Random Thoughts

The other day, we (some staff, volunteers and service users of Mary Seacole House, Liverpool) went on a day trip to Llangollen. This wasn't the first time I accompanied them on a day trip. In fact, this must have been the third or fourth time I am going on a trip with the group since February 2022. Whenever I go on a trip with the group, it fills me with endless joy. It is not just the fact that I love travelling, but the fact that these trips give me an opportunity to know the people around me better.   For most service users, these trips are new experiences. Many of them don't get an opportunity to travel out of Liverpool. They spend all the time cooped up in the hotels/hostel after returning from classes/activities organised by MSH. And if someone gets an opportunity, they don't usually have the money or resource to fund their trip. For almost all of them, these trips are avenues of escape from the harsh realities of life. It is something to look forward to and remind...

A year and a half ago, I was pretty content with my writing gigs, sketching & drawing, and doing things I thought made me happy. As the world returned to normalcy, I slowly emerged from the stress and misery I felt during the pandemic. Although my work and hobbies had kept me going through those dark days of social isolation and loneliness, a strange feeling of void continued to nag me all the while. Each day found me struggling to find any sense or purpose to what I did – life was becoming more and more mechanical. Even the things I enjoyed the most in the past, drawing and writing, started to feel more like a boring task I had to complete. No matter what I did, I found myself getting frustrated and unhappy. At that time, I was living in a self-imposed bubble, and had minimal contact with people outside my family as I didn't feel like talking to or meeting with friends or socializing in any way. Of course, I enjoyed the trips with my family , and perhaps that was the only thin...