Fly

 

     On the train ride home I saw a seagull. I don't live by water, but the seagull was still present. His white wings caught my eye and I felt as if I had been meant to see him. In mythology, seagulls represent freedom. 

     This week is Independence Day in the United States. Mr. Seagull was a reminder to me to be thankful for freedom both on a broad scale and on a personal level. 

     My grandmother and her husband left Odessa for Ireland, and eventually for America, during the Bolshevik revolution. My grandmother was married at twelve years old because she had no options, no freedom. They chose to leave in order to escape the horrors of the Bolsheviks They chose what they could in order to stay alive.

     I think about how fortunate I am. I can say or do almost anything I like. Most people in the US enjoy quite a bit of freedom. What saddens me is that we have so much available to us, and yet so many people settle for mediocrity. Do you realize that our options are almost limitless? Why choose to settle when you can do almost ANYTHING?

     One of my favorite authors is Richard Bach. In Jonathan Livingston Seagull, the other seagulls could not see the opportunities they had to soar. 

     All of his books are lovely reminders about realized potential. In fact, if you took one reading recommendation from me, it would be to read Richard Bach. 

     We all need reminders about how much we can accomplish in this world. It is so easy to become complacent. To live in freedom and greatness requires vigilance. Every day remember what your goals are. Do something every day that will bring you closer to those goals. It can even be to work on your blog to keep improving your writing! 😉

     Bring people into your life who can hold you accountable for reaching those goals. Those partners in greatness will be with you as you summit and you will be there for them. 

     I told a friend of mine today that I fully think he can help to change the world. I told him specifically why I think that. I will not let him lose sight of his greatness. He is too special to not hold accountable! He can do amazing things and I won't let him forget that. I hope he does the same for me.

     You have the freedom and knowledge to fly.....soar! 

Shelter

 

Photo by Fabiana Rizzi on Unsplash  

     This has always been my favorite Sarah McLachlan song. She has always been a champion of relieving both human and animal suffering. How many people have openly sobbed during her campaign for the ASPCA? This song describes the sad conditions that some people and animals endure. It is really amazing how resilient they are. In an echo of my last post, what can we do? I love Sarah's answer, give them shelter. That may come in many forms. I think about how many times over the years that we have given a dollar to someone on the street or taken in a stray animal. 

     I do not mean to say "Oh, see how compassionate I am." What I mean is that in the very smallest ways we can provide kindness to someone in need. Please do not close yourself off from others by burying your face in your phone. Look around at the people and places around you. When you look around you will see needs, even small ones. Remain open for the opportunity to serve others.

     Several years ago I used to run to the post office to pick up checks for my job. This was in a "bad" area. So I clung to my purse and looked around to identify any criminals that may approach me. On my way into the post office, I was turned around locking the car door. As I turned, there was a huge guy standing there. I thought to myself, "Oh, here it comes, he's going to ask for money, probably a dollar so he can get on the bus because it's always a dollar to get on the bus." 

     He said to me, "Hey, are those sandals in your back seat for men? 

     I looked at the shoes that my husband threw into the car and thought that we really need to be better about cleaning up.  He waited for my response. 

     Finally, I said, "Yes, they are my husband's." (Did I mention that my husband is a bouncer, OK he's not, but I kind of wanted to say that because this guy standing in front of me was really really big)

     He said, "What size are they?" 

     I was really wondering why this transient was taking such an interest in footwear. (Oh yes, they are totally on-trend......) 

     "They are 11s, I think" I replied. 

     He looked very happy about that and I was wondering if this was some kind of hidden camera show. 

     "Great, my friend is in a wheelchair and he just got out of the hospital and he has no shoes, can I have those?" 

     It was a really strange request, but I gave him the shoes. I finished locking up the car and went inside. Sure enough, he was in the post office and next to him was a guy in a wheelchair with my husband's sandals on! He was telling me the truth the whole time. My husband's old, used sandals were so appreciated. I wanted to go shopping to get the poor guy some new ones but was working so I couldn't. He was totally satisfied with such a small gesture. I felt like such a jerk for thinking so many terrible things. This whole incident really changed the way I perceive things. I am still careful in rough areas, but I do not assume that everyone is standing by waiting to commit a crime. I am open to the opportunity to shelter others.          

