Does Your Own Soul Need Comforting?

 Grove

every breath -

a blessing

every step -

a thankyou

gladness to the heart

To quote from Mary Oliver's poem  Such Singing in the Wild Branches, this grove is one of those magical places / once you've been there, you're there forever / Listen, everyone has a chance / Are there trees near you and does your own soul need comforting? / Quick then - open the door and fly on your heavy feet; / the song may already be drifting away. 

We come to this magical place every day, my two dogs and I. And with every breath, I feel blessed and with every step I take, I silently sing, thankyouthankyouthankyou, with my eyes and my heart. 

KLM Park is a quiet wonder in the midst of a busy suburban area. An oasis surrounded by homes, unnaturally manicured yards, asphalt and concrete. As we make our daily pilgrimage to this sacred spot, I consider botanist/poet, Robin Wall-Kimmerer's observation; paying attention is a form of reciprocity with the living world, receiving the gifts with open eyes and open hearts. 

                        

Even though thanksgiving should be celebrated everyday, it seems the talk of comfort food and family get-togethers brings our focus to the 4th Thursday in November and our thoughts travel to the bounty we have and are about to share with those we hold dear. 

This year, let's softly cradle those emotions, sprinkling them like breadcrumbs wherever we go. A caring word costs nothing yet is worth everything. Let's leave our heavy feet behind and find our lightness by being kind. 

Ellipsis of Thoughts

 

Just as I cannot imagine a world without trees and animals, I cannot imagine a world without art.

It’s a glorious impulse to fly, to stretch, to greet the mysterious mirage, greater than the sum of all our human efforts.

This oasis nourishes the thirst in my soul / a known and unknown source recognized in my deepest subconsciousness / plumbing those strata is the marketplace of my dreams and imagination.

And within this realm lies a delicious paradox, that is not about me, and yet, it’s all about me because nothing happens until I act, otherwise it’s just air, only felt yet unseen. My physicality is vital to engage in this dance of collaboration. As I am the doer.

Even as I write this, I struggle to find the language to communicate what I know to be true. It’s a magic act, not created from the sleight of hand, but an illusionary dimension just beyond the aura of our sight, a world behind our eyes.

I remember holding my grandson when he was just a few months old and he would suddenly stiffen with an explosion of joy, a Grand Canyon wide smile on his new little face speaking in a language I no longer understood, and I knew I was in the presence of something large and wonderful.

I believe we search all our living lives to reconnect with that nebulous spirit. And when we let go of our Selves and become its human tools, together, we create art. We all came here with a unique song to sing; we just need to have the courage to open our throats.   

 

Beckoning

 

                                   How long does it take to make a painting? 

This is the question I am asked most often to which there is no straight path to an answer.  

Standing in front of a blank canvas is a beckoning to express...something. Rarely do I know what that is. 

Beginning with unconscious child-like abandon, I pour and scrape, then pause and begin to meander around the surface searching for clues of where to go next. 

Listening and looking,

nonchalantly walking by

then suddenly swiveling,

as if the painting spoke,

and there it will be,

a shape, a line, 

a beckoning

to dive deeper into the surface,

excavating the pentimento

that has been woven within the canvas all along. 

 

What Is Your Story?

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Mary Oliver

 It’s an early Sunday morning in January and the new year is in its 14^th day. The temperature outside is   -8 with a windchill of -35, perfect conditions to enjoy a warm cup of coffee and reflect on what kind of person do I want to be.

With the jolt of caffeine, my mind begins an internal dialogue.

List the qualities and make it your life’s purpose to be guided by them. For instance, when you find yourself responding in a way that is not in keeping with your image, stop, breathe, and adjust.  

Rebel thoughts and behaviors should be encouraged, it’s important to let our thoughts and actions roam free on the Plains of Individuality.

Sit quietly and consider these intuitive thoughts as they become your guideposts, soft slips of clay molding your heart into the person you want to be, no longer pulled by the actions of others, no longer an emotional puppet reacting to circumstances.

Reflect on how you are acting now and dive into change. Here is the fertile soil of your growth. At times it will be painful as you expand and crack your existing shell and metamorphosize into the soloist of this symphony we call life.

When someone hurts you and your immediate response is to defend yourself by striking out in kind, mirror your path of being a loving person, then choose forgiveness and let go. I believe this is what Jesus meant when he said, “turn the other cheek”.  Not becoming a weak victim but staying strong and true to your being.

We are the stories we tell ourselves. It is never too early or too late to ask, What kind of person do I want to be?  Avoid the trap of becoming someone you really don’t want to be just to please. Share your ignorance with glee, so you can learn, then share your knowledge with gratitude, so you can teach.

We only have so many heartbeats. Our purpose is to make every beat count.