'Edges' by Barbara Chapman

The edge of reason, to be on edge, to be on the edge – these are expressions which suggest that edges are dangerous; something to be poised on with an imminent threat of toppling over.

Here is a place – or a number of places – with a lot of edges: Wenlock Edge, Kinver Edge. Is out here less smooth than out there? In geological terms – probably. In historical terms – probably not. Is there a higher possibility of danger out here? Perhaps out here is an edgier place.

We may, if we wish, stand on the edge of so much. At Kinver Edge we may see the counties of Shropshire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire. The information, as we lightheartedly interpret it, tells us that in a given direction we could see Moscow. Our edges have expanded beyond the regional, beyond the national and become international.

If we step to the very edge how do we feel? Do we feel dizzy, overwhelmed by possibilities, exhilarated or simply sick? Do we perceive our edges positively or with a negative tinge seeping from a bedrock of fear?

Fear is something there is a lot of, and now is a particularly anxious time. We are teetering on the edge of the worst recession for decades. This we have been told and continue to be told by all forms of the media whose headlines are designed to shine a spotlight on disaster, designed to highlight that we are poised on the brink, designed to heighten our anxiety.
Looking out over The Edge on Sunday, 19 April 2009 did I feel the cold fingers of imminent disaster clutching at me? Did I feel isolated and on edge?

Not one bit.

I had driven to Kinver along leaf-dappled lanes. Now I stood, shading my eyes and feeling the sun warm on my shoulders. The view was blurred by a gentle haze; edges seemed smoothed, differences diminished.
The counties of Shropshire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire were one rolling view for my eyes to discover. So many places, so many boundaries, therefore so many edges - but equally so many connections.

We are privileged to have so many edges. They offer vantage points. We can look out there and see what is in here. Our edges give us an edge if we are open to them – they can give us perspective and a sense of connection.

The business magazine on my desk bears pictures of dark clouds and the headline “The Gathering Storm”. The phone may ring at any minute with tidings of redundancy. Somehow my anxiety has dissipated. The fellowship with the group, the connection with the landscape, a sense of the oneness of it all – Kinver to Moscow linked by words on a monolith and lines of longitude.

Sunday, 19th April 2009 was a day that restored me; a day that gave me a place where I can walk and talk, share and connect to a perspective that is healthy and hopeful.

Sunday, 19th April 2009 was the day that gave me The Edge.