This is what spring looks like in Seattle.
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creativity
Good in the kitchen.
Some say those who can, write. Those who can’t (at least right now), cook.
OK, I’m probably the only one who actually says this because it works for me.
Several years ago, after I lose my groove –a burnout, really- I end up getting it back by cooking. I pour all my intention out in front of the stove instead of a computer, until it boils over into my writing practice. Even now, if I’m stuck, I whip up something to eat –generally for someone else. That’s key, too. The entire process clears my mind, helps me to be ready to articulate in my word smith way, if you will.
It isn’t until I hear Alaska-based Bearfoot perform this song at the Grand Targee Bluegrass Festival a couple of years ago, that I get a theme song for cookin’ … at work:
Today’s the kind of day when I’m singing my theme song … “Good in the kitchen, then get ready to be…”
I’m still working on Bearfoot’s follow-up: “You ought a see me in my apron when you’re away…” (That’s right, sweetheart. Smooches.)
Thanks, Bearfoot!
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I think to myself…
I wake this morning to hear Louis Armstrong singing softly in my head:
“…I see friends shaking hands, sayin’ ‘How do you do?’ They’re really sayin’, ‘I love you’ …”
How powerful is that?
The Sufi master Rumi writes words about the morning water and a poet. “The wine of nonexistence makes us God-drunk,” he says. “Intoxicated that way, we are purified.” It is the poet who pours this wine through poetry. “Read from your soul. Let it bring you morning water and a poet.” Surely a poet brings my morning water to me today.
Japanese Nation of the world, this goes out to you.
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Balance.
The ides of March.
Ancient history marks this particular ides (there are more than one in the Roman calendar) as a day of military festival. Of course, its infamy lies with Julius Caesar’s demise – “beware the ides of March.”
In my own history, the most entertaining Ides of March is the Xena: Warrior Princess episode of the same name. I wrote and produced image and episodic promotion packages for this syndicated series for over three years. I also laughed for no less than 30 minutes every day. What a joy to work on this project (shouts go out to my Day Husband for this).
Yet I mark the ides of March as the anniversary of life-long pain, actually. On March 15, as a sophomore in high school, I sprain both ankles and knees when a dismount off a balance beam goes bad (Coach Finley makes sure I know how stupid this stunt is). At the time, I also dance in a local ballet company; just weeks afterwards, I perform en pointe, sans ace bandages. I am also a cheerleader (egads!) and continue to train. The recovery of youth …
I have balance then. Now, I do the tree pose in my yoga class with two feet on the ground. I’m not sure when I lose my balance, but I know when the pain begins. It’s odd that I can handle the effects of injury and eventually arthritis, but the loss of balance plays with my mind. How did I let it happen? When?
So today, I’m thinking about life-long battles and how to overcome them. Every day…
Battle On, Xena.
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God given window of opportunity.
Here in the Northwest, we experience the (possibly conceived by man) phenomenon known as sun breaks.
During a cloudy day, the sun breaks through, offering a bit of blue sky and a respite from relentless rain drops. Weather people indicate possible sun breaks by showing both cloud and sun icons in their forecasts.
This is always a good sign.
Sun breaks can last a few minutes or a few hours; it all depends. They’re a God-given window of opportunity; all I know is, you’ve gotta take your shot -at an outdoor walk, for instance- the moment you see one. My kitties stretch themselves out immediately in the ray of light coming through a window. Otherwise, they stay curled up and cozy for warmth.
It’s easy to see the value of a sun break. Far less so to appreciate it.
I try and take a cue from my kitties … I can compose a sentence just as easily sitting in the light as I can in the gray, can’t I?
Indeed.
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Going through the motions.
Some days are like this. Just going through the motions.
I’m talkin’ daily exercise, folks. Physical and mental.
That two-mile-walk-100-situp routine you do every day feels stale. The three-stream-of-conscious pages you’re writing down on paper every morning read rote. You’re dawdling during your mid-day meditation. You’re preparing Hamburger Helper for dinner –again.
Lots of a daily practice may not seem authentic, yet it’s a practice nonetheless. Little parts that add up to a whole.
If you’re feeling like you’re going through the motions today, keep your eyes on the prize.
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Photo credit: Flickr, Nevada Tumbleweed
Nature’s way.
“My heart sours like a hawk.”
-Dustin Hoffman as Jack Crabb in Little Big Man
I’m filling my well with nature’s wonder these days, in anticipation of spring. From the display gardens of the Northwest Flower & Garden Show to an amazing drive through the Columbia River Gorge on the way to Maryhill Winery (we’re part of the Adopt-A-Vine program there) to the pages of recently arrived magazine and newsletter subscriptions, my soul is slowly turning green. Which is the color of the heart chakra, by the way.
The color for the creativity chakra is orange…
This morning, my husband leaves the current issue of San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles open to a magical Baja garden he knows I’d love –full of barrel cactus, desert plants and garden art. One of my favorite gardens is The Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island in Washington. Not only is the Japanese Garden, Guest House and Zen Garden stunning, but I’m fascinated by the Moss Garden, made with Irish moss and featuring huckleberry trees. It’s like walking through the forests of Lord of the Rings …
As I allow my mind to return to work, I gaze upon a picture my own California front yard … I miss it so much. Yet, I still meditate there; I can smell the eucalyptus trees and bougainvillea and the cactus flowers …
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Beautiful.
The Japanese Garden at the Washington Park Arboretum is celebrating 50 years this year! A wonderful spot for experiencing the simple pleasure of beauty. Always an inspiration. Here are a few snaps …
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A hopeful sign.
They call it poor man’s fertilizer.
It’s the effect of late-season snowfall on the land, an unexpected nourishment for the soil. We in the Northwest are experiencing this kind of weather right now, which always brings to mind this farmer’s wisdom. My mom used to comment on it when I was a child. I can hear my little self asking her about it right now.
The memory makes me feel all warm inside. So it turns out that this new occurrence of poor man’s fertilizer is a little unexpected nourishment for my soul, too.
A hopeful sign.
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Words I like.
As Peter Bowler mentions in the proglegomena of his book, The Superior Person’s Book of Words:
“Words are not only tools; they are also weapons.”
His “funny, useful and elevating little book” attempts to provide verbal weapons for the common man. So that he can be a Superior Person. Indeed. I chose my words with a different purpose, although I do find some of my favorites in Mr. Bowler’s little book:
Plethora … Egregious … Boondoggle
When a word appeals to my sense of the positive, I like it.
Remarkable … Loving … Kindness
Lonesome … Silly … Healing
Soul … Grace … Practice
Nincompoop … Wordsmith … Prankster
Great War … Cool beans … What if
What are some of your favorite words?
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Sageland Creative 