Learning to Lean - By Meryl McKean
As a child I was tall, taller than most of my friends, so I developed the habit of stooping a little. If I’d been born in a different generation, I might have been made to walk around balancing a book on my head to improve my posture, thankfully I wasn't. These days I don’t feel so tall – I have 2 sons, both over 6ft so that puts a different perspective on things. I’ve been thinking about leaning in another sense. In our culture independence is encouraged, often fought for. We like to go it alone, we often hear people speak of their achievements as if it was all down to them. I, like many, don’t find it easy to ask for help. I understand as I see the elderly clinging on to their independence when it is no longer safe to go it alone. As writers it is all too easy to be in our own little ‘writers world’. We dream of writing that breakthrough piece, and we don’t always touch the world of other writers. This can so easily diminish our achievements. Since joining ACW, I have...