I Think Not

I think not: Writing about 

the mundane details of life, 

the dirt on my shoes, 

a lightbulb to change? 

There are 

     grander things, 

         weighty things, 

that deserve my attention. 

Aren’t there? 

Turning on radios, 

social media platforms, 

podcasts, 

television programs 

does provide all 

the grand and weighty things 

I can handle. 

When they get too heavy, 

there’s a little button, 

electrical cord or 

remote control that 

cuts off the heaviness 

so I can tend 

to the dirt on my shoes or 

change a flickering lightbulb. 

“What excites me is just taking some time to breathe in life. 

The mundane is very exciting”

~ Viola Davis

A Spot of Colour

Attention to the details of colour draws my eye every time. This orphaned set of fuzzy leaves on a long drying stem needed a place to rest. Getting them home, I really didn’t know whether I could keep them alive or not. I just put the long stem in an unused spice bottle full of water to see what would happen. I just about forgot it!

Two days ago, when I did give it my attention, that spot of beautiful colour surprised me. A tiny perfectly formed flower bud! I have since transferred that charming greenery to some soil to see if I really have saved it. I’ve supported it with rocks and am keeping moist. The little bud  doesn’t look too healthy, but I can only keep my fingers crossed.

“I grow plants for many reasons: to please my eye or to please my soul, 

to challenge the elements or to challenge my patience for novelty or 

for nostalgia, but mostly for the joy in seeing them grow.”

~ David Hobson, Garden writer

Author's note: sadly this stem with its beautiful bud, did not survive.

Back Pocket Ideas

Just over three years into my retirement from nursing, I am getting restless. Life has been far from ordinary since February of 2019. Recently I've had a few curve balls thrown at me. As I listen to another news show, bake another loaf of bread, vacuum the rug and talk to myself - or the cat - my mind and my energy has slowed. 

It does take me back to preretirement discussions with colleagues about what we’d do, where we’d go or even how we’d manage without our careers of life times. There were lots of ideas floated, but then the telephone would ring. Ideas went in our back pockets to take home with us.

Now I think I’ll retrieve some of those ideas. What I do know for sure is that I still want to make a difference in someone’s life. There are two things that need my attention first: clearing up this most recent curve ball; and one more move that is really almost more exciting than the last. (Details to be released later.)

In the meantime, designing this part of my retirement will involve writing and researching some details. I’m really ready to involve myself in something greater than myself. 

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. 

And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.”

~ Edward Everett Hale

Two Steps

Stepping back from the

magnificent fountains of 

knowledge and details into 

the numinous ground of

intuition and memory 

can be an act both 

courageous and brave.

Stepping onto the 

bridge that spans both worlds

can bring them together

adding depth, colour and humanity

to cold and damp facts that

are scribed on onion skin paper 

in heavy books of great knowledge.

“When you reach the end of what you should know, 

you will be at the beginning of what you should sense.”

~ Kahlil Gibran

Chitter Chatter

Theories abound about 

The reasons for,

The details about,

Whys, wherefores and what ifs

The questions posed

Researchers peer into corners and crevices

to find answers to questions 

that may be age old or

possibly never thought of

except by those researchers

Theories abound when

all that data comes out 

in the newspaper

from a well coifed talking head,

on wildly prolific social media,

or casual social chitter and chatter.

Questions abound leaving us 

wondering how to respond ~

What’s it to me?

How should I include it in my life?

Will it even affect me?

Theories continue bounding

through space and time even when

we go home for supper,

read the newspaper,

listen to newscasts or

check our social media sites.

Theories abound when 

there are humans with opinions

believing what we believe without

knowing that we need to know more

about the facts for our own lives.

Theories, a-bounding like 

fields of rabbits unchecked,

allowed to roam freely,

only provides more rabbits

until we care for one at home.

“ ….the specious meditations, speculations, and theories of mankind 

are but a kind of insanity, only there is no one to stand by and observe it.”

~ Francis Bacon,  Novum Organum

A Writing Saga

To write anything when

there is no beginning

obvious to my fingers

with the middle hovering 

patiently in the background

crowded with details and characters

before the ending gathers

all the wandering fragments

to tie them up with a ruffled bow of

Perfection!

Or 

That ending leaves me cold.

Or 

I wonder what happened to the characters….

“The beginning is the word and the end is silence. 

And in between are all the stories.”

~ Kate Atkinson

Tell Me

There is ever only a glimmer.

A shadowy mirage.

Reaching for it ~

useless.

Visions must be clear.

Detailed or I cannot chase them.

