader, our resident Badger Paul Childs, who reminded me when my brain was melting over what to write about this week that sometimes, people just like to natter. He writes some cracking stuff himself, over at the Badger’s Crossing website. Do check it out.
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