A Matter of Focus… and Vision

The rain has stopped and the temperature is falling fast.

The big dogs are dozing; sleeping off their fine dining experience for the day.

My prep email for a rapidly approaching Intentional Creativity ® workshop is written, and edited, and edited some more. (I’m going with done!)

I’ve shaken off last night’s hissy fit, prompted when a certain online shopping service’s designated delivery folks sent me a message saying that delivery was refused on my long awaited giant whiteboard.

So NOT!

After some rather loud “intentional” phone calls, my package seems to have been located and, rather than returning it so I could re-order it and wait 8 days or more for another, there is at least hope that it will appear Sunday or Monday.

No, the world won’t end if it doesn’t. It’s just that I’ve worked so hard to figure out the logistics of one of the big things I’m trying to accomplish and I was all set to test it out Monday.

For now, a front row seat, feet up, for the Saturday night Iron Chef mini-marathon. At this moment, the secret ingredient is sausage. Sounds good to me… as long as I know where it came from! Am also very glad that I’m not one of the sous chefs busy burning things.

Underneath all this “normal” life stuff, rather like drips on the first layers of a painting, a post from one of my paint sisters is muttering.

The inquiry, or perhaps journal prompt, went along the lines of whether we readers might have “left anything undone” in 2019 and had we, perhaps, made a list of those things, in the service of letting them go.

I will admit that my pulse picked up a bit of speed at that question.

I mean, Duh!!!

Both my faith tradition and my experience remind me that we leave things we wanted to do undone.

Sometimes because we’re stuck, or afraid. Sometimes because other things arise that feel more urgent. Sometimes because some of our intentions seem beyond our current abilities.

If you’re at all like me, the list of things you haven’t done is likely to be “posted” right in front of your face, like really bad wallpaper.

So big and loud and overwhelming that you can’t see through or around or even under it to the things you did get done.

Or maybe it seems more like having new glasses. The kind with the lenses called transitional, which is contemporary code for incognito bifocals.

I have a recent pair of those I’m still trying to adjust to. Between tipping my head forward and backward, juggling my glasses, and fiddling with the angles of the monitors on my various toys, I seem to feel more aware of what’s not working than what is.

It’s also true that I’m a life long list maker!

So, for this moment, wondering how I might reframe such a question if I were to ask my girls, and with deep love and respect for those who do it differently, I’m making a list of things I have gotten done. (Or made progress on…)

And I’m listening to that list for what might be there for me to learn.

What does it suggest about 2020?

Just in case you’re now busy with such a list of your own, starting – of course – wherever it works for you, I’ll just share the first thing I noticed, pondering all of this.

I took on too much in 2019.

So, while I’m not likely to ever have 20:20 vision, I’m hoping to focus more on where I’d like to be a year from now, rather than on all the marvelous, shiny things I could, hypothetically, manage to squish into next week, preferably (gulp!) without disappointing anyone.

I suspect it will take some practice…

Companions on the road welcome!!!

ps… The glimpse of art, today, which will eventually become TreeWoman 2, was blessed last night with bright teal prayer dots for the healing and new growth of rain across Australia and wherever else it is needed.

 

What do you see? What do you hear?

Dear Hearts, according to the calendar most commonly accepted in much of the world, today is New Year’s Day. In my world, it’s also Work-in-Progress Wednesday, which somehow feels appropriate! And a day for the Studio Angels to recover from all the very noisy celebrating in our neighborhood last night!

Here’s what seems real.

My Tree Woman emails are out, with much prayer and huge help from a patient paint sister. That’s one big step forward for 2020! (And a hint in the photo, above!)

There’s a soup pot on the stove. Bird broth. Pulled pork and boar salami. (Really!) Brussels sprouts and arugula. Lots of aromatics. Gorgeous mushrooms.

It’s not hog jowls and collard greens, but it works for us.

IMG_6564The bones of my MotherBoard space now exist in this dimension! This, too, is a huge step forward for 2020 and will make more sense as time goes on. (Really big whiteboard due Friday!)