A shadowy wavering mirage

tells me nothing

so I ask the resiliency of mind and heart

to tell me of the vision in the mist.

“The mountain veiled in mist is not a hill; 

an oak tree in the rain is not a weeping willow.”

~ Khalil Gibran

Two Plans and Many Details

My first thought this morning was to set a daily plan. That was the easiest part as it turned out. The thought. In the past years I’ve worked a morning routine developed for epilepsy management. If that routine were to have a title it would be Prepare for Self Care and it always includes a morning cup of tea. Then journaling where today I thought I would quickly sketch out a plan for today. Several years ago, I took a pencil sketching class. We were to copy a picture of a simple flower. I spend a lot of time sketching in every single detail. I didn’t get it finished by the end of the classes, but I did get it finished. So a Plan for Today. Easy. But it is always about the details! And so I questioned the quotation from Jasper Fforde I used for last night’s blog: “The best plans are always the simplest.” Simple? My Plan started with preparation for my weekend trip. Pack - put things in - take things out - and don’t forget your meds. Bus 7:15am. Scratch a morning blog post. Not enough time for that. Empty compost and garbage. I know - it’s only a weekend but there were good reasons. Bus at 7:15 and the walk to the station takes 10 minutes. Good it’s not raining but I have an umbrella with me and I’ll wear my raincoat. Those thoughts and more raced through my head before I was even finished my smoothie prepared yesterday just for this morning. So what I have learned is that I need some broad guidelines for creating a Daily Plan. Filling in all the details makes the plan quite overwhelming.

Daily Planning - A Work in Progress

1. Preparation 
2. Flexibility
3. Watch the busy work
4. Time lines

“Tiny details imperceptible to us decide everything.”

~ W.G.Sebald, Vertigo

*******

Yesterday's Plan

This story from yesterday’s planned Writer’s group.  Topic - write about an Irish fantasy. The very interesting part of yesterday was that five of six writers chose a different piece of Irish mythology: selkies (seals can lose their skin and walk on land as men), kelpies (water spirits in the shape of a horse), leprechauns (little men full of mischief and known as shoe makers), banshees (a wailing woman whose cry predicts the death of a family member) and ‘thin places’ (a divider between the physical tangible world and otherworld dimensions).

Just a Bit of Mischief

*Carlingford’s Sliabh Foy Loop trail is officially protected land for the 236 Leprechauns that apparently live in Ireland. Thomas didn’t know that this lovely trail was his to roam. ‘Oh, don’t you know that it’s a beautiful day with the sun a-shinin’ and the birds just a-twitterin’, all their music ridin’ on the breezes that rustle the leaves on the trees. And just look at those little clouds. Little white fluffs like heads of ripe dandelion, edging close to the sun for a bit of it’s lovely, warm gold.’ Thomas was not talking to anyone in particular but the rabbits and deer along side the trail. Thomas had been summoned to the town of Happy, nestled in the foothills of Grim Mountain to bring a bit of magic to change the sadness to happiness again. It was that or change the name of the town. Granny Marsh had sent for him. Against the wishes of most of the townspeople, she had decided it was the only solution. The problem was the Mayor. When he was elected, the town of Happy was, well, happy. He smiled and told them all how things would be so much happier. But Granny knew better. She knew of the Leprechauns and believed in their magic, but also knew that no one would come to help unless they were called. They didn’t need to be called to create mischief, but to help? Now that was a more serious matter. When Thomas arrived, all decked out in his *fine red outfit and tricornered hat, he went first to Granny Marsh’s front porch where she was knitting and rocking. Anyone watching would only see Granny talking to herself, leaning back in her rocker and laughing, getting serious and leaning forward and talking some more. Pointing her knitting needles to the town hall, the townspeople heard her say - ‘Himself is in his office and makin’ money means more to him than this little town.’ No one in the town could see anything except a big beautiful rainbow that reached from beyond the town of Happy all the way over top and behind Grim Mountain. The Mayor had been looking out the window of his office, a smug and smarmy grin on his face. When the rainbow appeared he thought that he saw a big pot of gold go flying all the way up the the rainbow and down again, all the way behind Grim Mountain. “I resign!” were the last words anyone heard the Mayor say. He did not even stop to get his coat or his hat. He jumped out of the window to the roof below and then to the street. The last anyone saw of Mr. Mayor was the dust he churned from running towards the end of the rainbow behind Grim Mountain. Thomas returned to Granny’s porch, where she was still rocking and knitting. ‘There you go then Granny. If that’s all you needed me to do, I’ll be off then. I’ll just take a spin around your fair town and see if there just might be some mischief that needs takin’ care of.’ The town of Happy was so happy that they didn’t even notice fence posts painted purple or a goat untied from it’s post.

