Jaye Marie and Anita Dawes

“I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Feeling thin would be nice in many respects, but not in this context, though it is a feeling many of us are familiar with in all too many ways. I remember reading that line for the very first time in Lord of the Rings, more years ago than I care to mention and thinking what a perfect metaphor that was. Back then, I was no more than a teenager and had no real concept of what it feels like to be spread too thin. These days, of course, I do. Like many, I held down a full time job when my children were young, whilst running a home and being a carer for my late partner. Later, the boys were grown, but still around, leaving a trail of sweaty…