Walking SticksSleek and sinuous.
My hand wraps round your body.
Let's go for a walk.
Fern
Aged tendrils curl in.
Skin thickens in the cold air.
Fern sleeps in winter.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
November Haiku
Walking SticksSleek and sinuous.
My hand wraps round your body.
Let's go for a walk.
Fern
Aged tendrils curl in.
Skin thickens in the cold air.
Fern sleeps in winter.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
To Olivia
Renaissance woman, Bohemian child, Earth Goddess
Young spirit…old soul
A long way we go back
I’ve watched you play, smile, fuss, and give people that sideways glance.
Being, knowing, evolving.
Like a lock of your hair, your personality has curled around my heart and tickled my senses.
You are the seamstress who weaves love and light into the fabric of every day.
You are the baker who kneads us, but in reality, it is we who need you.
Lover of words…and your words love you back, Sista
Soothing the heart and invigorating the mind.
Rub your ideas together and start a fire. All you need is a spark.
Feed it with the fuel of anger and passion.
You see boundaries but you’re undaunted.
Climbing over fences, frolicking in fields and wondering why others don’t join you.
It is what it is…and so much more.
You can see past the surface and even past the depths.
The mist clears and I see your face
You smile, and then you’re gone again…but not lost.
Even when the fog of uncertainty rolls in, you continue to dance.
You make music with your father’s heartbeat and the melody of your mother’s spirit.
It rises from your depths, spilling over like bubbles, dancing lightly on my skin.
Dance the dance of the wild and free, the gutsy and the feisty.
Stand in the mud and the rain and embrace the cold.
I know you’ve fallen before, because I can see your tracks…and right beside them I see my own.
We’ve all been there, done that before…but you get up and keep going.
That’s what’s important.
You’re real, you’re raw
Full of life, real life, not that fake stuff.
Shout and cry at the top of your lungs… in joy, in passion, in frustration.
Renaissance woman, Bohemian child, Earth Goddess, My friend
Young spirit…old soul
A long way we go back
I’ve watched you play, smile, fuss, and give people that sideways glance.
Being, knowing, evolving.
Like a lock of your hair, your personality has curled around my heart and tickled my senses.
You are the seamstress who weaves love and light into the fabric of every day.
You are the baker who kneads us, but in reality, it is we who need you.
Lover of words…and your words love you back, Sista
Soothing the heart and invigorating the mind.
Rub your ideas together and start a fire. All you need is a spark.
Feed it with the fuel of anger and passion.
You see boundaries but you’re undaunted.
Climbing over fences, frolicking in fields and wondering why others don’t join you.
It is what it is…and so much more.
You can see past the surface and even past the depths.
The mist clears and I see your face
You smile, and then you’re gone again…but not lost.
Even when the fog of uncertainty rolls in, you continue to dance.
You make music with your father’s heartbeat and the melody of your mother’s spirit.
It rises from your depths, spilling over like bubbles, dancing lightly on my skin.
Dance the dance of the wild and free, the gutsy and the feisty.
Stand in the mud and the rain and embrace the cold.
I know you’ve fallen before, because I can see your tracks…and right beside them I see my own.
We’ve all been there, done that before…but you get up and keep going.
That’s what’s important.
You’re real, you’re raw
Full of life, real life, not that fake stuff.
Shout and cry at the top of your lungs… in joy, in passion, in frustration.
Renaissance woman, Bohemian child, Earth Goddess, My friend
Weeds
The following is an editorial written by me. It was originally posted as a two part article on weeds with my friend Paula McLean. I'll post a link sometime soon.
If the term weed is purely subjective and describes a plant that is considered to be a nuisance, then perhaps we, as humans, need to change our perspective on weeds.
Weeds are hearty plants. They pioneer disturbed environments. They protect against erosion. They feed wildlife. They even cure disease.
In our ongoing endeavor to control our environment, it seems humans try to obliterate anything just a tad bit unruly. If it can’t be easily controlled, then it is a nuisance. That is a scary thought to me. Does every yard have to look like everyone else's? Nice little plants in their nice little spots doing exactly what they are supposed to do.
Many of my neighbor’s yards are all the same dark shade of chemical green. They have very few birds who frequent their property because their chemically treated ground provides no insects for the birds to eat. The plants they have selected for their yards don’t self-seed (easily controlled), so they don’t provide a food source for wildlife either.
I once gave a nature journaling assignment to my students. They were to spend 30 minutes each day outside and write about what they observed. I had one student who wrote that he was bored because the only living things he observed on these outings were golfers on the golf course adjacent to his yard.
Our 1.3 acre property, on the other hand, is a proliferation of plants, beneficial insects, and wildlife. We’ve seen over 30 species of birds and at least 7 species of toads and frogs. With plenty of food sources and roaming room to go around, even the nuisance animals are more joy than problem. Rabbits come to our back door to munch on clover. A groundhog lives under my art studio and loves to scamper up and down the fallen tree trunks near the stream. Deer follow the stream during migration times on their way to the meadow behind our house. Raccoons play on the rocks in our backyard, swim across our little pond, and sometimes eat a fish or two. The fish spawn annually and seem to refill the pond with generation after generation of goldfish while our one large koi keeps watch over them.
Wild violet, wild geranium, cocklebur, rabbit tobacco, dandelion, pokeweed, mullein, red clover, St. John’s Wort, jewelweed, cleavers, and chickweed can all be found on our property…and yes, they are all considered weeds. They are all also medicinal plants with value greater than just their beauty (and they are all beautiful too).
