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A simple, active day~

7/30/2015

Silence, solitude and simplicity abound today. For me that doesn’t mean sitting all day in the same place. I have to move around VERY frequently and change my activity VERY often. I’ve always know this about myself, and have even blogged about it, but I seem to need to relearn it every few months, weeks or days.

Today has been a good day because I have remained attentive to my hyper active rhythm. Up before five, coffee and meditation, cleared out the china closet in the dining room, walked with a friend, lunch and nap, reading, more clearing, and now I’m writing outside on the patio. I have felt more silence, solitude and simplicity today than those times when I try to sit in one place and do one thing all day.

In a day or two I’ll write about my renewed endeavor to get rid of stuff. It is not simple to do, but it does simplifies my life.

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Silence, solitude and simplicity postponed~

7/27/2015

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Two hours after I posted my last post, I received a phone call from our interim minister telling me that her 92 year old mother had died. Five minutes later I had agreed to lead the Sunday service at church, which meant writing a sermon—we call it a message.

Sunday has come and gone, the message was written and delivered, and my week of silence, solitude and simplicity has begun again. But life goes on. I spent the morning changing some frequently flyer reservations (not simple) and attending to some on-line tasks relating to my book, which is now scheduled for ‘publication’ at the end of August.

Why do I tell you about my daily hum-drum, very human life? 1) Well, it is fascinating to me, because it IS all about me. 2) Writing helps me figure out what I’m thinking, feeling and doing. 3) If stepping into someone else’s thinking helps me understand what’s going on with me, I’m hoping that the same might be true for you. If not, you don’t have to keep reading.

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From peaceful Maine, to peace at home~

7/23/2015

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Our peaceful trip to Maine is over. Four days with long-time friends couldn’t have been more satisfying. All that history; we know each other so well there’s nothing to prove, no one to impress. Except for family, I haven’t spent four days in the company of others for a long time. I wondered if I’d feel anxious without extended time alone or without carved out moments for silence. Not so. I had enough of both and the times driving around the coast, visiting the local sites and sitting around the dining room table were all relaxing.

On vacation I tend to sleep in, not leaving enough time for my solitary cups of coffee. I was up late this morning, with only a moment to breathe in the view and then we were on our way home. We left before we wore out our welcome.

Now for a week of silence, solitude and simplicity, which I see is dwarfing into a week of weaving—well, at least to some extent. I was inspired during our stop Halcyon Yarn in Bath—rows and rows of luscious spools of yarn--and where I bought The Tartan Weaver’s Guide. Not simple!

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Silence, solitude and simplicity with friends in Maine~

7/21/2015

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One can have silence, solitude and simplicity when visiting long-time friends. We are in Maine, very grateful for the hospitality. Nothing like getting up early when someone has set the coffee just waiting for me to push the button. With that, Jim and I headed over the rocks to the shore. The fog was coming in but we could hear a lobster boat making its rounds. Now, as I sit here surrounded by peace, I can smell the bacon cooking. I was just asked if I wanted blueberries pancakes. Very grateful!

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Seeing through aging lenses~

7/16/2015

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I am rereading “Let Evening Come: Reflections on Age,” by Mary C. Morrison. The book was given to me ten years ago by my best friend, whom I’ve known since we were two years old. Now, in my seventies, I’m reading it with a new lens. I’m viewing its wisdom through an aging lens but I’m also trying see its ageless wisdom. I want to live with both lenses for as long as I can. My mom did that as well as anyone I know, but as she faded away during her last two years, from ages ninety-nine to one hundred-one, her aging lens predominated. It was then that she gave us a glimpse of what she was seeing through it. What a gift that was.

“Very Grateful: The Story of my Hundred Year-Old-Mother and Me” should be available in early August. I can only see that far ahead, and not very clearly. My lenses are foggy;

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Generosity among weavers and quilters~

7/13/2015

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This blog may be turning into a gratitude blog. Well, at least for this entry.