The Tower

Photo by aram ayoub on Unsplash

“If you could go anywhere in time where would you go?” Jen asked me. Her emerald eyes were fixed on me, waiting for my answer.

    “Oh, 2242 BC,” I said, not missing a beat. 

    “Why?” she looked at me as if I were crazy.

    “The Tower of Babel was the start of the de-unification of people.”

    “Well, that’s ridiculous, it’s a fictional story. It’s not something that would have a real impact, like going back to kill Hitler.” 

    “You are assuming that we can change something by going back in time. Who knows if that’s even possible?”

    “Well, if we could, I’d stay away from Bible stuff. It’s all bullshit.”

    That was five years ago. Jen ended up being bullshit. I re-packed my suitcase again. What exactly did one pack to go to the year 2242 BC? Khakis and a polo just didn’t cut it. What did they even wear, robes? I was no historian. I did as much research as I could, but the information was limited. My car arrived and I headed for the airport. 

    I awoke as we were landing in Iraq. It wasn’t my first choice of travel destinations, but it was where the legendary tower was supposed to exist. As I walked down the steps of the plane onto the tarmac, I decided that I would keep my sunglasses on, no matter how inauthentic they were. I needed to protect my eyes from the blazing sun and blowing sand. 

    This was all going to be a crapshoot. I could end up going back to nothing but a bunch of hostile ancient people who would kill me upon arrival. I still thought it was worth a shot. If we could avoid what separated us as humans, could we eliminate the hatred and violence that emerged from those differences? Would we lose our diversity in the process? I wasn’t sure how I felt about discovering the existence of a creator only to have that creator try to ruin my plans.

    I got in the jeep that looked like it may have existed since ancient Babylon. I wasn’t sure we would even make it to the ruins, and we had so much further to go. The engine sputtered and the driver yelled تشبث, which roughly translated into “hang on!” which I knew thanks to my (ITC) intelligent translation companion. The ITC contained several hundred modern languages and many ancient languages. The best thing about it was that the artificial intelligence built into it could learn new languages based on the existing data. It was kind of like the universal translator from Star Trek, but it was fairly new technology and its limitations hadn’t been fully tested.

    As we approached the ruins the jeep shook again, but it wasn’t caused by mechanical failure. The time travel company had already set up the device in the area and my driver and I were transported right away, no foreplay. 

    I opened my eyes; I had passed out. Too bad, being awake through something like that would have been the ultimate drug trip. It was so intense that most people blacked out because their brains couldn’t handle the amount of input that occurred during the process. My driver was still unconscious, I reached into the front seat to shake his shoulder, but he didn’t wake up. I let him stay, hidden from the unknown. 

    We had arrived with the jeep landing behind a large sandy hill. Desert surrounded us and I didn’t see anyone around. I hoped that the year was correct, but even if I found someone and the translator worked, nobody would know what year it was the way we measured years. I hiked over the hill, which felt more like a mountain as the sun baked into my skin.

    After I crossed the summit, I saw the valley. It was filled with green trees and waterways. Was it a mirage? I took a few gulps of water from my canteen. I removed my sunglasses and wiped the sweat from my eyes. The valley below remained lush with life. In the distance, I saw the tower. It was also not a mirage.

    I reached the green valley about four hours after looking at it from the summit. I had removed my sunglasses and I wore my loose cotton robe and turban. I almost fit in. I approached an elderly man bent over a well. I chose not to engage any women because of the problems that would cause. I cautiously turned on my translator when he wasn’t looking at me. “Tower?” it said in an approximation of my voice. 

    He answered in what I thought was Hebrew, but only my ITC knew for sure, “tonight.”     That night I followed the crowds to the tower. Unlike in the Biblical story, it was a diverse crowd. Had everything already happened? I pointed my translator toward several groups in discussion. It emitted a beep, which confirmed they were speaking the same language. This was better than I expected. If I could prevent the language divergence, we could all talk to each other, yet be diverse.  

