Mastering The Mist

Posted byFractured Faith BlogPosted inA Fractured FaithTags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I write this from a very misty train platform, waiting for my daily commute to work in Belfast. I would share a photograph with you all but it would show nothing but a grey shroud. You couldn’t tell if it was a train platform. I could be at the Grand Canyon, Yankee Stadium or standing outside your front door. Don’t worry, I’m not standing outside your front door. I would have called in advance if I was calling over.

The mist is rather beautiful. I can make out the morning sun struggling to break through and resume its mantle as the main attraction in the sky. The birds are happily chirping away and it looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day. I’m running later so can look forward to the prospect of seven miles without being soaked to the skin or battered by hurricane strength winds.

There is a sense of calm on the platform. The schools aren’t back yet which might have something to do with that, no armies of chattering hatchlings to battle past in order to secure a highly sought after seat. Everyone seems fairly relaxed after the final bank holiday of the year, the last now until Christmas. Did I just mention Christmas? Has 2019 really scuttled by so quickly. It feels almost autumnal this morning.

Yes, all seems well. I look at my fellow commuters to be met by largely blank, unemotional faces. The shutters are down as we all adjust our 9-5 masks for the working day ahead. If this were a poker match or quick draw competition I reckon we could have a few world champions in our ranks. I recognise the regulars as they no doubt recognise me. Some of them I’ve known for years, but we’ve never exchanged a word in all that time.

Nobody is giving anything away, for to do so would be a sign of weakness and that wouldn’t do at all now, would it. We all exist behind a mist, where our real selves are but a shadowy outline in the background, reserved for a favoured few if even that. Some trundle through life never revealing their real selves to the waiting world. They fear the consequences, what their peers would say if they knew the truth, if they saw the real deal.

Us writers are an exception. We think, create, explore and most of all reveal. We reveal who we are, an act of bravery if ever there was one. What you see is what you get, hearts on sleeves, staring defiantly into the crowd. We are not perfect, we are weak and flawed and broken. Yet we don’t fear the mist. Our words burn it away just as the sun will prevail over the dank skies enveloping me this morning.

The mist can be a thing of beauty but only if we know it is a temporary feature. Some of us are prisoners, unable to escape its chilly tendrils. The mist is their world. They are trapped by guilt, shame and fear, unable to face reality. Some cannot open their front door, others are unable to crawl from under bed covers. Ensnared by addiction, mental illness, childhood trauma and any other number of internal demons.

Mastering the mist is no easy matter. Some of us don it as a suit of armour to discard at the end of the day. It is a flag of convenience which we walk under, safe in its protective shadow. Others are less fortunate. They will never see the light unless we focus less on ourselves, recognise their pain and reach down into the abyss. We reach down blindly and grasp their cold, helpless hands. They squeeze ours in gratitude. It’s a beginning.

Published by Fractured Faith Blog

We are Stephen and Fionnuala and this is our story. We live in Northern Ireland, have been married for 17 years and have three kids - Adam, Hannah and Rebecca. We hope that our story will inspire and encourage others. We have walked a rocky road yet here we are today, together and stronger than ever. We are far from perfect and our faith has been battered and bruised. But an untested faith is a pointless faith. Just as a fractured faith is better than none at all. We hope you enjoy the blog.

51 thoughts on “Mastering The Mist”

  2. We all need that train to speed us out of the mist, once in a while. Poetically stated but I had a vision in my mind the whole time of other things. You see, I worked, temporarily, with some lovely people in Belfast, visiting Co-op stores (The Co) and one was in Five Mile Town. It was given a different name and I was told it came from the train station in Belfast that announced, at the end of a string of places “Ochr, Clocher, Five Mile Town” Excuse the spelling. Still announced?

    Like

    Reply

  3. Having commuted in London, (many years ago now), I can picture that scene. Everyone looking the other way, just in case they catch your eye (and that would never do, as you say). It’s a strange world. I can go walking in the mountains here (or almost anywhere) and 99% of passers by will say hello (or bonjour/grüezi/buongiorno/hola/etc), despite you not knowing them from Adam. (That’s not your son btw – just an expression). 😉
    Enjoy your (short) week in the office.

    Like

    Reply

  4. Pulling out of a coach station where I had been writing an angry “get a grip of yourselves” post about homelessness I pause to read your blog and the wild horses of my herd start to settle again. Its the calming nature of the mist. I reckon I should write about my herd instead. Thank you so much for sharing the calm of the mist my defiant stare isn’t as angry now.

    Like

    Reply

  5. Nice piece of writing. Once again you take an insightful look at the physical and then craft a brilliant metaphoric revelation. Thanks for taking the ordinary and making it quite thought-provoking.

    Like

    Reply

  9. Nice post and you mentioning the passing of the year so quickly was a strange coincidence as I was just playing and trying to master “The January man” as interpreted by that great fellow Irish person, Chrisy Moore before reading your post. When i wasliving in London I well remember those avoidant gazes. I always used to hope that one day everyone on the tube would break into spontaneous chatter. After all deep down we all want to connect.

    Like

    Reply

  13. This is a wonderful post. When I first saw the title I jumped ahead and assumed it was going to be a writing tutorial… all about mastering the mist of the unformed story or something like that. It wasn’t, of course, but I really resonated with this reflection. Keep up the good work!

    Like

    Reply

  21. Beautifully written. You are such an incredibly gifted person. Your vulnerability changes the hearts
    And thoughts of your word press world!! Thanks!

    Like

    Reply

  23. Great post – I especially love the analogy of the mist as a metaphor for mental illness. I also love how you end on that note of hope (and inspiration reaching out a hand “into the abyss”). As usual, your writing moves me and challenges me to do better, to lift the veil and see the humanity underneath it all. Thank you.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Please log in using one of these methods to post your comment:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

%d bloggers like this: