fragility of life

We run from place to place, busy onto the next thing before we have finished the thing we were in the middle of doing. There is no time to stop and stare. Sometimes you just want the world to freeze for a second to spare you time for thought and to enjoy the moments. The moments we have each and every day, that maybe we don't deem important, but it's all these moments that make a life. On Saturday the world stopped for a moment when the very sad news came of a friend who had decided that she could not exist in this life anymore. She was too tired to fight, the colours had become dull, the sounds a thud and the taste of the world had turned sour. We met 10 years ago, I was invited to start an arts project for artists and creative people whose lives have been disrupted by mental illness. Over the last 10 years the project has grown out of an art cupboard with a few art materials, to a project where the arts have become an integral part of people's care and recovery. We have a gallery space, we exhibit nationally and in November are about to launch our monthly handmade boutique. Some of our gang are artists some were people who came to doodle, to escape the fear, loneliness, anxiety and demons. They are now exhibiting work in their own right. We work hard to dissipate discrimination through the arts. "1 in 4, like me, have a mental health problem. Many more have a problem with that" Stephen Fry.
We meet twice a week, it's a time to gossip drink tea, have loads of creative fags, to share worries noisily or just to come and forget quietly. The thing that brings us altogether is the art and some of the most interesting people you will ever meet. But yesterday was quiet, each and everyone their knows the fragility of life and sometimes you want to let go because it is more than you can bear, but something keeps you holding on tight.

www.time-to-change.org.uk