HTM116
Reflective writing
Source: Watton, Collings and Moon (2001)

Further reading/exercise – ‘The Park’

The Park (1)
I went to the park today. The sun shone and clouds floated across the sky in a gentle breeze. It was really quite hot – so much nicer than the day before when it rained. When I got there, I went over to the children’s playing field. There were several children there and one, in particular, I noticed, was in too many clothes for the hot day. The children were running about and this child became red in the face and began to slow down and then he sat. He must have been about 10. Some of the others called him up again and he got to his feet. He stumbled into the game for a few moments, tripping once or twice. It appeared that he had just not got the energy to lift his feet. Eventually he stumbled down and did not get up but he was still moving and he shuffled into a half sitting and half lying position watching the other children and I think he was calling out to them. I don’t know.

Anyway, I walked on after a few minutes. I had to get to the shop to buy some fresh chilli peppers for the chilli-con-carne that my children had asked for tonight’s party. The twins had invited many friends round for an end-of-term do to celebrate the beginning of the summer holidays. They might think that they have cause to celebrate but it makes a lot more work for me when they are home. James, my partner, often says that we should celebrate when they go back to school but I would not like to tell them that.

It was the next day when the paper came through the door – in it there was a report of a child who had been taken seriously ill in the park the previous day. He was fighting for his life in hospital and they said that the seriousness of the situation was due to the delay before he was brought to hospital. The report commented on the fact that he had been