Time Alone

Perhaps being at home these days has opened up some new pathways in my brain. Maybe playing with my collage paper, beads, stencils and scraps of things have freed me from my constant need to 'do something' constructive.

Time Alone

This morning at around 3a.m. I woke with a start. Canvas frames and brushes woke me up. I tried to reach quietly for my pen and paper in the drawer beside me. Not quietly enough, as I heard my husband stir. This was early, even for him.

If I ignored the words that reached me, I knew they would have vanished by my usual waking time. It was the time to jot this down. So here goes...

It's not the size of the brush we are handed at birth that dictates the size of the life we will lead. (Tweet This) Why do we choose to draw within the lines of expectation? Why don't we strive for the largest canvas we can, and let our brush grow with us?

Many of us have been contained, by the culture of our birth, our sex, our size or the faith we were born into. Does 'don't show off' sound familiar to anyone? But who we are inside is not born of the things we are born from. 

Look in the mirror, no, stare in that mirror.

The person in there has been obliterated by custom and what we have chosen to hold on to. That person, the singer, the artist, the chemist, the dreamer can be set free.

Let's use this time, this time alone, to stare into that mirror. To put aside our calendars, our lists, and remember who we left behind by every decision we made along the way.

Let's hold on to the good friends, the family member who inspired us, the new and the old in our lives, the ones who 'get us'. 

It is the time to re-evaluate, to re-flect, to re-create. Because when all this time alone ends, we get to be who we are inside.

Humming Along After Christmas

Catch the hum, whenever you can. It's a busy time that needs a hum.

Children and older folks, can set aside the formalities of politeness. Closing their eyes right in front of you, because they've just plain had enough.

The sharing of stories, of the real and the made-up. And after so long, does it really matter?

Listening to the hum of silence as the house empties, the giggles and the guffaws, subsiding.

Sit with the new book, the new toy, the new game, the new coffee grinder.

Humming Along #Portland

Listen for the hum. Let go of the noise. (Tweet This)

The music in the background, the keyboard tapping, the dishwasher swishing (again). Enjoy the hum, until the doorbell rings again.

The laughing begins, the feet are curled up, the fireplace is turned on, the little ones are shoo'ed out of reach of touching something hot.

Or filling the bathtub with bubbles in the middle of the day?

Having a nap? Is that what I hear?

And as the week goes on, and some are preparing for another celebration, many are just humming along.

Catch the hum. However you can. You'll be glad you did. (Tweet This)

A Speech of a Thousand Words

How many different ways can a person say something? Many, it seems. Am I the only one who is losing patience with the consistent drone of conversation? 

Silence can be difficult. We are accustomed to hearing voices everywhere, people on the cell phones in the grocery store, in the elevator, even walking down the street in the crosswalk. (Sometimes, these people you might notice, are invariably in the way either unconsciously or selfishly.) Are people that afraid of solitude, are they that afraid of being alone? 

I know that I am getting cranky.

I am not interested to hear, when you will be home, what you plan for dinner, what you want to do with/to your girlfriend, or the details of your last doctor’s appointment. Please, I want to say, "censure yourself sometimes".

Through this all, I realize that I am a relatively private person. As time has gone on, I understand better what to share and with whom. But sharing in private is my choice. 

Have a meaningful conversation, because it is your opportunity to share a few precious moments with someone who is a part of your life. Don’t give up this time to yell at them above the sound of oncoming traffic, the person you are “talking” to really doesn’t appreciate it. Give the gift of your undivided and full attention. Show them that they are important to you.

Here are just a few small suggestions so we can all have a quieter world: