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My sabbatical began with no expectations and was filled with unexpected events. Confidence challenged, routine uprooted. Here’s what happened…
tectonic plates diverging at glacial speed, continents dividing, the earth steaming raindrops coalescing, pooling, flooding, welling into teardrops
electric currents disconnecting, wires crossing, reconnecting now writing upstairs, reshaping the downstairs, the foundation untouched
no longer on my own, working together on our own redefining success, reimagining life
traveling more, finding comfort in communities a little less hurried, a little less worried
…..
Starting out on this week’s story, I found threads from other stories appearing, tempering the newness. Concerned that the stories may become labored rather than a labor of love, I feel the need to take a step back, reevaluate, rejuvenate.
Is this the right time to stop? I’d rather stop too soon than too late.
So I will be taking a break. A period of rest, reading what I have written, searching for the way forward. A Sabbath.
Thank you…..
It’s not my turn to talk I just want to walk and walk And not turn back to anything And turn my back on everything.
Talking heads spin their views, talking over one another, talking past one another. Pundits screaming, violence streaming. Rumor, slander, idle chatter. Talking in circles. Noise.
It’s my turn to talk I’m not allowed to walk Heart aflutter Heart of butter.
Talking in a circle, nowhere to hide, facing each other, facing…..
It’s an experience best described by what it’s not.
I’m different from everybody. I’m no different than anybody.
It’s like something beyond space, a place before time.
I’m not like anybody else. I’m like everybody else.
It’s like an emptiness without soul, beyond thought, more than I can handle.
I don’t like myself. I don’t like anybody else.
It’s like a place beyond awareness, a fan of warmth spreading out.
I like myself. I like people like myself.
It’s the…..
I’m a numbers guy. Growing up, I loved everything about them. Added them in my head, memorized baseball statistics. A number had a constant quality, something you could count on. Complete unto itself, unambiguous.
Many of us have a favorite number and maybe a feared number. My favorite number is 13.
According to Word Press, numbers don’t count as words.
Numbers have their own language, expressing what words can not describe. Odd and even, real and imaginary, musical and poetic……
It’s been a year since I started blogging, conceived as an effort to translate my poetry. That was the extent of my plan. Initially every other week, I reached a turning point after six months, winding my way into 100 word stories. Sort of like a core dump. Trusting in the process.
I’m about halfway done. So what I have learned? Inspiration comes from many directions. Look around, notice what’s going on. Have a point of view. Interlace the mundane…..
I’m color blind. Initially diagnosed as red-green color blind at an early age, gradually I came to learn that I have a related, less severe case of purple-blue color blindness. And those challenges bleed into other shades.
I imagine we all see color differently.
I can see colors. No problem with traffic lights, red and green look different. Maybe they don’t look like the red and green that others see. It’s when red and green dots are close together…..
Gurus tell us to be present, to be mindful. It’s easy, except when it’s not. There are times when we can’t explain what is amiss. Our mood is downbeat, our hearts are heavy. The air has a static feel. Restless sleep. Wired and tired. We tell ourselves that we shouldn’t feel this way. But we do. Frustration and anguish. A funk.
Unrelenting. Resisting. Disconnected. Numb. Trying anything.
Relenting. Accepting. Reconnecting. Warming. Doing something.
And for no apparent reason, words fall…..
Writing an opening line, searching for a story.
Countless hours are spent before beginning something of import. Rehearsal dinners, ceremonial ritual, memorizing scripts before opening nights, chess masters contemplating opening knights. Planning, analyzing, contingencies in place. Opening postures.
And then the unexpected happens. A shot in the dark. An ankle turns, a voice cracks, an understudy’s lucky break. A chance encounter, a lasting first impression. Love at first sight. Spontaneously, our truth slips out. A lifetime preparing for the unplanned…..
It’s been 25 years since we moved into our house, newly built, the ground outside mounds of dirt. Much has changed, rooms assuming new personalities, windows added to welcome the light, softening dark times. A meditation room exposing the sky. The yard carpeted with gardens, water flowing in pond and pool, an anchoring river birch, the adjoining lot our miniature park.
I find refuge sitting inside in a favorite chair, lounging outside at the base of the mountains. Emotions experienced…..
