04 Jul Hospital Curtain
This week I had a routine procedure in hospital. As I waited in a cubicle painted institutional pastel colours, I noticed a tremor of recognition. Many explicit memories – filed as linear stories – came to mind, along with implicit ones – sensations and emotions stored in the body. The hurried sound of curtain swishing on rail, and the illusion of privacy felt so familiar.
Not every hospital visit has been traumatic. Some have brought relief or comfort. Sometimes I was playing a supporting role. But I am aware of how many pivotal moments in my history have happened in or next to a hospital bed.
This has been somewhere that I have experienced initiations. Now, as I watch the light sneak onto the wall through the gap in the curtains, it reminds me of my own mortality. As I grow older, this may be somewhere I visit more often. I am at the stage of life where conversations often begin with an exchange of symptoms. This is a time for me, where there is moment of balance between having processed much of what has happened so far, with anticipating the unknown that is yet to come.
Some of the challenges in my life have arrived as sudden impacts, others have been slow burning troubles, and there are the known and unknown in the future. People bring things to a Grief Tending session from any or all of these sources of grief. Sometimes there is just a sense of absence or longing.
Sometimes there are turning points in life when you recognise that something needs to shift, and sometimes life doesn’t give you the luxury of a choice. We hope that the spaces we hold offer a safe enough space to explore all of this.
You can find our next events and links to book them here.
Sarah Pletts is a Grief Tender and Artist who offers workshops in London and online, sharing rituals where grief on all themes is welcome. For more information about Grief Tending events see here.
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