    We climbed the tower. The crowd seemed determined to reach the summit. I waited for God’s entrance. It didn’t come. The tower reached high altitude, but it didn’t reach Heaven. A guy at the top of the tower held some type of device. He was wearing Vans. That was definitely not historically accurate. A light flashed and my translator beeped in complaint. What was one language had been spliced into thousands. He saw me and yelled down to me in a language that I didn’t know. My ITC took a moment and translated, “There’s no profit in unity!”   

    As the dawn’s light entered my window, I checked the news on my phone. There were more race riots in the neighboring town. I thought of Jen, she was right, I should have gone back to kill Hitler. I rolled over and went back to sleep.  

Shadows in the Light

 

I went to a comprehensive Monet exhibit this week. Impressionism has become polite art. It's the type of show that you can take your grandma to. It is so much more than that.

     I saw large groups gathering around the popular pieces, taking photos with their phones. Could the phones capture the texture and light? I doubted it. The act of capturing the paintings was more important than experiencing the art. It was like this when I saw the Mona Lisa. Each photo proving that they saw the famous painting, but did they really see it? I saw an obscured view surrounded by clamoring hands trying to get photos.

     I thought of the lesser known Monet pieces in this exhibit that were rarely displayed and didn't receive as much attention. Why? Is it that people like what is familiar? Is art like music and we rush to experience the hits just because they are popular? I didn't ask. 

     Impressionism is polite now, but was very radical during its creation. We don't  see the radical in it because the forms are soft and beautiful. We now think of edgy art as challenging and authentic. See the link below to a film about the impressionists which covers this topic in more detail.

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt4388248/

     I love impressionism primarily because of the way light is captured. It is the kind of light you see as morning drifts into your bedroom, or the light you see as it reflects on water, or the rays of light deep within a forest. Those moments of light that you want to capture in your mind forever. They are captured in Monet's work. 

     I also love the softness of his work. Moments are captured as if they are in a dream. His world is soft and lovely in ways reality is not. 

     The floor above the Monet exhibit was an installation about light. Within that exhibit was this Rumi quote "like a shadow I am and I am not." Impressionism is just like that, the forms are there and yet not fully there. Moments captured in paint.

     We too exist in soft, hazy moments. We walk down a street, maybe in an exotic location, then we cease to exist in that location as we move somewhere else. Did we leave a part of ourselves behind? Did someone capture us in a photo background, forever in that place? Does that walk stay firmly in our memory? The beautiful life we walk through is like living within an impressionist painting, both real and imagined. Shadows in the light.

We'll Meet Again

 

Photo by Jan Tinneberg on Unsplash 

The song We'll Meet Again was released in 1939 during World War II as soldiers were marching off to war, not knowing when they would see their loved ones again.

     Our company announced on Friday that we would be working remotely for the unforeseeable future due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I watched my colleagues each head out saying "Good-bye, see you...soon." It was an eerie feeling knowing that none of us could say when things would be "normal" again. We don't know when we can all be together again. I adore my co-workers and they will be missed. They bring joy into my daily life.

     As I write this, restaurants and stores are starting to close. Schools are closed. This has slowly been escalating over the last few months. In the last two weeks, our daily routines have changed in a way that generations from baby-boomers all the way to Gen-Z have never had to deal with.

     People have been hoarding products and medicine. Fear has hit the fearful and even has begun to creep into the hearts of the most rational people. I am fairly certain that I would be fine if I caught the virus, but I am a little worried about my elderly mother, who lives with me. I think the fear isn't just about the virus. It's about security. Will we be able to get what we need if we need to stay in? Will the economy survive? When will things be "normal"?

