Monday and I am up early as I am off to a therapeutic community conference in Birmingham. It’s just 7 o’clock and I am in the shower before an early breakfast. Plain muesli and fresh coffee, keeping it simple as I am to be car passenger today. My bags are ready to go along with my emergency food, just in case. A friend picks me up about 8:45 and we drive to the Woodbrooke Conference centre. We arrive just as the Greek contingent arrive and queue up to get our ID badges and room keys.

The conference starts and I settle into my TC mode. There are some familiar faces here that welcome me, it is comforting. There are interesting presentations and being a therapeutic community conference there are small reflection groups and “big” community meetings. By the time dinner comes around I’m tired and have a lot to reflect on. I take myself off to the quiet room with a coffee where I sit with 26 empty chairs and reflect upon the content of the last community meeting. I chat to the chairs (not out loud obviously, that would be weird, or so the pixies tell me), and think about the issues around dialogue and silence. It’s an old teaser at these events. I sit for a long time wondering what the question would be that might help my thinking at which point the chairs suggested this; “What’s the difference between a chair and a chair with a silent person sat in it?” Struck me as a good question (perhaps I am too easily pleased with myself). After staring at my 26 new chums (11 without arms and 15 with arms) I finally decided that my answer would be, “I can no longer see the chair.”

Time to finish my coffee, retreat to my room, listen to Diwali fireworks and draft the blog. I’m out of spoons so I will make one more drink, take my meds, set my alarm and go to bed.