I’ve been on a sun lounger most of this week and arrived late to the party of Barbara Kingsolver’s outrageously successful novel: ‘Demon Copperhead’.  What struck me is the irrepressible spirit of the protagonist, Demon Copperhead.  Having been condemned to a life of poverty by the ovarian lottery and orphaned by 11yrs to add insult to injury, his resilience is remarkable.  To survive his ensuing hardships, one of his coping strategies is to take himself off to a movie in his mind: a short film replaying a real and rare moment of happiness from his life.

In acute moments of despair, our bodies will automatically find strategies for coping.  Sometimes, it can be useful to consciously apply these same strategies to less extreme challenges.  Imagine if we could take a quick and effortless reviving break whenever we are overwhelmed at work, stuck on a problem or worrying, with a rerun of our favourite memory?

I’m currently editing my very own Provencal short: the azure blue sky, the sound of the cigales and the unique light so loved by the impressionists.  A little slice of heaven stored in my mind for whenever I want a quick and easy break.  What’s yours?