Inspirations & Connections | XII. Hanging by a Thread

The thread on which our own life hangs will tremble, but even in those moments where we could lose our grip at any time, we sing in hope, and it is, perhaps, in those moments that we find our wings.

Welcome to Rediscover · Reconnect · Re-Emerge. If you find the fleeting changes of modern life wearisome, maybe even overwhelming, join me on a journey, a path well-trodden, as I share heartfelt and often nostalgic reflections on living slowly, simply, and in tune with the seasons.

Community, and creating a sense of community, is so important to me, and to the world. In this series, taking a particular theme, I want to share with you some of the inspirations, connections and other communities which have enriched my life, in the hope that they may do the same for you too.

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I’ve always lived with a deep feeling that my life hangs by a thread. Hands almost threadbare with tension, I cling to this ever-floating cord which might snap at any moment. Life is fragile. We’re reminded of this time and time again as we travel through our life’s journey. We can hide, but we can never really shy away from the fact that little is permanent. None of us really knows what tomorrow will bring.

Photo by Анна В on Unsplash

In a culture of hustling positivity, this view of life might be seen as maudlin. We have little control over so much of what goes on around us, so hadn’t we might as well get on with it anyway, ever-smiling, ever-carefree? Possibly, but at some time or another, we will have to make peace and live alongside the uncertainty around us. We live in a society which glorifies a sense of living in the moment - and we should - but moments won’t last forever.

Sometimes, we cling on a certain reassurance.

Sometimes, we find ourselves tangled up, on a never-ending quest to untangle our minds and spirits without losing grip of the thread.

Sometimes the thread breaks.

But what can we learn from this thread to which we all cling?

I think it shows us resilience. Have you ever tried snapping a thread of cotton which hangs from a piece of clothing? It’s harder than you might think, and if you’re not careful, you may well cut your finger in the process. Something so seemingly minuscule, thin, and insignificant, carries great strength. Perhaps our thread holds us with greater strength than we think, a reminder that in a world of change, there is plenty on which we can build a solid foundation, if we are willing enough to seek it.

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Dame Cicely Saunders was credited as the founder of the modern hospice movement. She has inspired countless individuals in her work, yet as she herself says, she was never a publicity seeker. She spent her career working alongside those whose thread would almost certainly be severed at any moment, but even in those moments of standing right on the edge of life, there was hope:

In her book Beyond the Horizon¹, she quotes an anonymous text:

Let us learn like a bird for a moment to take
Sweet rest on a branch that is ready to break -
She feels the branch tremble,
Yet gaily she sings,
What is it to her?
She has wings, she has wings!

Dame Cicely writes in the book’s introduction:

‘if we look around we recognise that it is those who have suffered and come through who have the most to give. It is also true that this often happens when they do not feel at all triumphant but rather able only to put one foot in front of the other and somehow come through the present empty moment.’²

The thread on which our own life hangs will tremble, but even in those moments where we could lose our grip at any time, we sing in hope, and it is, perhaps, in those moments that we find our wings and fly.

I wanted to end with these words from Tolkien³:

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

We might take our wings and fly ever-onwards into another world, or we may merely flit to the next trembling branch, but that’s a story for another day.

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As I closed this book to place it carefully back on the shelf, I realised that the second-hand copy I had bought was signed. A true moment of inspiration and connection.

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1. Saunders, C. (1992). Beyond the Horizon: A Search for Meaning in Suffering. London: Darton, Longman and Todd. p.62.

2. Saunders, C. (1992). Beyond the Horizon: A Search for Meaning in Suffering. London: Darton, Longman and Todd. p.1.

3. Tolkien, J.R.R. (2022). The Fellowship of the Ring. London: HarperCollins. p.36.