Have a fabulous time Costa Rica. I am a huge believer in a change is as good or better than a rest!. I will always be thankful for libraries! Happy Thanksgiving.
I'm delighted to hear about your teaching! And delighted you are here. The encouraging support and the explorative working of so many writers is a huge gift!
Thank you for your reflections from reading Merton. I have put it on hold from the library, to browse through sitting by a fire place and a view of the forest.
Also Palmer’s thoughts of what we keep and collect as sacred …….I look around my home and always find it a challenge in letting those objects leave… into the Thrift Stores’ or flea markets’ museums of humanity !
What a beautiful post, Alison. “I myself am part of the weather” really struck a chord. Happy Belated Thanksgiving and have a wonderful time in Costa Rica, can’t wait to read what you find on YOUR walks. ❤️
Will do. Thinking that for the Nov. 1 post, we can do some nature writing. Yes, Merton's connecting with the outside world does speak. His faith is not the one I grew up with--that's for sure! He studied Zen and the Tao... and took it all outside :) His writing and visual art was amazing.
Enjoy Cost Rica! I am thankful for you, your missives of inspiration and knowledge, and the very existence of the Unschool, as well - very thankful. This is such a great reminder to bring my notebook outside. I find my garden / yard and our local park so charming and do try to focus on my enjoyment in many daily moments of immersion - but I don’t take time to write about them, while I am IN them, focusing on the present sights, sounds, scents, feelings, and thoughts. I am going to remedy that, starting today.
Yes, it's an act of contemplation--a writer's meditation.
I'm glad you are here, Elizabeth--thank you!
Thinking we should follow-up on this with the November 1 post, and sharing our nature and local/home writing snippets... especially this time of year, when we--northerners at least!--tend to think of the world outside as slowing down.
Today I found two of those "fairy-tale" red and white mushrooms in my wee shade garden. The irony of such poisonous things... that make me think of childhood.
Oh, Maureen! You're so welcome! Thank you for being here. You were my very first subscriber, those years ago now. Your support and energy is something I am profoundly grateful for.
You are so on time with life itself in posting this. 🥹 A recent study proved that single celled Cyanobacteria even anticipate seasonal changes and adjust their genes to increase their chance of survival. They only live for five hours. Lead author of the study said "It seemed like a very nonsensical idea to think that bacteria would care about something that's happening on a scale that's so much bigger than their lifetime." Who are we to not contemplate these changes?! Happy thanksgiving 💕
"I'm not used to relaxing. I’m not convinced I know how anymore. If I ever have. I’ve ingested my full of the inherited Protestant Work Ethic. Nasty stuff."
I feel this sentiment in my bones, as a full time working mom of 2 under 5. Always the nagging feeling of needing to be productive, qualifying every hour of the day to justify how time was spent - what I accomplished (or failed to).
Alison, thanks for the lovely thoughtful post. I appreciate you caught yourself and didn't want to go with surface wisdom. Great quotes from Merton, much appreciated as they're hoicking me into my own landscape here and the atmospheric river that has been persisting and is for the moment, silent.
When searching (from Costa Rica) for election results (!) I found so many images of flooding in BC!
I'm on day 4 here now, and been recording some bits out of doors, and it's been good... at the moment, spying a robin-sized bright yellow-breasted bird with black and white striped head... oh my. It's good to be in a new place with different things--I think I'll be seeing anew once home.
Hoping you won't have any need for a life boat or bucket, Zoë!
Thanks, Alison. Re flooding, the rain was intense but manageable in my area. No life boats needed.
Re birds, my brother put me onto the cool free app from Cornell called Merlin Bird ID. I use it lots to identify sounds when I can't see the birds. Fun!
What a lovely read this Thanksgiving Monday morning.
Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving, Anne Marie. Thank you for reading! Lovely to meet you last weekend :)
Have a fabulous time Costa Rica. I am a huge believer in a change is as good or better than a rest!. I will always be thankful for libraries! Happy Thanksgiving.
And Happy Thanksgiving to you, Darlene! YES to changes. Though I plan to do some serious resting there, too :)
Thanks for this, Alison. This sounds like an author I should have read long ago.
This book--or other nature writings--might resonate. It really does remind me how we draw from nature, how connected we are... when we don't forget!
Happy Thanksgiving to you, Terry!
Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks for the reminder to pick up Merton again.