And, quite probably prompted by an avalanche of emails beating the drums for a major (US) election fundraising deadline, I have been casting about for something to say in this moment. Only one thing made sense.

Please hear, now, the words of the prophet known as The Dangerous Old Woman, probably not for the first time, with ears of this moment.

My friends, do not lose heart. We were made for these times. I have heard from so many recently who are deeply and properly bewildered. They are concerned about the state of affairs in our world now. Ours is a time of almost daily astonishment and often righteous rage over the latest degradations of what matters most to civilized, visionary people.

You are right in your assessments. The lustre and hubris some have aspired to while endorsing acts so heinous against children, elders, everyday people, the poor, the unguarded, the helpless, is breathtaking. Yet, I urge you, ask you, gentle you, to please not spend your spirit dry by bewailing these difficult times. Especially do not lose hope. Most particularly because, the fact is that we were made for these times. Yes. For years, we have been learning, practicing, been in training for and just waiting to meet on this exact plain of engagement.

I grew up on the Great Lakes and recognize a seaworthy vessel when I see one. Regarding awakened souls, there have never been more able vessels in the waters than there are right now across the world. And they are fully provisioned and able to signal one another as never before in the history of humankind.

Look out over the prow; there are millions of boats of righteous souls on the waters with you. Even though your veneers may shiver from every wave in this stormy roil, I assure you that the long timbers composing your prow and rudder come from a greater forest. That long-grained lumber is known to withstand storms, to hold together, to hold its own, and to advance, regardless.

In any dark time, there is a tendency to veer toward fainting over how much is wrong or unmended in the world. Do not focus on that. There is a tendency, too, to fall into being weakened by dwelling on what is outside your reach, by what cannot yet be. Do not focus there. That is spending the wind without raising the sails.

We are needed, that is all we can know. And though we meet resistance, we more so will meet great souls who will hail us, love us and guide us, and we will know them when they appear. Didn’t you say you were a believer? Didn’t you say you pledged to listen to a voice greater? Didn’t you ask for grace? Don’t you remember that to be in grace means to submit to the voice greater?

Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help immensely. It is not given to us to know which acts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring good.

What is needed for dramatic change is an accumulation of acts, adding, adding to, adding more, continuing. We know that it does not take everyone on Earth to bring justice and peace, but only a small, determined group who will not give up during the first, second, or hundredth gale.

One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times. The light of the soul throws sparks, can send up flares, builds signal fires, causes proper matters to catch fire. To display the lantern of soul in shadowy times like these – to be fierce and to show mercy toward others; both are acts of immense bravery and greatest necessity.

Struggling souls catch light from other souls who are fully lit and willing to show it. If you would help to calm the tumult, this is one of the strongest things you can do.
There will always be times when you feel discouraged. I too have felt despair many times in my life, but I do not keep a chair for it. I will not entertain it. It is not allowed to eat from my plate.

The reason is this: In my uttermost bones I know something, as do you. It is that there can be no despair when you remember why you came to Earth, who you serve, and who sent you here. The good words we say and the good deeds we do are not ours. They are the words and deeds of the One who brought us here. In that spirit, I hope you will write this on your wall: When a great ship is in harbor and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But that is not what great ships are built for.

By Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes
American poet, post-trauma specialist and Jungian psychoanalyst, author of Women Who Run With the Wolves and Untie the Strong Woman.

Holding Light for the New Year, Sue and Phoebe and Luther

 

 

Miracles!

This season is always a reminder of miracles, for me.

Our Christmas tree is still lighting its corner of the family room, while Phoebe and Luther wander around searching, each in their own way, for the miracle of four much loved family members, now headed back to their more usual home.

Next door, our neighbors’ house is ablaze with a celebration of the eighth night of Hanukkah and the miracle of the light that lasted much longer than anyone could have expected.

The Legendary Husband and I have spent considerable time playing Furniture Yahtzee, as is our tradition.

And I’ve been reflecting on smaller, more personal miracles.

