Category Archives: Personal growth

Christmas gifts returned … or Christmas in August

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Apparently the last time I stopped by was when I was starting to write my Christmas cards…in the spring. It’s been a minute. I’m a bit embarrassed to say that I still haven’t finished them, although I haven’t given up. Here’s why:

It seems that Christmas cards sent at other times of the year really get people’s attention, and sometimes people are prompted to reply. And thus can begin a conversation, perhaps even a renewed friendship. I still need to work through a lot of names on the card list, but I think I’ve decided always to do this at some time of the year that isn’t actually the busy holiday season. I mean, it’s really nice to see all those cards come in and get the warm fuzzies because so many people are thinking about you. But enough people have reached back to me to say they really appreciated the card at another time of year, when they gave it more attention.

Perhaps a new tradition in our household.

Create much?

When I left behind my social media accounts (well, most of them; I still have BlueSky, but I’m not there often), I promised to keep posting my sometimes-daily-more-often-not-daily poetry here. I’ve actually been pretty reliable about doing that, which means I really haven’t posted much poetry on the porch for a long time. This one went up on the porch about a month ago, and I think it’s the only one I’ve put out there since I last shared one here on the blog. Again, been a minute. Ah, well. This was a hat tip to what was probably the most efficient entry into a room I’ve ever seen, a woman who literally walked in and said, all in one breath, “Hi—good! How’re you doing?” And with that, honestly, all of her social obligations were met.

Drawing cartoons? Drawing anything!

Yesterday in my local library (still love the library!) I came across Lynda Barry’s book Making Comics, which is a book about not being afraid to draw even if you can’t draw. Yep—that’s me, and I was looking for some inspiration to start doing something creative, so I brought it home. And this morning, while the husband was out running an errand, i stuck my toe in the water by completing her first exercise/class assignment: 4 self-portraits in 12 minutes, following a specific prompt. Here are the results:

Yeah, not much, I agree. But I’m being brave and trying something. So there. (Sticks out tongue.)

The industrious wren

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I started my Sunday with a wren warbling and dancing in the forsythia outside my living room window. It was my second wren sighting of the spring, and I’m pleased to know they’re in the neighborhood. They’re not uncommon here, but I don’t see them every year. I’ve set out wren houses more than once, and I once scored a nest, but it wasn’t the nest momma ultimately picked for her brood, so we didn’t get any tenants.

I wondered what symbolism attaches to the wren, and it seems to depend whom you ask. One Native American totem website associates it with confidence, energy, and gusto for life. Another tells me it doesn’t have much meaning in most Native American cultures but is, in some, a bird of war and believed to boost courage. The Celts apparently associated it with the old year coming to an end, and for that reason, more than one website (including the Smithsonian magazine’s) says the Irish traditionally hunted it on the day after Christmas.

Well, I don’t want to kill wrens. So I chose to associate them with industriousness and gusto, and took my wren sighting as a sign that I should get something done during the day. Amazingly, that’s what I did. By day’s end, my garden and yard were all tidied up for spring: birdbaths in place, fountains spouting, patio swept, yard debris collected, a second round of spring seeds planted, and seedlings starting to think about sprouting in my portable greenhouse. We exhausted the dogs by spending the day outside and giving them a walk. And I finally did the craft project I’ve been planning for two years, which has haunted me since the start of sheltering in place.

We sat outside for a lovely video call with the faraway son, and I saw my wren again, along with a woodpecker and other critters both winged and earthbound. I’m not sure what symbolic meaning attaches to woodpeckers—maybe industrious or mischievous? Leaving now to go look that up.

P.S.

I still haven’t looked up the woodpecker symbolism, but I did challenge myself to draw my sweet little wren, which is why this post is delayed. Here he is in black and white also.

From anger to gratitude

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I’m angry today. I’m angry this weekend, and I’ve been angry most of this week. It’s a natural response in the wake of yet another mass shooting that has left yet more students dead and injured in yet another of our schools.

I am tired of senseless killing and tired of seeing children die. I am tired of blood flowing in the corridors and classrooms of our nation’s schools. I am tired of fearing for our nation’s children and tired of fearing for everyone else’s safety in this society—for as we all know schools are not the only targets, only perhaps the most heart-wrenching.

But I’m not cultivating anger. I’m hoping it can serve as a motivating force, but I know it can debilitate as well. I’ve struggled to write today, and I think it’s because my anger connects to feelings of hopelessness, powerlessness and despair. Those will get me nowhere. They will get us nowhere. Continue reading →

Choosing joy

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The puppy stopped suddenly, coming up short when he realized what he wanted was gone.

The younger, and far less dominant, of two dogs, he had been playing joyfully with a toy, shaking it and tossing it around, when it flew from his mouth and hit the floor with a thud. It caught the attention of the older, larger dog, who quickly grabbed it off the floor and walked away with it.

And just like that, the toy was gone.

This is a true story, which I tell because of what the little dog did next. His face took on a stunned look, and he stood motionless, silent, for a couple of seconds. I could practically see him thinking about what had just happened, and whether or how he should respond. Then shaking his head slightly, his face restored its happy puppy brightness, and he ran off to grab a different toy. Continue reading →

Accomplishments on a small scale

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I had tentative plans for a big day today. I canceled them.

It was 0° F once again when I awoke, and after facing the frigid outback that is Chicago for an actual night on the town last night I decided against driving two hours for a nature adventure.

After spending most of the morning at my computer, by noon I was thisclose to beating myself up for wasting away my day. Looking back now, at the start of evening, I realize that I’ve managed to accomplish quite a bit. Here’s what I did: Continue reading →