Yes--his words are so worthy of our time.
Peace!
Thank you for the reminder to stop or at least slow down. Thank you for you!
I'm delighted to hear about your teaching! And delighted you are here. The encouraging support and the explorative working of so many writers is a huge gift!
Thank you for your reflections from reading Merton. I have put it on hold from the library, to browse through sitting by a fire place and a view of the forest.
Also Palmer’s thoughts of what we keep and collect as sacred …….I look around my home and always find it a challenge in letting those objects leave… into the Thrift Stores’ or flea markets’ museums of humanity !
Sounds like a perfect way to read Merton!
You are probably familiar with Palmer as a teaching light. I so appreciate his work, too.
Thank you, J!
What a beautiful post, Alison. “I myself am part of the weather” really struck a chord. Happy Belated Thanksgiving and have a wonderful time in Costa Rica, can’t wait to read what you find on YOUR walks. ❤️
Will do. Thinking that for the Nov. 1 post, we can do some nature writing. Yes, Merton's connecting with the outside world does speak. His faith is not the one I grew up with--that's for sure! He studied Zen and the Tao... and took it all outside :) His writing and visual art was amazing.
Thank you, Jolene!
❤️
Enjoy Cost Rica! I am thankful for you, your missives of inspiration and knowledge, and the very existence of the Unschool, as well - very thankful. This is such a great reminder to bring my notebook outside. I find my garden / yard and our local park so charming and do try to focus on my enjoyment in many daily moments of immersion - but I don’t take time to write about them, while I am IN them, focusing on the present sights, sounds, scents, feelings, and thoughts. I am going to remedy that, starting today.
Yes, it's an act of contemplation--a writer's meditation.
I'm glad you are here, Elizabeth--thank you!
Thinking we should follow-up on this with the November 1 post, and sharing our nature and local/home writing snippets... especially this time of year, when we--northerners at least!--tend to think of the world outside as slowing down.
Today I found two of those "fairy-tale" red and white mushrooms in my wee shade garden. The irony of such poisonous things... that make me think of childhood.
This is so beautiful and nourishing and unexpected, Alison. Thank you!
Oh, Maureen! You're so welcome! Thank you for being here. You were my very first subscriber, those years ago now. Your support and energy is something I am profoundly grateful for.
Really! I had no idea that I was your first subscriber! Well, I was lucky, then, not to have missed anything. 💜
You are so on time with life itself in posting this. 🥹 A recent study proved that single celled Cyanobacteria even anticipate seasonal changes and adjust their genes to increase their chance of survival. They only live for five hours. Lead author of the study said "It seemed like a very nonsensical idea to think that bacteria would care about something that's happening on a scale that's so much bigger than their lifetime." Who are we to not contemplate these changes?! Happy thanksgiving 💕
That's pretty wild to mull over... Five hours, and caught up in life and caring...
Thank you!
Right it’s inescapable 😭 I’ll go back to hoping now I guess
"I'm not used to relaxing. I’m not convinced I know how anymore. If I ever have. I’ve ingested my full of the inherited Protestant Work Ethic. Nasty stuff."
I feel this sentiment in my bones, as a full time working mom of 2 under 5. Always the nagging feeling of needing to be productive, qualifying every hour of the day to justify how time was spent - what I accomplished (or failed to).
I hope you had a restful Thanksgiving, Alison!
Oh my! I feel for you. I know this. Think of the "accomplished" and know that resting falls under that :)
It's good to see you here, Tara! Thank you --
Alison, thanks for the lovely thoughtful post. I appreciate you caught yourself and didn't want to go with surface wisdom. Great quotes from Merton, much appreciated as they're hoicking me into my own landscape here and the atmospheric river that has been persisting and is for the moment, silent.
When searching (from Costa Rica) for election results (!) I found so many images of flooding in BC!
I'm on day 4 here now, and been recording some bits out of doors, and it's been good... at the moment, spying a robin-sized bright yellow-breasted bird with black and white striped head... oh my. It's good to be in a new place with different things--I think I'll be seeing anew once home.
Hoping you won't have any need for a life boat or bucket, Zoë!
Thanks, Alison. Re flooding, the rain was intense but manageable in my area. No life boats needed.
Re birds, my brother put me onto the cool free app from Cornell called Merlin Bird ID. I use it lots to identify sounds when I can't see the birds. Fun!
Have a lovely getaway.