Here’s my story. When I experienced a glitch in the piece I am weaving, I decided to drive to A Place to Weave for some help. Believe me, I needed help, novice that I am. The door to the studio was locked, but when I looked in, there was Beth, the owner, tidying up behind the scenes. She came out. “I don’t open until 5, but show me the problem; maybe we can fix it.” And she did just that, in fifteen minutes, right there on the porch. Then she sent me home to weave away until I am ready to take the piece off the loom and learn to apply the finishing touches. I was very grateful!

When I was quilting I experienced this same generosity of spirit. Perhaps it has to do with working with one’s hands, perhaps with creating something; definitely with the memory of times when we were helped by someone when we were a novice. Helping seems to become woven, or stitched as the case may be, into craft people. Worth giving it a try

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Weaving, a simple craft~

7/9/2015

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I purchased a 12.5” ridged heddle loom and am taking a class at A Place to Weave in Waltham. Just as my life was getting simple, I brought a complication. At this moment, Very Grateful is out of my hands and is being designed and formatted for e-book and publish-on-demand. Although I’ll have to publicize it, the creative part of the project is finished. I need something new.

     In rereading my journals for Very Grateful, I noted that I often wrote about my desire to take up a craft. I tried painting and multi-media art but neither interest nor talent was there. I was successful with the few quilts I made, but I didn’t stick with it. Why? I think it had to do with the lack of simplicity I felt about the materials, workspace, and time commitment involved. To quilt one needs myriad accessories and fabric, fabric, fabric; to quilt one needs a permanent workspace (a room); to quilt one needs extended periods of time. It is that last need, extended periods of time, that I lack. Oh, I have the time, but I don’t want to take it. I want to be able to carry my craft with me, to work for a short amount of time, and then to stash it away.

    I can do just that with my 3.5 pound ridge heddle loom, which even came with a handy carrying bag. This afternoon I sat outside and wove for forty-five minutes. Then I put it out of sight and the house was immediately tidy—well kind of.

      That’s my simple weaving life right now. Even if I rent loom space at A Place to Weave, my house will stay tidy—that is unless I complicate everything and find my dining room taken over by a 4, 8, or 16 harness loom! I don’t think that will happen!!

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Simplicty...a complex idea~

7/6/2015

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Family, the Fourth, and food have all come and gone and they will come and go again. So will this quiet, solitary, simple day that is now before me. I have no obligations, only desires: tidy up, read, write, knit, walk, meditate, pray, …. This day ahead of me is one of the seven gratitudes appearing on my list this morning.

    Recently someone told me that every morning before she gets out of bed she makes a mental list of ten things for which she is grateful. Coming up with ten gets her thinking beyond the usual food, clothing, shelter. Before my mother got up she always expressed three, gratitude for her health, family and her life situation. I’ve settled on seven, the first three of course being my mom’s.

    I feel very content with this day. It’s not just the solitude and silence but also the variety of activities that I can choose from. I have things to do, some that are necessary to keep my life going, and others that I want to do.

     This gets me wondering about my desire for simplicity. Simplicity isn’t synonymous with nothingness, but with some kind of ease that has to do with desire more than degree of effort or complication. Hum, I’m off for a walk to ponder this complex idea.

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Camp Fisher 2015

7/1/2015

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Here it is July One. I haven’t posted in ten days, which has been rather freeing. In fact, the most liberating aspect has been not posting the daily quotes. It’s not that they are difficult to find, but as you know, any daily routine can become tedious, and some we can’t eliminate, or at least, ‘not a good idea’. Brushing my teeth and flossing comes to mind.

A few friends have very kindly lamented. They miss my quotes and blabs. Thank you, friends. I’m still undecided about how and if to continue, which is rather upsetting to me, because to the core I am a decisive person. Ha, maybe that’s my new spiritual practice, letting go of what I believe to be sooooo important.

The house is filling up with family. Camp Fisher has begun—no silence, solitude or simplicity.

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