Elusive...

delicate

fragile

mesmerizing

elusive

flighty

transient

i think i’ve got it

oops, it’s gone

just out of reach

come over here,

rest with me a bit….

the stiller i am,

the more likely you will

stop flapping about

and actually land

so i can appreciate

your true colors

in all their glory

i’m not moving….

i’m still talking

about butterflies, right?

or was it JOY??

(more butterflies here, photos taken 4/18/11 at SD Safari Park)

Japan (no, it's not old news!)

i haven’t yet written about japan, but it’s certainly not that i have not been thinking about it.  my feelings have run the gamut from shock to disbelief to compassion and empathy.  and relief (that it didn’t happen to us).  and fear (that it could).  mostly, though, i look at myself and wonder how i could ever cope with such a thing.  i mean i like to think that i am learning, becoming stronger and developing inner resources.  that i will be able to deal with difficulty when (not if!) it shows up on my doorstep.  but this….. what these people are having to deal with is soooo far out of the realm of what we ever even consider might happen to us in our lifetime. some of them have lost EVERYTHING…. including loved ones, jobs, homes and all possessions in one fell swoop.   it’s sobering.   big time.  on a huge incomprehensible level.

and as my blogger friend maki keeps reminding us, even though the situation has faded so quickly from the headlines, the suffering goes on and is truly only beginning in some instances.  a case in point:  http://www.nctimes.com/news/world/article_9e88d2fc-0199-5e4e-85a2-038335b7b43f.html

maki is japanese but is living far away in britain and wanted to do something to help.  she is a ceramic artist and decided to make 1,000 ceramic birds, wrap each one individually and sell them worldwide to benefit the japanese people.  i found this irresistible, so here you see my lovely birds.  i have already given some away and will be using most of the rest as gifts also.  love the idea of these little birds flying all over the world with their message of help and healing.  as maki says, “every little helps”.  couldn’t agree more.  it’s small, but it’s something.

Poetry Cafe

 

my dear friend jane has a passion for poetry.  she happens to be an elementary school librarian and she loves passing this passion on to her students.  each year she hosts a “poetry café” in her library and yesterday i was an honored guest at this event.   think white tablecloths.  and flowers.  and colorful hanging art.  and bookshelves dressed up with bright carefully-chosen poems at student eye level. 

 but the main activity is the  recitation of the poems.  4-6 students sit at each table with an adult and share their poem with the group.  some are more prepared than others.  some can rattle off a host of poems, some struggle with one.  some need “cheat sheets”.  some love being in the spotlight, others not so much…. some speak with wild abandon and expression and others mutter words that can barely be heard.  some that do not shine in other areas take to poetry and discover a life-long interest (love this!!)

 after the poems are finished, the students get a little gift.  and we chat a bit.  i tried to tell them how little bits of poems can stay in your brain, nesting there for a long time, sometimes for your whole life.  some lines will hide in there and be re-discovered when the time is right.  kind of a hard concept for them to get at this point, but i know it’s true for me and it will be true for them as well, whether or not they realize it. 

Jane and her sweet grand-daughter, Evie

 i can’t post some of the endearing photos of the kids actually sharing their poems, but i hope you can use your imagination and get the idea.  below are some of the many poems that jane has collected for the kids, written out in her own unique, artistic style.  what a gift!!

Collaboration

as much as i love and crave solitude and find it absolutely essential for creating, i am really smitten lately with the idea and power of collaboration.

last november, my unfurl scarf sisters and i did a collaborative project in which each of us started a collage canvas and then sent it around the table for everyone to add their own unique contribution.  i cherish my piece because a little part of each sister is imbedded right there within it.

last week at the space between retreat, carol set us up for a collaborative mosaic project.  most of us were completely clueless about how to do mosaics, but once she showed us the basics, we were able to join in and add to the piece.  i’m so fortunate to have the finished product now gracing the outside of my studio and can think about each person that helped to make it possible.

my latest collaboration involves sharing ideas with my new friend laura to put together a one day mini-retreat (more details soon!)

liz lamoreux (creator of the bepresent retreats) speaks in her inner excavation book about some unique ways of collaborating with others – sharing images, words and ideas – through cyberspace as well as together in the same room.

there is definitely an element of fear that has to be conquered in order to collaborate.  we have to step up and be willing to expose ourselves and our work, making it visible to others.  it’s a little scary and sometimes the comparison demons can shout pretty loudly.  but it’s a step i want to continue to take because i have seen the power in it.  i’m definitely convinced that taking our talents and swirling them together in new and original ways produces an outcome that is greater than the sum of the parts!