Take a minute to check out the photo at the beginning of this post. A miraculous gift from a dear paint sister, it’s a silicone thing originally meant to scrub pots and pans. Turns out, it’s the greatest paint brush cleaner ever!!!

And quite handy, given the fact that there’s been a whole lot of painting going on in the studio.

Here are three masterpieces by my talented and persistent girls.

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And a piece we worked on together… three generations of Boardman women.

IMG_6552It began, as my work so often does, with drips. Then a chance for everyone to try out a palette knife and some heavy body paints Santa brought.

Then, some wisdom borrowed from Jassy Watson’s Tree Woman process, inspired by things that grow where we live, at least when it’s not winter!

And dots. Stamped dots. Dots made with the bristle end of brushes, and dots made with the handle end, as I so often do.

I’d even go so far as to say miraculous dots, for they were made with intentions and prayers of healing for dear friends who could use a great deal of that just now.

And then one more masterpiece. You’ll have to help me with this one. I didn’t get a picture as we drove by, so a bit of imagination is in order.

Yesterday, Bill and I were headed home from picking up a print at Digital Arts Studio and lunch at my favorite local oyster joint, Stiles Fish Camp.

We stopped in the spitting rain for a red light at an intersection with a big church on one corner. It’s changed names recently and I’m not really sure what it is, these days.

That wasn’t the part of the sign I was reading.

You know the kind. The ones with the moveable letters behind glass doors.

About that time, the light changed, and I’m not sure I got this just right, but here’s the jist of it:

A brighter future does not lie in wishing for a different past.

If you happen to be near Atlanta, moving toward some miracles of your own, click here!

 

Amazing Peace

Greetings and Blessings, Dear Ones!

The sun is just up, this Christmas morning. The rest of the gang are still sleeping. I’ll post some pictures later. For now, Mama Maya’s poem, Amazing Peace,  which seems, in the way of all creating, like all there really is to say in this moment…

Thunder rumbles in the mountain passes
And lightning rattles the eaves of our houses.
Flood waters await us in our avenues.
Snow falls upon snow, falls upon snow to avalanche
Over unprotected villages.
The sky slips low and grey and threatening.
We question ourselves.
What have we done to so affront nature?
We worry God.
Are you there? Are you there really?
Does the covenant you made with us still hold?
Into this climate of fear and apprehension, Christmas enters,
Streaming lights of joy, ringing bells of hope
And singing carols of forgiveness high up in the bright air.
The world is encouraged to come away from rancor,
Come the way of friendship.
It is the Glad Season.
Thunder ebbs to silence and lightning sleeps quietly in the corner.
Flood waters recede into memory.
Snow becomes a yielding cushion to aid us
As we make our way to higher ground.
Hope is born again in the faces of children
It rides on the shoulders of our aged as they walk into their sunsets.
Hope spreads around the earth. Brightening all things,
Even hate which crouches breeding in dark corridors.
In our joy, we think we hear a whisper.
At first it is too soft. Then only half heard.
We listen carefully as it gathers strength.
We hear a sweetness.
The word is Peace.
It is loud now. It is louder.
Louder than the explosion of bombs.
We tremble at the sound. We are thrilled by its presence.
It is what we have hungered for.
Not just the absence of war. But, true Peace.
A harmony of spirit, a comfort of courtesies.
Security for our beloveds and their beloveds.
We clap hands and welcome the Peace of Christmas.
We beckon this good season to wait a while with us.
We, Baptist and Buddhist, Methodist and Muslim, say come.
Peace.
Come and fill us and our world with your majesty.
We, the Jew and the Jainist, the Catholic and the Confucian,
Implore you, to stay a while with us.
So we may learn by your shimmering light
How to look beyond complexion and see community.
It is Christmas time, a halting of hate time.
On this platform of peace, we can create a language
To translate ourselves to ourselves and to each other.
At this Holy Instant, we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ
Into the great religions of the world.
We jubilate the precious advent of trust.
We shout with glorious tongues at the coming of hope.
All the earth’s tribes loosen their voices
To celebrate the promise of Peace.
We, Angels and Mortals, Believers and Non-Believers,
Look heavenward and speak the word aloud.
Peace. We look at our world and speak the word aloud.
Peace. We look at each other, then into ourselves
And we say without shyness or apology or hesitation.
Peace, My Brother.
Peace, My Sister.
Peace, My Soul.


