I very much like the season of late Spring here in the UK.

I have started a new morning run along a local canal, and the low sun dapples through the lattice fencing and trees, to illuminate my path and dazzle my eyes.

On the canal itself, the ducks seem to be in a never ending battle to fend off unwanted rivals for their female partners, and they will fiercely defend the territory which they have marked out as their own.

It is fascinating to see what the ducks perceive to be their territorial space – a space which appears to have no physical limits, but which has more to do with proximity to the space in which they are residing.

In my own life, I have perceived and experienced encroachments into my space in a physical, social, intellectual and emotional sense.

The inner struggle to maintain a rigid set of values, seen through a narrow prism of what is, and what is not acceptable, has taken its toll on my well being and on my relationships, some of which have been damaged or lost.

The territorial ducks would have to exert less effort to defend their territory, if they could withstand encroachment to a wider limit., and so of course would I.

If I can learn to experience my life on a wider canvass, which tolerates differences of opinion, differences of tastes and beliefs, differences of values and morals, the judgement on myself and others diminishes, and my expectations become more manageable and flexible.

I have experienced in recent years, a profound sense of living my life, of noticing it, loving it, valuing it, without having this constant feeling that I am there to put things right, or to be liked.

My relationships, particularly with those whom I love, has shifted from direction and control, to listening and being present with them in the moment.

I have experienced a greater sense that the space which I have created, is more likely to be protected and defended by others, because within my territory, there is space in which others can flourish which they don’t want to lose.

My next blog will be:   Waving Handkerchiefs in Fatima

William Defoe