Reflections and Refractions

There’s a creepy path by my apartment building. It exists under an overpass, enclosed by claustrophobic metal gates, punctuated by odd little alcoves that seem to only exist as trash receptacles for careless litterers. Ordinary objects become haunting when they lie strewn under an overpass: an earless stuffed animal, a dirt-matted fleece, mysteriously warped traffic cones, half-eaten packets of crisps. Even though it looks like the set of an apocalyptic movie, and most would probably avoid it, I am fascinated by it. Each time I walk through, I’m excited to see what unsettling items might have been added to (or subtracted from) the collection. The other day, I had the thought that random details of my life here, like the creepy alley or the smell of my kitchen, are the details I don’t want to forget when I leave Belfast. Now that I’m over halfway done with my time here, I’m feeling sentimental about my rituals and routines. They are signifiers of this era, and I’m trying to maintain awareness and log the details so I can revisit them in my memory.

There has been plenty of variety in my work routine lately, which has kept me on my toes. We’ve been doing lots of offsite workshops, which means I get to explore new parts of Northern Ireland and meet a wider range of young authors. I really enjoyed a workshop we did recently with a girls’ college. I was nervous about how the dynamic might be different because they were older than the students we normally work with, but they brought so much humor and enthusiasm into the workshop. They had fun brainstorming silly ideas together and got really into writing the collaborative story. It had been a while since I last led storymaking, but this was a great group to jump back in with. As a bonus, it was also a sunny day, and I felt so rejuvenated on the bright road back from the workshop. Even though I’ve done a million workshops with the same format by this point, every group brings originality and freshness to the creative writing process. I don’t think it could ever get old!

Life has been busy busy, but here are some quick highlights. As sunlight has made its spring return with the turning of March, I have been taking lots of photos, with a special interest in shadows, reflections,  refractions, and all dimensions of light. One of my favorites is of a stained glass window’s wavy shadow. I’ve been finding relaxation in creativity: writing notes app poetry, singing with friends, discovering exciting new outfit combinations within my limited wardrobe, watching movies critically and carefully crafting reviews for my 7 Letterboxd followers to enjoy, and making elaborate packed lunches with plentiful colors and flavors. I’ve had lots of good social time, which gives me an excuse to try delicious and overpriced new treats like Slabz sandwiches and Black Sheep pistachio lattes. My friend Liz was in town over the weekend, and we had fun hiking, trying new spots, playing bingo, laughing lots, and catching up with mutual friends from Belmont. This upcoming weekend, my Aunt Heather will be in town, so the hosting fun continues!