Imagine, if you could take a sheet of parchment and lay it out on the table before you, pick up a beautiful quill pen and dip it into the deep blue ink, then thoughtfully begin to write: “Dear Daisy Vision …."
You’d begin to pour out your heart, sharing things that are burdening you and weighing you down, sharing emotions and feelings as only you can. You’d pause, contemplate, then, with another dip in the ink, continue your discourse, writing faster now, as the words flow seamlessly onto the page. The once cream page before you is now predominantly blue, with newly drying ink, as you conclude ending with a squiggle that makes it uniquely yours.
Already you feel a little better, as you’ve poured out from the depths of your heart. With a quick blot and wave in the air, you roll up the parchment, pull out a bit of red ribbon, from the bottom of the desk drawer, and tie it tightly, with a small bow. Slipping the scroll into a bottle, you head off for the sea-shore. Although the sea may not have a collection at 9 and 5, you have a purpose, you have an important message, and it must be delivered, and delivered without delay!
You feel the sand squeeze between your toes as you walk, now barefoot, those last few yards to the edge of the gently-breaking water, your ears filled with the sound of the surf, as it rushes to meet you, tossing aside shells and pebbles as it goes. Then, you gasp your breath as it breaks over your feet. You clutch the bottle even tighter, feeling the sudden rush of cold, as the water numbs your toes, splashing your ankles. Now, having waded far enough to give your bottle ample buoyancy, you carefully place it on the water's surface and feel it sink a little, as the water embraces it and takes up the strain. A little push from you and it’s off on its way. With the off-shore breeze and the falling tide, it starts to bob away. You stand and watch as the first waves break over it, but it picks itself up and slowly, but surely, continues away from you.
It’s much smaller now, as it disappears between waves, appearing only for a moment, just long enough for the sun to glint on the glass before disappearing into the next trough. Then it’s gone! You peer intently into the sun and surf, but you can’t really pick it out any more. You turn to make your way back out of the water, a glimmer of a smile showing on your face as you realise you’ll be back on a forthcoming high tide. But this time it will be to 'collect' the gently bobbing bottle, to pull out the stopper and with it the scroll, to anticipate your reply as you hurriedly untie the red bow and then to indulge yourself, as you read and re-read your reply. You’ll wade from the water knowing that someone cares about things that trouble you the most! You’ll feel a spring in your step, as you hurry up the foreshore, knowing that you're no longer carrying your burden alone - you're being listened to, heard and understood!
Although I would love to offer the above service, I have to take reliability and environmentally ‘friendliness’ into account. Should you place a message in a bottle and cast it on the waves, I have no way to guarantee its safe arrival with me, or indeed its speedy return to you. It’s for this reason I've put together an email counselling service. What you can be very sure of, however, is that I will reply with just the same care, understanding and diligence. I will hear and will respond.
Hopefully, you’ll be able to embrace this service, but, without getting cold feet!
Email [email protected] to find out more about email counselling.