As long as humans have cultivated plants, weeds have been a problem. What about before humans cultivated plants? Do we really have to have control over our surroundings? Isn’t control just an illusion anyway?
Let's see...what is the opposite of manicured, orderly, cultivated? Full, boisterous, wild?! That's just fine with me. At first look our property may seem unkempt, but if one looks more closely (and through new eyes) one can see a most beautiful landscape.
If the term weed is purely subjective and describes a plant that is considered to be a nuisance, then perhaps we, as humans, need to change our perspective on weeds.
Weeds are hearty plants. They pioneer disturbed environments. They protect against erosion. They feed wildlife. They even cure disease.
In our ongoing endeavor to control our environment, it seems humans try to obliterate anything just a tad bit unruly. If it can’t be easily controlled, then it is a nuisance. That is a scary thought to me. Does every yard have to look like everyone else's? Nice little plants in their nice little spots doing exactly what they are supposed to do.
Many of my neighbor’s yards are all the same dark shade of chemical green. They have very few birds who frequent their property because their chemically treated ground provides no insects for the birds to eat. The plants they have selected for their yards don’t self-seed (easily controlled), so they don’t provide a food source for wildlife either.
I once gave a nature journaling assignment to my students. They were to spend 30 minutes each day outside and write about what they observed. I had one student who wrote that he was bored because the only living things he observed on these outings were golfers on the golf course adjacent to his yard.
Our 1.3 acre property, on the other hand, is a proliferation of plants, beneficial insects, and wildlife. We’ve seen over 30 species of birds and at least 7 species of toads and frogs. With plenty of food sources and roaming room to go around, even the nuisance animals are more joy than problem. Rabbits come to our back door to munch on clover. A groundhog lives under my art studio and loves to scamper up and down the fallen tree trunks near the stream. Deer follow the stream during migration times on their way to the meadow behind our house. Raccoons play on the rocks in our backyard, swim across our little pond, and sometimes eat a fish or two. The fish spawn annually and seem to refill the pond with generation after generation of goldfish while our one large koi keeps watch over them.
Wild violet, wild geranium, cocklebur, rabbit tobacco, dandelion, pokeweed, mullein, red clover, St. John’s Wort, jewelweed, cleavers, and chickweed can all be found on our property…and yes, they are all considered weeds. They are all also medicinal plants with value greater than just their beauty (and they are all beautiful too).
As long as humans have cultivated plants, weeds have been a problem. What about before humans cultivated plants? Do we really have to have control over our surroundings? Isn’t control just an illusion anyway?
Let's see...what is the opposite of manicured, orderly, cultivated? Full, boisterous, wild?! That's just fine with me. At first look our property may seem unkempt, but if one looks more closely (and through new eyes) one can see a most beautiful landscape.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Gift Giving Made Simple
Why am I talking about gift-giving on January 1st? "Didn't the season of gift-giving just come to an end?", you may be asking. I'll answer that question with other questions. Why should there be a "season" of gift-giving? Why shouldn't gift-giving be an all year event?
What if each of us made a New Year's Resolution regarding giving? We could resolve to give gifts each month, each week, or even each day!
I can hear many of you saying, "I can't believe she is talking about this in these difficult economic times!" I'm sure many of you have just overloaded your credit cards and dipped a little too far into your savings to meet the holiday expectations of family and friends, as well as your own.
What if I told you that you could give a gift to almost everyone you meet, everyday without forcing yourself into bankruptcy? In fact, the seven greatest gifts you can give don't cost a thing- they're priceless!
HelpOthers.org is a web portal dedicated to encouraging small acts of kindness. They list the following as the seven greatest gifts a person can give:
- The Gift of Service- Give of yourself and your abilities. Rake a neighbor's yard, read to a child, wash dishes or clean for your housemate, etc.
- The Gift of Affection- Be generous with smiles, hugs, kisses, and/or pats on the back. Research shows that touch is critical to our mental, emotional and physical well-being.
- The Gift of Laughter- Brighten a person's day by making them laugh. Loan a funny movie to a friend who is down...better yet, invite that friend over to watch it with you. Clip funny cartoons from your paper and leave them where others will find them. Share funny stories.
- The Gift of a Written Note- Write a thank you note. It doesn't have to be for an official material gift. It can be in appreciation for someone who has done something kind for you: someone who's helped you when you really needed it; a former teacher who influenced your life; grandparents or parents who positively impacted your life; a friend for being there for you through hardships; or a life partner, family member or friend for being in your life.
- The Gift of a Compliment- Written notes are wonderful, but sometimes a face-to-face offering of gratitude is more appropriate such as: "You look great today."; "That was a wonderful meal."; or "Thanks for doing that. It made my life a little less hectic."
- The Gift of Listening- Often I think we should be called human-doings instead of human-beings. We are so caught up in our own lives, our own ideas, or "fixing things" that we don't take the time to listen. Truly listening to a person with no interrupting, no daydreaming, no responding, can be a great gift.
- The Gift of Solitude- Our lives are often frantic with most of our actions being re-actions. To be at peace and to act with purpose, we must connect with our true self. Spending some time in silence and helping others spend some time in silence allows us to quiet our minds, reflect, grow and transform ourselves and our world.
Happy New Year!
Photo of "gift" used courtesy of Kasia at http://flickr.com/photos/mysza
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