Catching Up with Kickin' - Bag, Wish, Free Association, Songs. Days 19, 18, 17, 16

Day Nineteen – 10 Things in My Bag

I am trying my best to get caught up with the posts from the few days away at the secret location for my birthday. Ah yes, the City of Lights, the one with the Seine and the Eiffel Tower. Travel takes lots of energy, and the last day there was so chock full that I could not post, nor did I in the next two days. I will now attempt to cram in a bunch of posts into one!
 

Day Nineteen's prompt: ..."inspired by one of Jamie's most popular videos in which she shared what's in her purse, we thought we'd ask... What are 10 Things Currently In Your Bag?"

1. Cell phone. Essential, of course. Mine is not a smartphone, but I can flip it open for text messaging.
2. Keys. To our home, the cozy nest I share with my cherished man.
3. Wallet. A simple black, leather wristlet that works great for me. Most importantly it has a little pocket on the outside, perfect for the all-important Metrocard for the subway and buses. When I don't want to carry a bag, I can tuck my cell phone and keys right into the little wristlet. Voilà, ready to go.
4. iPad. A shared item, but I took it for the long wait at the post office. I spent a total of 3 hours standing in line to pick up a package today. During that time I did a lot of catching up on my Kickin' It blog-a-thon writing.
5. iPod. I usually carry this for music and some other apps. The ear buds help with noisy subway rides, but I never use them out on the street. I want to stay aware of my environment.
6. Moist towelettes. Hm, I didn't even know they were in my bag, but it could come in handy...
7. Music business cards. But of course.
8. Marketing strategy business cards. You never know...
9. Tissues. It is the season to be prepared.
10. Travel mug. Today's is filled with tea with milk, and helped me get through my thirst in the stiflingly hot purgatory of the post office.

And my the catch-up "teensy bit of writing each day in December":

And when they say "stick to your knitting" what if I have more than one project on the needles? Am I really sticking to it? When I'm cheating on one project to work on another, a state of constant anxiety if I let it be. Do I work on the sweater for me, or the scarf for him?

 

Day Eighteen – Make a Wish

Today's prompt "in honour of the first meme that Jamie ever created: Wishcasting. There is magic in wishing together. Today, make a wish. Support those who make a wish with the words, 'As you wish for yourself so I wish for you also.'"

 

My wish is for each precious person, in Jamie's circles and participating in this blog-a-thon, to have their dreams come true. It is with that simple thought and much gratitude for the support, joy and connection I receive from being in this tribe that I lit the candle in Sacre Coeur a few days ago.

My teensy bit of writing is a note to self:

It is easy to get lost in our small shut-off worlds but only a little effort is needed to enter the circle. In that circle we can sing together, dance together, wish together, laugh together, cry together, and rise up together.

 

Day Seventeen – Free Association

Today's prompt was "We're drawing on that old chestnut, free association.
Only we're planning to get to know you - not analyze you!
We share some Inspiration Words. You share what they inspire in you."

1. River
2. Fresh
3. Escape
4. Moment
5. Night

My "teensy bit of writing" will use these words as inspiration:

A river runs here. Jump in.
Make a fresh start to
Escape from a muddy-banked trail they made, unknowing.
Take a moment now to breathe in the
Cool night air of possibility.

Day Sixteen – Favorite Albums (not songs)

Today's prompt was "It was so much fun sharing our movies last week. In fact, we're sure many of us have filled our wish lists and our Netflix queue's with all sorts of fresh options! Let's do the same with our playlists. Share with us some of your favourite songs!"

Lists of favorites are in general really hard for me, as I'm positive I will forget something that I love and I abhor culling lists. It is especially impossible to name favorite songs, so instead I am going to name some of my favorite albums. Of course, I am sure I am forgetting some but here goes...