     I think of it as an opportunity to do some things differently. Maybe for a while, we will see our families and pets more. We will do those puzzles and read those books. We will discover hidden talents we never knew we had. I don't believe in boredom. This world is full of things to discover and I would bet that you have projects and hobbies you set aside as you have been exploring the outside world that you can finally get to! We can cook more at home. I love that during a crisis people stock up on beans and rice. We vegetarians apparently are always prepared for a crisis, though I have never tried that argument to go plant-based before. Speaking of green, we will use less gasoline, because more of us will be working remotely. We will use fewer cups because we won't be stopping by Starbucks. We will discover the magic of bidets because the toilet paper is out of stock.  😉

     It reminded me of what it must have felt like to live during a world war. All of those same questions were being asked then. We are fortunate to have the technology to make things easier for us this time, but our technology won't tell us when we can see our friends again or how our favorite local restaurant owners will survive. We will need to be patient as we wait this out. We will need to make adjustments. If our great-grandparents did it, then we can do it too!         

You don't Know what You don't Know

     There's an old saying that you don't know what you don't know.

     As I have been progressing through my novel an odd thing happened. I had other book ideas come up! How does that happen, I don't know. Diane Gabaldon said in one of her signings that "an English woman just started showing up." That ended very well for her. Well, my pop up characters do not belong together. Oh that I were Christopher Moore or Terry Pratchett (may he rest in peace, the great man) where my characters could playfully trot from one book to another. No, these invasive characters annoy me and slow me down. Now if I do use them all, I will have 4 books written.

     I have found that I am not really a blogger. I did not know that. It seemed like a great idea. I like social media, but particularly Twitter, because I like the brevity. A blog is real commitment and I commend anyone who has a blog with daily updates. I am working a much higher than 40 hour week and I just don't feel like blogging.

     The problem is, I also have not been carving out time for writing. I believe that anything that you truly love you will find time for. I also know that writing is a job and must be treated as such. I am newly making a commitment to writing time. 

     We had an abbreviated trip to Phoenix comic con because we lost both of our precious kitties in the same week as the con. My husband was committed to teach a workshop, so we decided to attend a small amount.

     In some ways that was nice, but the one writing workshop that I attended was "How to Market your Novel". Well, THAT was eye opening. I thought the big hurdle was to write a query letter and find an agent. Then to try to get published. Oh no no, apparently after that happens there is a tremendous amount of promotion that falls onto the author. In that same workshop one author helpfully told us how she had submitted over 100 query letters. I think it's better to prepared for that. I'm glad that I know what lies ahead.

The NaNoWriMo Quest Begins

Yes, it is officially NaNoWriMo time starting November 1. This is the month when writers are challenged to write 50,000 words. There are so many encouraging people on the site and this is the perfect time for me to participate. There are writing tips on the site. There are local groups to meet with. They even have NaNoWriMo swag. It kind of beats the resources I have in my office......

I am very thankful to my friend Troy, who introduced me to this site. He writes great fantasy work and is also participating this year. I am looking forward to seeing what he comes up with. I also found out that one of my favorite writers that I recently discovered, Kevin Hearne (2), is participating this year. It surprised me that someone who has written so many books would still do this, but I'm glad he is. I will reserve a spot for Kevin Hearne when I begin my series on favorite books in January.

I was wondering if any books that I had heard of (and enjoyed) were started during a NaNoWriMo month. In fact, I found out that Water for Elephants and The Night Circus were both products of NaNoWriMo (1). I was pleased to find this out because I was worried that anything I'd produce by participating in NaNoWriMo would take time away from my "real" novel.

Why go through all the NaNoWriMo nonsense when I can just write? Look, all writers know that step one to successfully complete a book is to have the discipline to stick with it. Since I have worked several jobs at the same time and completed a Masters degree, I really didn't think it would be a problem for me. I have found that the thing that you love and do for yourself can often be the thing that doesn't happen. 50,000 words, panic.

      So, I am moving forward and I will be posting progress here, so it's going to be a very active November on this site. This is very exciting and if I get a good sample to share, I will.
    












1) http://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/8-best-sellers-started-during-national-novel-writing-month/

2) http://kevinhearne.com/nanowrimo

3) http://nanowrimo.org/dashboard