Okay. The real deal. I can’t handle the news.
My docs are probably fine with that. They worry about things like blood pressure readings and adrenal insufficiency which is code for, well, stress.
The dogs are fine with it, too. It confuses them when I swear at the TV.
So… what to do?
Well yesterday, I felted some hats. Turns out you can make the magic in a front loading washer after all!
Today, Bill and I dropped off another car load of donations. Then we went to pick up some amazingly wonderful small Giclées of my work for an upcoming art party. Thank you, Digital Arts Studio. (I have lots of name signing to do!)
Then I decided that the bookshelves in our family room needed some thinning. Getting started was a bit of a challenge. These books are my friends!
Nonetheless, I got out my little rolling stool that gets me close enough to the floor to reach even the bottom shelves and, shifting Phoebe just a bit, set two boxes in reach.
One box was for books that need a transfer to the white bookshelves in the basement. The other was for donations.
As my fingers wandered down memory lane, I noticed two copies of a much loved book and, with only a minor amount of duress, placed the older, much underlined copy back on the shelf and the newer copy in the donation box.
That’s when the lights came on!
You see, Archetypes and Strange Attractors was a huge eye-opener for me, back around 2000, when I was hanging out at Pacifica Graduate Institute. It made space in my mind for theoretical physics and stretched my understanding about the impact of symbols and transformation, not only for individuals, but for the world.
When I placed it into the donation box, I realized that sharing it was a way of acting out of hope, while declining to get all wadded up about the news.
As you can see, I found some more things to share. All of them things that have become a part of me through the years and will soon be free to spread their magic in a world that so needs it just now.
And the ones headed for the basement make space for new wonders in a more accessible place.
Some of the books I re-found 0n my journey were the kind that look like they’re for kids (and they are) but are also for the adults in charge of reading them aloud. And, since I’m frequently asked about just this kind of books, I thought I’d share a few with you here, just in case you know some little people who love stories. (Or believe, like I do, that it’s just not a holiday without books!)
Here are two of my very favorites…
Moonbeam… a book of meditations for children by Maureen Garth. “Simple visualizations for parents (and grandparents!) to help children awaken creativity, sleep peacefully, develop concentration and quiet fears.”
HAROLD and the PURPLE CRAYON by Crockett Johnson. “An ingenious and original little picture story in which a small boy out for a walk – happily with a crayon in his hand – draws himself some wonderful adventures.” (This also comes in a board book for the littles!)
Check back. There are more in the stack…
For now, though, they’re fixing Thanksgiving on Iron Chef!
And, because I really can’t ignore the news… The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, by A. Wolf as told to Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith. If you don’t know this one, now might be a really good time!
Love “Moonbeam”! Used it and “Starbright” after my husband died when our youngest child was seven. It really helped my son get to sleep without thinking about the hard stuff he couldn’t control.
Thank you, Sallie, for reading and for sharing your story. You’ve touched many this day!