• Peter Gabriel - So
• Loreena McKennitt - The Mask and the Mirror
• Henri Salvador - Chambre Avec Vue
• Astor Piazzolla - Zero Hour
• Los Zafiros - Bossa Cubana
• Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club
• Morelbaum2 & Sakamoto - Casa
• Bobby McFerrin - Circlesongs
• Jane Siberry - When I Was A Boy
• Soul Coughing - Ruby Vroom

Now for my "teensy bit of writing":

Mundanity. Insanity. The line and the waiting seemed to stretch beyond my patience but I am apparently more well endowed than I knew. And today, joyfully, a moment I had hoped for finally came. I was at the pickup window at the US Post Office in my neighborhood, ready with pinkish slip and photo ID, to find out what that package from an illegibly scrawled sender was. The above is a dream. I am still standing in line, have been here for 45 minutes and will be here at least that long. I look at the time again, even if I hate to. Only 15 people have gotten their packages in 45 minutes of wait?

(We've come full circle. By the way, the total time waited turned out to be three hours. Is it possible to take action to improve a local post office's service? What can one do?)

Phew. I don't know if anyone will read even a part of this, but I feel a bit like a champ for getting this posted. How could I reward myself? Hm...

Who Do I Love?

It is Day Fifteen at Kickin' it Old Skool blog-a-thon, and today's prompt is "Who do you love?" There are plenty of people I love, including my friends and my family. But there's one person who pops up first in my mind and he is the reason I am writing from a wonderful birthday weekend away from home. Here's my guy and I am immensely fortunate to have him in my life. He is thoughtful, caring, fun to be with, positive, good-natured, silly, creative, generous and loving. Loving is the word that encapsulates all of what he brings to my life, and I consider myself blessed. Here we are having some fun sharing a cup of hot spiced cider at a Christmas market.

 

Here's today's entry for my "teensy bit of writing each day in December."

Another angle on the city, now from the top of the museum. We celebrate as the hill we stood on just yesterday is painted lavender by the sun slanting behind us. 

One Sentence Saturday - From A Book

It is Day Fourteen at Kickin' it Old Skool blog-a-thon, and today's prompt is "We're making it easy today! Share one sentence from a book. Okay not quite that easy. Grab the third book in on your top shelf of books. Share the first sentence."

Well, thank goodness it's an easier one today. I've been having a great time in my secret location and not much time is left for blogging for the next couple of days. And since I am not near my bookshelves, I will have to go for whatever is in my Kindle app. The third book in my virtual bookshelf begins thus:

"There's so much I want to do... and so little time."

How true. Non-fiction. This is from The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything . . . Fast! by Josh Kaufman.

Here's today's entry for my "teensy bit of writing each day in December."

On top of the hill rested a luminous basilica. We entered in a buzzing silence and for the first time in my life I felt moved to light a candle.

My First Solo House Concert

It is Day Thirteen at Kickin' it Old Skool blog-a-thon, and today's prompt is "My first... A first attempt, your first souffle, your first rodeo, your first job, your first pet? Share a first."

I have been whisked away to a secret location for a fabulous birthday weekend, and I cannot tell you where I am until I return home. So until then, my writing on this blog and reading others' posts might be a bit sparse, in the interest of more fully enjoying my time here.

Therefore I will be brief. This summer I accomplished a first. In the spring I was offered and accepted a challenge: to perform a solo concert. Was I a little nervous about that? Hell yeah. But to make it a softer and cuddlier proposition, we made it a house concert – a gathering in my dear friends' home with one set of music followed by a bit of mingling and refreshments.



Here is one of the final pieces on my program that night, Orchestrope. The house concert, which happened to fall on the hottest day that summer, was a success. I really enjoyed the creative process of writing and developing a full set of material, something I'd long thought about but had never done before. It was great to take this bold new step in a room full of supportive friends. I felt some nerves, but it calmed down and then I could surrender myself to the music making. The feedback during and after the show was really heartwarming and will continue to propel me forward. I know there will be more in the future!

Here's today's entry for my "teensy bit of writing each day in December."

