These pictures were taken with my new Canon EOS Rebel XS digital SLR camera. Looking forward to learning more about it in the DSLR photography bootcamp I’m attending on January 8!
October 20, 2010
Last week when I did the LiveNow exercise to draw your childhood home floorplan, I remembered a secret hideaway my brother and I had under the basement stairs, a place I had not thought of in probably 30 years. It was just big enough for us both to crawl into and then sit up and talk, or to curl up with paper and pen to write.
While studying that floor plan I was also reminded of the big creative workspace my father had in our childhood home….He was a long term government employee, but in his spare time he fixed and built things – intricate car models, ham radios, etc. The room was filled with (what looked like to us) junk and tools, paint bottles, etc.
Visiting my childhood secret spot, as well as my father’s workroom again made me realize that everyone needs their own secret place – their own studio or creative space. My personal office at home does double duty right now as a guest bedroom, and I have been contemplating the pros and cons of taking out the bed and putting in a big work table so I can do some creative things I find excuses not to do. That trip down memory lane was the impetus I needed to can the guest room and make the creative space happen – now!
October 20, 2010
I had an interesting new experience this weekend on vacation in Laguna Beach CA that really highlighted some of my patterns of language and behavior.
My husband and youngest son Ben, along with one of his friends, joined me in CA for a long weekend holiday between some business meetings. The boys really wanted to go kayaking, so we signed up for a guided tour on Friday afternoon. I had never done any kayaking, and neither had the boys. Andrew had done it a few times before, but mostly only in Carolina rivers. I was a bit nervous, as the Pacific is a mighty big and powerful ocean. Our guide was about 30, very laid back, just recently finished his Masters. He had taken 7 years off between high school and college, lived in Hawaii for a while, and done various things until he felt the call to go back to school.
The boys went in singles – as the kayak company said they’d probably have more fun in their own boat, and I rode in a double kayak with my husband. During our short lesson on the beach, I was told to sit in the front, and Andrew was told to match his paddle strokes to mine. I was told not to steer- that Andrew would do the turning right or left.
The day was gorgeous, and the ocean was amazingly calm, visibility was probably at least 20 feet down. We paddled out around Seal Rock to see the sea lions, and then headed into the kelp forest, one of the largest on the west coast.
So – kayaking in the double is not the easiest thing to do – especially for a control freak like me. It is difficult to get the rhythm of paddling together in unison. My view was great from the front seat, but the rule to “not steer” was extremely difficult for me to follow. I couldn’t see Andrew, so didn’t know exactly what he was doing, but I frequently found lots of fault with it! I was learning, had never been in a kayak, and as such probably had some fear – when he wasn’t turning us properly, I started freaking out that we were going too far out, or too close to the other boats, etc. So when I was at the edge, in a new experience, I did not like the feeling of having someone else in control. I needed to have the reins – or the steering paddle – in my own hands. I’m terrible at the four-word mantra “Let someone else drive.”
In the experience, our individual behaviors reflected our core personalities – I wanted to “perfect the technique” – focus on how to paddle right, keep the eye on the horizon to go straight, etc. – I wanted to “do it right”. (..and also be safe, not die!) Andrew, on the other hand, was frequently talking and socializing with the guide, and therefore not always paying attention, so that we went off course and had to make a lot of corrections to our path.
The boys – who had never kayaked before either – but who are 17 and fearless – were doing marvelously. So I thought about why I decided to go in the double with Andrew. I think I doubted myself – that I could manage it alone – thinking it would be too strenuous or too difficult. But after we returned, I felt that it was something I could do – by myself, and be OK.
We stopped for a while in the second half of the trip and just drifted in the kelp forest, watching the huge kelp “trees” sway in the water, with the fish and the crabs so close we could touch them. It was an amazing experience of just “being present”, and taking in the entire wondrous marine environment we were privileged to be part of for the afternoon. Definitely something to say “WOW” to…
My meanings from this experience are still coming to me, but here are a few
- Paddling in constant unison toward a common goal is hard to do –in a kayak and in life
- When I’m scared or learning something new, I have trouble trusting others – I want control. What will it take to trust others more?
- I am more capable than I give myself credit for – I can definitely “Pilot my own kayak!” – And I think it might even be more fun!
April 25, 2010
- My mom, Patsy Jack, at Rehoboth Beach, DE, circa 1970
In my most enduring childhood image of my mother, she is wearing a sleeveless shirt and a short golf skirt. Her long, slender legs and shoulders are deeply bronzed from the sun, and a perky blond rinse brightens her hair. There might be zinc oxide on her nose, along with her ever present sunglasses! She might have been coming or going from the golf course, and my brother and I had to run to keep up with her. She is strong and beautiful, full of power, and positive energy, energy that was contagious to everyone around her. “Let’s Move!” was certainly my mom’s tag line – way before Michelle Obama ever grabbed it for her current campaign against childhood obesity. The challenge of a good game, and the camaraderie of friends at the 19th hole were heaven to her. As her favorite golfer Arnold Palmer, said, “What other people may find in poetry or art museums, I find in the flight of a good drive. “ You can bet my mom never wasted a sunny day.
In later life, my favorite image of my mother is as the world’s best grandmother. My boys loved to go to grandma’s house. They learned to swim in my mother’s pool, with my mother’s expert instruction. They loved to go to the Country Club with grandma, where they were treated to golf lessons, a ride in the golf cart, and lunch on the patio. And on the way home, a visit to see the neighbor’s new puppies, and maybe a trip to the toy store. No wonder they love golf! But best of all was the rocking chair and my mother’s lap. No matter how naughty they had been – and if you knew my youngest son when he was 4, you would know how naughty that could be! – her lap always offered a warm soft haven and unconditional love.
The English mystic Julian of Norwich said, ”the greatest honor we can give Almighty God is to live gladly because of the knowledge of his love. “ My mom knew how to live Gladly. She was one of those people who was really larger than life – someone whose joy for life and love of laughter was contagious. So many people have told me how much they loved my mother’s jokes and her upbeat spirit; – they probably don’t remember the joke, but they remember how my mother made them smile. One of the many beautiful and touching flower arrangements we received this week was a simple sunflower plant. The card said, “Patsy was a ray of sunshine – as happy to see you, as you were to see her.”
So I’ll close with a verse from Ecclesiastes, Chapter 8, verse 15:
“Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink and to be merry; for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun. “
Please laugh today, raise a toast, and think of Patsy. The remains of her body might be here, but her spirit has already teed off.
-Personal tribute delivered at Mom’s funeral, 4/10/10
April 24, 2010
50th Birthday SoulCollage card
On January 9th, 2010 I and seven close friends gathered in the studio of Catherine Anderson, for an afternoon of SoulCollage. We gathered to celebrate my birthday, but more importantly, to share our personal visions for the next phase of our lives.
My invitation to the party was called “The Third Chapter”. Sociologist Dr. Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot calls the years between fifty and seventy-five “the Third Chapter”, and argues that they present unprecedented potential for personal growth and fulfillment.
March 11, 2010
Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!
Renaissance 