Blue Moon Over Ice Skating Rink – 0/365, BlackBerry Shots, Full Blue Moon on New Year’s Eve, December 31st, 2009, Minneapolis, Minnesota, photo © 2009-20010 by QuoinMonkey. All rights reserved.
Through The Looking Glass
season to season
hindsight is 20/20
reflecting the past;
future remains uncertain,
jumps hoops through the looking glass
–tanka from hindsight haiku — pink cadillac (on the road), October 25, 2009
Writing Practice — Looking Back – 15min
Looking back I see hot hazy days when I didn’t have a job. What seems like the best opportunity to work on writing, art, photography, becomes consumed with worry. Looking back I see that Chaco died. He didn’t just die. We made the hard decision to put him to sleep. An odd turn of phrase, put him to sleep. It’s the second cat where I’ve had to make that hard decision. The first was my cat Sasha; it was years ago. Looking back I feel gratitude. For Liz, Kiev, Mr. Stripeypants. For my writing group, for Roma and her partnership with me on red Ravine. I feel grateful I have my health. Age, I’m aging. But overall, I have survived another year. The gray hair is multiplying.
Looking back, there were visits with Amelia, visits with Marylin. Mothers are important to me. Time with mothers. Time with my mother. How much time do we have? One never knows if they will live into old age. I like the yearly trips I take to the South and this one was no exception. There wasn’t enough time but the time we were in Georgia and South Carolina was relaxed. The reconnections I have made there the last three years are invaluable. Links to what was, links to what might be.
Looking back, I feel like I don’t do enough, don’t accomplish enough of my yearly goals. I hate setting them anymore, but I must. I feel like I get so little done. Recently a friend called and mused that we might feel an urgency to get more done because of our age. We are not spring chickens, not in our twenties, not even in our thirties, and here we are trying to make some kind of alternative life work out. Looking back, my car Greta made it through the recession with only the need for a radiator and some new wiper blades. Sylvia the Saturn made it, too. No new car payments — yet.
Looking back, I am happy where I live. Indria is humble, tiny, small. But every day I wake up and look out over the oaks, ash, and cedar. I feel happy to come home and watch the moon rise behind the cottage. I wish it was larger, that we had two more bedrooms, one to write, one for art. Hers and hers. Should we build on? Or buy a new house? Is it ever in the cards to have enough room? Small is good, too. I’m used to small, crowded houses. That’s the way I grew up with 5 younger siblings. There is something comforting about small.
Looking back, I don’t want to trade my life for anyone else’s. My mistakes are my mistakes. I can live with them. I have to. I don’t often remember the bad that happens in a year, mostly the good. And the gratitude I feel for the richness in my life, no matter how much I might be lacking. Is that keeping me from going forward? Have I gotten lazy. Or am I simply tired. Looking back, I’m happy to have a job, though it takes a toll on me. If you had asked me even a year ago, I would have said, “No, I’m never going to be driving truck.” But here I am. Never say never.
There is an opening in there somewhere. Gratitude for the abundance of having a job. Money coming in. So many are without work. Yet my work is my art, my writing, my photography. It will be the dilemma of every artist — how to make a living while being a creative soul. Our world does not support it. We have to. We create our own worlds, surround ourselves with people who help hold the dream. People matter. But it is each of us who has to do the work. Am I doing the work?
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Post Script: I wanted to combine several of my yearly practices in this post on looking back. Above is a tanka I wrote on the trip to Georgia this year, the Reflection part of my Writing Practice on WRITING TOPIC — REFLECTION & INTENTION, and a photograph of the Blue Moon from my photo practice. Below is my yearly Gratitude list. I do one at the end of every year, a result of peering through the looking glass, looking back on the good things in life.
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A – Accept loss forever. Learned this from Kerouac, then from Natalie Goldberg. Easy to say, hard to do. Makes the world a much better place to live.
B – Breaking free. From the ties that bind. I am the one who keeps me back. It was a constant battle over the year to let myself be. To do nothing when I needed it. To sit and stare into space. To break free from old worn out habits that are keeping me back.
C – Cats. These 3 bundles of joy brought much happiness to my life in 2009. Chaco has moved on but we don’t forget. We scattered his ashes this year around the fire at Winter Solstice. Sometimes I still hear him pattering through the house, keeping night watch on the back of the couch. Chaco was a Nightowl.
D – Dead of Winter. I love Winter. It makes me feel alive. January to January, the Midwest Winter is nothing to sneeze at. It was -21 this morning. It’s warmed up to -8. Sometimes the Dead of Winter is when I have the most ripeness going on inside.
E – The letter “E”. I’m thankful for the vowels. They hold up a lot of words. Like Elizabeth. I thank my lucky stars every day that she’s my partner, that she’s in my life.
F – Fathers. I have a new respect for the role that fathers play with their children. Young children. Adult children. I have learned from reconnecting with my step-father in the South that it is never too late to heal. Never too late to realize the love. I have learned from my brothers who are good fathers how important it is to be there for your kids. I have learned from ybonesy and Jim how good fathers make a difference.