Perhaps we will sample
Andouillette, do you know what it is?
Reconsidering now, making not so fresh choices,
Instead we order the chicken, the duck,
Soup will save the day.

Things I Know for Sure

It is Day Twelve at Kickin' it Old Skool blog-a-thon, and today's prompt is "A Truth? A Constant? A Wisdom to Share? Your Superpower? What Are Ten Things You Know For Sure?"

Since I don't have much time today to write or read, I'll make it My Five Touchstones. Here they are in no particular order

1. My dear honey. Each and every day of my life with him is fun and enjoyable and real. He is steady, he is loving, he is caring.

2. I am an artist. I was when I was a kid, drawing, singing, making music, making crafty stuff. Even though I tried to make it a side dish for many years this essential part of nature wanted to be more fully claimed. Today I can claim this and know I don't have to be perfect or complete to do so. Life and art, a work in progress...

3. Love and compassion are natural for me. The wisdom part of this is that I have learned I must practice directing just as much of this toward myself as I do toward others.

4. Regular practices of introspection, connection with spirit, and self care are necessary. These days I've been doing movement/meditation practice, and I've been on and off with journaling. I think I need to up the journaling so that insights and little messages are harvested rather than flushed through my brain sieve.

5. My surest way through a creative block is to take out the tools and commit to the tiniest amount of time. Five minutes? Ten minutes? I turn on a timer and then I usually wind up wanting more. That is the feeling you want to leave with. Rather than dread and blockage, you feel there is more you want to do and can't wait till there is another chance to go back to your creative work/play.

My teensy bit of writing will have to be the above. Simple prose counts, right? Oh, and as to the symbolism from an earlier post – of the small, white, five-petalled flower, and the blue concentric rings I found nothing conclusive. So many interpretations exist for white, for blue, for the number five, for white flowers, for circles, for concentric circles. I concluded that I need to continue to seek inner guidance and look for signs to follow up what this means for me. The quest continues.

When Crying Comes Up

It is Day Eleven at Kickin' it Old Skool blog-a-thon, and today's prompt is "What makes you weepy?" I know exactly what makes me weepy, but putting it into words is so hard. But here goes nothin' – I'll begin with my "teensy bit of writing each day in December" but sticking to this theme: 

The Pixar movie, Up made me cry. Why?
That opening scene where the old guy
Looks back on the years with his wife
The hopeful and beautiful years gone by
The love that was and the dreams denied.
Being reminded of dreams, is why.

When I think of what makes me cry it is a revelation of deep truths. Some people get goosebumps when something said rings true. When an insight is revealed at a deeper level that touches at the core of who I am, I feel the tears come. The dammed river of a dream long held inside, when unleashed, spills out in tears of relief and joy. Why did I cry at the beginning of Up? It must have touched a tender place, the place where dreams can tragically be thwarted and still remembered. There's hope dreams can still come true.

Show and tell: a cardigan in the works

It is Day Ten at Kickin' it Old Skool blog-a-thon, and today's prompt is to show and tell. We're back in grade school!

Today I am sharing my current work in progress, a cardigan I am knitting for myself. I'm close to finishing – just adding more length to the body and then figuring out what bands and cuffs I want to use.  I'm not working from a pattern but more a recipe that is based on my own measurements. The recipe is from a Craftsy class: The Perfect Fit Seamless Crazy Lace Cardigan. Even though they call it "Crazy Lace" I'm not exactly going nuts with lace patterns. I wanted a simple sweater that I could wear easily and often. This is the first sweater I am making for myself, but the very first sweater I made went to my guy. If you are on Ravelry you can see my other projects here. I've got to finish up this post because I want to get outside. It's snowing today!

And now today's entry, part of my "teensy bit of writing each day in December." This is just an image I got while moving and meditating.

I receive a single flower,
small, white, five-petalled.
Encircling it, concentric rings
glowing and blue.

I am intrigued by the specificity of the images and want to look up the symbolism of a five-petalled flower and of blue rings. Maybe later.