Actual medicine kinds of things, like more physical therapy… and more dry needles! And hunting up a new eye doc who – you know – takes our insurance! And a bit of a tiff with the pharmacy over a couple of epi-pens. (Still sorting that one, but I am determined!)
Then a whole lot of the more metaphorical kind of medicine.
In order to follow along, you need to know two things.
We have a couple of trips coming up, soon-ish!
And, I have an editing project that came with one of those scary things called deadlines!
So, spells of getting ready sorts of things. Laundry. Hunting for stuff I haven’t needed in quite a while. Asking my feet and knees which pairs of shoes and hiking boots they’re willing to cope with.
And, when I’ve done all of that I can do, the magic chair and actual paper – pages and pages and pages of paper – and red ink. Old fashioned, perhaps, but it works! And my laptop is acting cranky. (Prayers gratefully accepted!)
Fortunately some of the folks who’ve been my imaginary friends since the long gone days of summer camp volunteered to keep me company. I’ve been singing along! (There’s only so much news I can manage!)
Joan Baez, of course. Simon & Garfunkel. Carole King. James Taylor. And, Leonard Cohen, even though I haven’t know him as long!
Somewhere along the line, it was Peter, Paul, & Mary’s turn.
If I Had a Hammer!
And, yes, I really do remember it from summer camp. It was part of my job to know all the words to all the songs! (If you’re not familiar, keep reading!)
And through it all, I was thinking about my dad. And then I noticed that I was chair drumming, as Harry used to do.
Context had surely entered my adventure! Fathers Day. Juneteenth. The voices of all the women whose words I’m witnessing. The news.
My drumming, though was different.
Lacking wooden arms on my magic chair, my lap desk volunteered. Just one hand, instead of the two Harry preferred. (The other one was fiddling with my favorite pen as I read on.)
Perhaps it was the particular chapter I was reading at the time… wise words from my dear friend Betz McKeown. What I noticed was that – even though I was doing many things differently than the ways they lived in my memory – I was still doing what I needed. I was being me!
Which feels like a whole body reminder that we don’t have to imitate others to belong. We can add our own selves. Our own voices!
If I had a song, I’d sing it in the morning
I’d sing it in the evening
All over this world
I’d sing out danger
I’d sing out warning
I’d sing out the love between my brothers and my sisters
A-all over this land…
-Pete Seeger & Lee Hayes
Here’s the question, though…
What song will you sing?
In your way? In this world, now?
Really!!!
Leave me a comment, below. Or email me. suesvoice@gmail.com
The future is counting on us!!!
ps… the medicine basket? It’s not just a metaphor! Mine is full of lots of tools to help you get from here to there. To sing your song. (Well, maybe not literal singing… but the courage to sing, yes!) The calendar elves only have a few spaces at the moment and I’d love to see your name in one of them. 45 min. My gift. Let’s take the next step!
pps… there are LOTS of liberating leggings at FierceArtWithHeart! And the special offer is still going on! Just check out using the magic code BUY 2 – SAVE $8 when you put two pair in your basket. Any size. Any design. They’re all awesome!