*celtic-weddingrings.com

*Irish folk lore describes Leprechauns as men who wore red outfits and tai-cornered hats. Irish novelist Samuel Lover describes Leprechauns as such in his 1831 work Legends and Stories of Ireland.

Details! Schmietails!

This short story was inspired by my blog post from yesterday about paying attention to details. Although self care was specified in that piece, today's morning musing was an attempt at unravelling the many, many details spilling around us. Bills in the mail, memos at work, and those previously mentioned mundane tasks in our homes, not to mention extra curricular schedules and spontaneity. The great depth of it all almost overwhelmed me. Cora, in the following story stepped up and saved my sanity. Enjoy!

Details! Schmietails!

“Details! Schmietails! Do you not see how much is piled on my desk. Practically falling on the floor. And then there’s all my emails. And look at the clock. It’s almost quitting time. I’ll never get it all done. And you want me to pay attention to details differently than I already am?!”

Cora, her naturally curly blonde hair was wound more tightly than usual. Telephones had been ringing all day. The fax machine seemed particularly loud while it hummed and spat out more paper work for her to do. Harried people, with nothing better to do than complain, had been coming and going wanting her to fix their problems. As though it was her fault and not now but right now. Here was her boss, standing ramrod straight with his little clipboard, his tie just so and a knife edge pleat to his pants, telling her about time management and how she could be doing things better and faster. She took a deep breath and pushed back her chair, almost knocking Mr. Detail in the knees. Standing up to her full 4’9”, hands on her hips and her back ramrod straight she looked him square in the buttons on his shirt.

“Just a minute” Cora paused, turned and reached for the foot stool under her desk. She placed it in front of her boss, stood up on it and returned to her position. Now she could look him squarely in the eye. Cora continued in a voice just on this side the calm and controlled manner she presented.

“Mr. Derringer, you’re a good man. An intelligent man. If you look at the clock, you’ll see that the office will be closed in one hour. That’s five o’clock. If you look at my desk, you’ll see that I have more than one hours work. Now, I appreciate your information however it is eating into the time I have managed to carve out to clear at least some of it up. I will be completing what I am able to reasonably do before five. I know how you hate to pay overtime, so all the rest will be stacked in order so that I can get it all completed tomorrow. I do hope there is more staff here tomorrow to answer….the……phones. Telephones do not care about time management. Thank you for listening to me. Please take your clipboard and return to your office.”

With that Cora stepped down off of her stool, put it away under her desk, sat down in her chair and returned to work. Mr. Derringer just stood still his mouth open as though he were about to speak.

“And close your mouth before you go.”

Cora smiled as she heard her boss step away from her desk, his footsteps retreating quietly to his office. Her tap-tapping on her key board and ruffling of invoices, bills, and correspondence covered his tracks. All the details in the world would not make her work faster. But she would leave on time so she could get to her son’s basketball game by six p.m. Supper would be ready for her when she arrived home, a lovely stew bubbling in the crock pot. Cora settled in to finish her work day.

“The details of life have a tendency to interfere with the actual living of life.”

~ Richard Diaz

Need to Know - or Not

Taking sides from a distance is easy

when the 8 x 10 glossies

with sprinkles of sound bytes 

air-brush magnificent landscapes or workscapes

begging us to take a side 

building our arguments

through uninformed emotional goggles

without knowing enough details

until taking sides divides and conquers

leaving us without perspective and shaking our heads.

“Everything has two sides - the outside that is ridiculous, 

and the inside that is solemn.”

~ Olive Schreiner, South African writer

Until

Context is everything in any war of words full of emotion 

forgetting the facts

colouring the details with 

bright flashes, bold stripes 

until all that is left in the air is the ‘who is right’ question 

until compromise is reached 

until the bitter taste of ‘agreeing to disagree’ thuds to the floor 

until perspective shows 

that no one person is one hundred percent right for everyone

and no one person is one hundred percent wrong for everyone

“Sometimes one can be so closely involved 

with things that the larger context is lost to view.”

~ Brian Ferneyhough, musician

Attention to Details ~ 2

Attending to the details of life

has meaning in daily life
a morning cup of tea or coffee
the way we approach our day
belief in the work that we do

belief in fun and playtimes.
respecting minutiae in a day
denying details that overwhelm,
asking for balance and acceptance,
knowing that we are the sum of our own details

“When you pay attention to detail, 

the big picture will take care of itself.”

~ Georges St-Pierre