The bells are a way to bring everything and everyone together.
The first object that came to mind would be my meditation bells. Before I started working here, I was half-way to becoming a mindfulness meditation trainer, which was put on hold when I got the job here at Manchester Mind. Gradually, I began to weave a bit more mindfulness into the Building a Healthy Future course, and then completed my mindfulness training so that now I deliver 8 week Mindfulness courses as well as the six week Building a Healthy Future courses. I use the bells to let people know that a meditation is at an end, but also as ‘crowd control’ in workshops and courses, to let people know to come back after small group conversations. So, when I see the bells, I see two different things: the peacefulness that I experience when leading a meditation for a group who are receiving the meditation in silence; and the noise of group, happily chatting away, creating noise and energy while offering and receiving support, or working together on an activity. The bells are a way to bring everything and everyone together. When I see the bells, I see silence and noise, calmness and energy, and most importantly, community and connections.