Hailed as a global renaissance woman, Dr. Angelou was a celebrated poet, memoirist, novelist, educator, dramatist, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. She passed away on May 28, 2014.
 
This is reprinted from Women You Should Know, with thanks.

Granddaughters Eve

Tomorrow the people census at our house will triple! Plus, of course, a couple of people-sized dogs.

I can’t wait!

My left knee is somewhat skeptical. Here’s what I’ve learned tonight…

It’s considerably harder to do laundry when I’m home with just the beasties, carrying my cell phone everywhere and trying hard to remember the walking stick. Think I’m down to just one more load. (Dog laundry goes last, for obvious reasons!)

Our Christmas tree is up, complete with lights, so the girls can decorate tomorrow. Their daddy, who is the unofficial family king of Christmas lights will no doubt help, too. And probably be sad that we’re not so much for outdoor lights.

From time to time, between re-hanging a lot of art and mixing up a snack mix of dried cranberries, sliced almonds, shredded coconut and, of course, dark chocolate chips, I’ve been pondering the Solstice.

This is, apparently, one of the things I missed in nursing school and seminary!

I don’t know Solstice rituals, unless they include cleaning out the fridge and hanging a Cosmic Cow painting by my dear friend, Elizabeth Hudson, down low on a wall where it will keep the younger of the granddaughters company.

I’m also contemplating light and dark, especially this year. In my recent eye exam I learned that my left eye is just on the borderline of clinical glaucoma. All I can tell you so far is that the scan looks quite different from the right one. And, I spend a whole lot of time turning lights on in the house.

The latest news is that the insurance company has graciously agreed that it might be best to let me have the drops to which I am not allergic, rather than the less expensive ones that create all sorts of swelling and hives.

It seems to me to be the obvious choice but I’ve decided to be grateful nonetheless.

I’m looking forward to lots more light.

Especially the kind with two feet and big hugs!

I’m also looking forward to a 48×48″ painting in a colorful, abstract, experimental style that we can work on together. (I’m in charge of paint shirts!)

Also, perhaps, intention. At least mine.

By choosing your thoughts, and by selecting which emotional currents you will release and which you will reinforce, you determine the quality of your Light. You determine the effects that you will have on others and the nature of the experiences of your life.

-Gary Zukav, quoted by Flora Bowley

Tomorrow there will be more light! For now, last year’s Solstice painting!

p.s. They’re here!!!

St. Linus and the Bwankie

I can’t remember exactly where I saw this, so please hear me say that this is me telling a wise story I learned from someone else.

You probably know the brilliant, comforting saga of Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang at Christmas. (Some days it’s hard for me to believe that my girls are watching the exact same show I watched when I was their age!)

Well, the aforementioned wise person noticed, probably the umpteenth time they’d seen the show, that Linus, who resisted all attempts to part him from his beloved blanket, finally did the meta blanket drop, in the midst of that very show. It’s when he did it that’s the amazing part!

Through the miracles of modern science, and my friends at YouTube, here’s the one minute and 22 second clip you need to get on board:

Please watch so you can see it for yourself. (Santa will know if if you cheat.)

Fa….la….la….la…..la….keep watching….just a little longer….la…..la….la….la….

Consider the abundance of punctuation to be prayer dots.

Good job!

Yes! Linus let go of his blanket just as he said, “Fear not…”

Really!!!

Yesterday, I was so glad I’d been reminded of this miracle. You see, yesterday I did my first solo art market/holiday party. Planning. Packing. Unloading the car. Set up. The whole market deal. (Including trying to deal with a *?@$ new card reader!) Take down. Load car. Muster energy to drive home in cold and dark and traffic.

