Three weeks holiday from college. All homework completed, Christmas is coming. Looking forward to returning to 'Merlin's Keep'.

Quote

This quote was sent to my by someone who was bullied and managed to get through the experience. It rings so true.

      "When a toxic person can no longer control you, they will try to control how others see you. This misfortune will feel unfair but stay above it, trusting that the other people will eventually see the truth like you did"

      Thank you to the person who sent this. 

Bullying

I am running an anti bullying campaign on my fb page of LitWrits and my regular Facebook page. There are many of us who have experienced bullying. It can happen at any time, any place.
Often an accusation of bullying is not taken seriously or ignored because no one can believe it of that person. This is because the bully is very adept at hiding behind a cloak of respectability and will very rarely show their true colours to anyone other than their victim.
There is no glory attached to being bullied nor making an accusation of bullying. In fact it does take courage and the victim has probably taken a long, lonely journey to get to the stage of admitting what is going on to someone else. If someone you know makes such an accusation and you find it hard to believe please take the time to find out the truth. You could save a victim a lot of further pain and humiliation.

Bullying

What is the definition of a bully?
A coward.

All those who bully do it in secret, with their cronies, out of sight. It is a cowardly thing to do. A bully is so yellow that when they know they are being watched they are charm itself. When out of sight they revert to their nasty ways.

When we think of bullies we think of the school playground the stolen lunch money, the menace lurking in the shadows waiting for their victim to pass. But bullies are not only children. Adults can bully, and do. They are clever enough to convince themselves they are right and that their victim is indeed the perpetrator.

Exclusion fro groups, being treated differently and with less respect than everyone else with racist comments like "You do not understand because you are from another country,". These are all forms of bullying.

Bullies lie. They are convincing liars with the ability to smarm their way out of their crimes and point the finger of blame on someone else.

This is Beat the Bully Month.

Hi Everyone.
     Thank you all for looking at my page while I have been absent. I have gone back to college to study art, craft and design which is time consuming. I have some new work to add to the page but is in need of further editing.
     It's bonfire night in the uk tonight. Take care and don't forget to check the bonfires for hedgehogs before setting light.
     Have a great evening.

It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of Jim O'Leary. A man of great achievement. A poet and a great humanitarian.

Tribute to Jim O'Leary

In the months of his illness Jim wrote a series of poems of which I was honoured
with several others to have been sent via e mail. This is one of them.
Please respect the copyright of Jim O'leary.
Jim's style of writing changed considerably throughout this time and showed his optimism, his heartbreak his courage.
I owe him so much. He helped me find my writing voice. I met him when he took the group at the Ballincollig Resource Centre and the time when the group was at the White Horse under theme of Ballincollig Scribblers. Happy times.

Is this the end,…

Sleep is the end

Of every day, a waking

Possible but not assured

And the morning brings new joy;

Down in that space

Where life seems lost,

A struggle-world whispers

That the all is not despair,…

…Clustering, friends, close

To that turmoil that prevails,

Shake up a sinking soul,

The desperation of a doomsday,

And a light, a blue-moon light,

Spells courage to engage with life,…

…This end will not prevail for now.

© Jim O’Leary

Home From Hols

Back home and finding it hard to get into the old routine of washing, ironing, dog walking (love them to bits), hoovering, cooking, gardening. I believe that after two weeks of being waited on at every turn, of someone cleaning your room every morning and evening, food served without a question (and very edible), entertainment a walk along the hall, there should be offered as part of the holiday a slow weaning off this lifestyle and a gradual introduction to the boring routines of being home. Maybe then the first few days of being home after having such a fabulous time would not be such a shock to the system.