Wellbeing and Resilience
It was a day of pine-needle rain – we seemed to have sleet in our faces whichever direction we were walking – and only the embarrassment of finding an unposted Christmas card had prodded us into going out, just as far as the post-box we imagined. But we’d only walked 50 yards when I noticed that the fuchsia still had flowers on it – those small, red flowers I’d photographed almost every time I’d walked ‘curiously’ past them. And that was the start of our ‘Greatest Hits’ walk.
Instead of feeling frustrated that I couldn't point the camera (I didn't have one with me), I pointed Ian at everything I’d photographed locally, since starting Ruth’s course. That’s the corner where I saw Santa and his elf, that’s the avenue of trees, that’s the reindeer-sign, that’s the ornamental railing, that’s the colourful doorstep, that's the little fern, that’s ....
As a consequence, we walked further, talked more, smiled more – we stayed out 40 minutes instead of 15 – and we certainly enjoyed the hot chocolate more when we got home.
(I’ve collected some of these ‘greatest hits’ together for you in the image below).
Reconnecting with some of my 'Greatest Hits'
It’s strange that our ‘Greatest Hits’ walk (without the camera) should help me so much – but, in the same way that the flu jab was the key to understanding ‘reframing’, this walk was the key to understanding resilience, or at least starting to.
It showed me that my photographic practice is, more explicitly, an everyday, wellbeing practice; the camera helps but isn’t essential – wellbeing can continue without it. Overall, I’ve a better sense of engagement with my surroundings – I’m looking out for, and aware of, the small signs which show me that nature still has a presence in winter and can continue to delight me. I’m recognising more pleasure, fun and tranquillity in the world around me; my self-confidence and self-esteem are higher.
And it’s not an independent, isolated reaction – it’s common to many of us in the group. We are sharing a collective uplift in wellbeing. As someone said, they're recognising “different perspectives and choices”.
I can’t fully explain what I think it means to be more resilient – so in that way resilience remains a somewhat nebulous quality – but I do know that I am.