G – Gratitude – humble gratitude for others, those who came before us, those who run parallel, the children of the future, all teach me perspective. Sometimes I feel great loss. I try hard to get back to Gratitude for what remains.
H – Humble Pie. I’ve eaten a lot of it. Humility helps me remember — Do not waste this precious life. Humility always takes me back to center — Home. (Oh, and wasn’t Humble Pie a band from the 1970’s?)
I – Itches, those nagging, pesky things that make you want to jump out of your skin. You can’t scratch every itch. But don’t the itches raise the most important questions?
J – January. Some years I’m glad to be starting over, to walk into the clean slate of a New Year. This is one of them. Time may be boundless but the calendar offers a structure. Something that helps keep me on track.
K – Kindred Spirits. Make the list again this year. Not just community or people who are alive. But those who travel with us across the Ethers. And animals, like our cat Kiev. She’s solid as a rock. There are so many life forms that walk the Earth with us. The veil is thin.
L – Love. Love is underappreciated. The word is thrown around loosely. There are so many kinds of love, I have lost count. But the feeling of giving or receiving love — I would not trade it for money, fame, or fortune.
M – Mothers. Most of the nurturing of the world falls to women. This was true when I was born, it may still be true at the end of my life. I wish I could say it’s different, that all nurture the world. But it doesn’t seem to be women that take us into war. Or perpetrate most of the violence in the world. If I was wrong, I’d happily admit it. If I’m right, I pray for more balance. That’s too heavy a weight to carry.
N – North Carolina. I know it seems odd. But driving through North Carolina, it seems like one of the most beautiful places. I’ve also discovered that many of my relatives come from North Carolina, something I didn’t expect. This is true on the paternal and maternal side. I am rooted in the South.
O – Overdrive. Wait, I guess this is something that should go on my future Intentions list. But it popped into my head. People who run on Overdrive teach me about reaching goals. I don’t want to be a Type A personality–I only want a pinch of their drive.
P – Pants. Mr. Stripeypants is over a decade old; he acts like a kitten. I can’t explain the joy this cat brings into my life. He plays fetch with me in the morning, drapes over my arm when I write, greets us at the door after a hard day at work, follows us around the house in a constant state of curious abandon. I learn a lot from Mr. Pants.
Q – Quest. I’m always questing. Like a Knight but not in shining armor. I’d be one of those Dark Knights. After all, you need them, too. The ones that sit at the Round Table contemplating, one foot underground, one foot in the sky. They are all searching for the Grail. I think curiosity is an asset. I just wish it would quit jumping around. Hopscotch, 1-2-1-2-1-2-1, back again. Once in a while I wish throwing the rock was enough, just to see where it lands.
R – red Ravine. It makes the list again. Every year there is something different. It’s a practice in the collaborative spirit. Sometimes it’s the thing that keeps me going when things get hard. Where will it lead? Right here, right now. I’m grateful for every single person who has ever visited red Ravine.
S – Snow. It’s practical and romantic. A water reserve for dry summers, a heart bouncer for Winter rides on the horse-drawn sleigh. We got a boatload in December. It snowed like a banshee over the Christmas weekend. I used to ski but these days I’m happy to get out and walk in the snow. I don’t mind shoveling. But I have to admit, this year I thought about buying a snow blower.
T – Tracks. Animal cairns. We follow tracks in the snow in our front yard. Raven, crow, moles and voles. Rabbits, squirrels, raccoon. Tracking takes patience and an eye for detail. I’m not that good at identifying which tracks go to what animal. But I love to guess. Then check my tracking book for the right answer.
U – Understanding. It’s the brother of forgiveness. I had to live a while before I understood what it meant to forgive. Not everyone can be understood. But it helps to try. I understand that not everyone is perfect or impeccable. I forgive myself for not being those things either.
V – Veracity. An unwillingness to tell lies. A propensity for the truth. They even made a movie about it — The Invention of Lying. Is telling the truth always the best route? What truth? Whose truth? I like looking at the Underbelly — the unwillingness to tell lies seems more realistic.
W – Woodpeckers. We had two sightings of the Pileated Woodpecker on our property this year. What a joy it is to see them. They’ve got to be the closest thing to seeing a prehistoric Ivory-Billed. The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker is a lot like the Loch Ness monster — now you see it, now you don’t.
X – X-Ray Vision. The absence of it. I’m thinking if I had X-Ray vision, I could see into the future. But I wouldn’t want to know. I’d rather take my chances. And make small decisions along the way.
Y – ybonesy makes the list again. She’s made leaps and bounds with her art this year. That inspires me, fires me up for my own creative endeavors. She’s a woman who seems to be able to do it all. I admire that. And feel so much gratitude that she’s collaborating with me on red Ravine.
Z – ZigZags. Like lightning. I’m grateful for zigzags because they are the way I live my life. Cancer the Crab rarely takes the straight line anywhere. Back and forth, testing the waters. She does finally land. Solid. For a day or two. Then off again on her quest. You can’t have a zig without a zag.