All of it. Except for loading the car beforehand, which the Legendary Husband was blessedly able to help with.

And, just between us, I was more than a bit anxious about the whole thing.

Having people see my art is scary enough. Especially people I don’t know. Needing to set it up all alone was scarier still.

For a few hours Monday night, tired and really sore from too many trips up and down the basement steps and more than the usual amount of long-jumping the Studio Angels, aggravated, I suspect, by a weather front, I seriously considered staying home.

I’m so glad I didn’t!

I set some art prints and cards (and hats!) free in the world. I also “accidentally” sold my hat-viewing mirror to a woman who explained, with tears in her eyes, that it reminded her of one her grandmother had when she was small. And a pink quartz heart that went along to be part of my Feng shui!

I heard some great stories and made some new friends.

I also re-connected with an old friend who laughed when she read my business card and promised to send me information about a local group of grandmothers who are, “all activists”. Sounds like my kind of crowd!

Most of all, though, I learned that if I pack really intentionally (!) I can do this market thing almost all by myself.

The tent is a different issue!

Somewhere, I hope Linus is grinning. The whole “Fear not” thing feels pretty good in the ways that matter most.

Knees and back, maybe tomorrow!

Oh, and just in case you missed the market, or are an online sort of shopper, you can find my work at the Wild Oats and Billy Goats gallery on the Decatur square or at my virtual collection.

For this moment, it’s tea and feet up while the washer and dryer do what we pay them for!

Big Block of Cheese Day

Yes, I’m still among the top 10 fans of The West Wing! You’ll never guess where those mythical American leaders showed up this time…

Friday, I was watching the opening livestream for a new Intentional Creativity ® class called World Soul. Led by Adriana Medina and Shiloh Sophia McCloud, it has to do with cultures and perspectives and how each of us views our place in the world.

The opening Red Thread Cafe conversation was both fascinating and moving in the sense of recognizing that there is always more awareness to be embraced. As I sat, running my red thread through my hands and reflecting on things that helped my world grow, I realized I was humming.

It took me a minute to realize that I was humming the theme music to The West Wing. Then, suddenly, I figured out why.

It had to do with episode 16 in Season 2, –  Somebody’s Going to Emergency, Somebody’s Going to Jail. “This broadcast has often been referred to as the best episode of West Wing to ever air”  (Editorial review, Amazon.com).

Imagine, if you will, the voice of a gruff but enlightened White House Chief of Staff named Leo McGarry explaining, in the midst of a morning staff meeting, something very close to…

President Andrew Jackson had, in the main foyer of his white house, a 2-ton block of cheese. It was there for any and all who were hungry. 

In this spirit, from time to time, we ask senior staff to open their office doors to those who have difficulty getting the ear of the White House…

Yes, this was a while ago… but are you there already??? (Netflix or YouTube will be glad to help you out!)

Press Secretary, C.J. Cregg, was assigned to meet with a fictional group of Cartographers for Social Equality who re-educated members of the President’s staff on their perceptions of the globe by lobbying for support for the Peters Map to be used in every public school classroom in the USA.

This map looks quite different than the one I remember from geography class. I’m guessing it looks different from the one you remember, too!

The main difference lies in the accurate proportional sizes of continents and countries. It can also be turned south side up which caused C.J. to stammer, What the hell is that?

The cartographers replied, It’s where you’ve been living this whole time. 

There’s more to the episode, and it’s one of my favorites.

For our purposes, though, I suspect I was humming the WW theme because, somewhere in my consciousness, I was aware that the painting journey on which I was about to embark was going to take me farther still from the place I was raised to think I’d been living this whole time.

Just between us, with the new gallery, holiday art markets, and the kids coming, I haven’t started the actual painting yet but I’m already noticing and wondering new things, thanks to Adriana and Shiloh and Aaron Sorkin, et al.

I’ll keep you posted!

And I did get an extra copy of the map to send home with my girls!

p.s. It seems that President Obama was a fan of WW, too. Big Block of Cheese Day is reported to have actually happened during his presidency!

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