-posted on red Ravine, Saturday, January 2nd, 2009
-related posts and to read more about the practice of Gratitude: Feelin’ Down For The Holidays? Make A Gratitude List, The ABC’s Of A Prosperous 2008 – Gratitude, I Am Grateful For The Alphabet ;-), Runes, Oracles, & Alphabets
I’m thrilled to lear that i can count you among the quirky people with whom I have crossed paths who name their cars – in your case, Greta; in my MIL and FIL’s case, Elaine the Rambler – these persons have a way to prolong their vehicle’s life, they personalize them and give them care. Cool!
There is so much I like about this post, especially the celebratory, uplifting and hopeful tone. What better way to begin the journey through the new cycles. Then, next year, at this same time take inventory of your procession.
Happy New Year with all the best it can bring to you, Liz, your furries, Roma, Jim, their girls and all who come here to RedRavine. G
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G, thanks so much. Happy New Year to you, too. I love it — Elaine the Rambler! It’s true, naming vehicles does afford a bit of extra care. I’m one of those people who takes a car well into old age.
I’ve done that with all my cars: the ’72 Datsun, the ’68 VW Squareback, the ’68 Ford Econoline Van, the ’63 Austin Healey. The ’84 Subaru 4-wheel drive wagon. And now, Greta the ’95 Camry. She’s taken me to Taos and Pennsylvania and back, many, many times. She’s a trooper!
G, I’m having a harder time writing my Intentions post. I’m having resistance to setting goals I might not be able to follow through on. But I’m working on it. I sure appreciate you stopping by. Thank you.
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I also love this post and its depth and layering. Your gratitude lists are also a way of looking back. I’m grateful to have made your list again. 8)
And the hindsight haiku is perfect. Of course, we both look back a lot, not just to the past year but to memories very far back.
Today I attended a poignant funeral service of a good friend’s mother. The rabbi talked about how Memory is like a mountain. Always there, sometimes changes depending on the season or even the time of day. She talked about always having the memories of those we love and loved.
It was a healing service, and her words reminded me again of how important memory and reflection are. Looking back. Holding all of that inside of us.
I’ll try to do my Writing Practice tonight. Tomorrow work begins anew. In some respects, it starts for me the new year and the intentions I have made (which I, too, will do a post about when I get a chance, hopefully tonight).
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(Or, come to think of it, I’ll probably schedule my posts for tomorrow or the next day. Good way to spread out the posts.)
QM, some of the alphabets that stood out to me in this current list: Veracity. Love that. Tracks. Cool. Humble Pie. Accept Loss Forever.
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p.s., Question about the skating rink. Do people skate at night? Seems so, since there is a big light on it. That would be fun to do, but perhaps it’s too cold to venture into sub-zero temperatures to skate. Brrrr….
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Thanks, ybonesy. Memory is like a mountain. I like that. Reminds me of sit like the mountain which always reminds me of the image in my mind’s eye of Taos Mountain, how she looks in all seasons. Your funeral service sounds healing. And reflective.
I’ve been writing on my Intentions and may do them in two posts. The first I’ll try to get out for tomorrow morning. It has a specific focus.
About the outdoor ice skating rink, yes, they are peppered throughout the Twin Cities and are open at night. We have one right across the street that’s been open all through the Holidays. They used to flood the whole field (in the Summer the kids play football, soccer, Frisbee on the green grass) for Winter ice skating. But the last few years, use has declined and they only flood half of it. I imagine the recession has something to do with it, too.
Different neighborhoods have different resources for the outdoor rinks. Aren’t they cool though? I’ve skating on them at night several times over the years I’ve lived here. It’s cold at first, but warms up when you get the legs moving! Of course, there are ice hockey rinks set up in certain neighborhoods, too. You know, at one place I worked in the early 1990’s, there was a pond. Every winter we’d use the pond to get a good game of broom hockey going on at lunchtime. Really fun.
It’s exactly zero degrees as I’m typing this. Not supposed to get above 10 degrees the next few days. The air is so clean and crisp this time of year.
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[…] -related to post: Reflection — Through The Looking Glass […]
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“Am I doing the work?” you ask
QM, anyone that accepts themselves as they are, including their flaws…without blaming others…
…and still has gratitude and humbleness… is half way home in my book!
My love to you friend…and Happy New Year
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Heather, how did you get so sweet? For someone I’ve never met, you are one of the most supportive people. Have I told you lately how much I appreciate that? And how much I enjoy who you are. Happy New Year to you, too. And a giant hug. 8)
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Now QM…I like to think of myself as Alfred Hitchcock and Erma Bombeck trapped in one confused body. Sadly they both had jowls…
😉 Hug back
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Heather, chuckling over here. What a great combo, Alfred & Erma. 8)
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[…] looking forward to 2008, along with mine. And here are QM’s Gratitude Lists from 2009 and 2010. You could follow QM’s example and dedicate a sheet of paper to each letter of the alphabet […]
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[…] Gratitude, Feelin’ Down For The Holidays? Make A Gratitude List, A Simple Gratitude List, Reflection — Through The Looking Glass, I Am Grateful For The Alphabet , Coloring […]
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[…] to posts: WRITING TOPIC — 3 QUESTIONS, Reflection — Through The Looking Glass, and a great interview with Joyce Carol Oates on MPR Midmorning with Kerri Miller – A […]
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