Lately, my writing is dispassionate. You all know this. You can feel it and while I’m weary of writing to the non-descript you, there is the obvious fact that you know who you are. I, too, know who you are. I’m just having trouble knowing who I am. It’s not my intention to live an unexamined life, but I just can’t share everything. So I asked for advice and hoped I would hear something that I could use. Unbelievably, it helped. A lot of it. Perhaps all.
But, you. Today we’re here to talk about you. How you are feeling in all this. How you want to say something about it, but you don’t. How you have come to this conclusion when I have been purposefully diaphanous is truly improbable, but you’re really smart. That’s not just me blowing sunshine up your skirt either.
Things that are helping:
1. Episodes of Pete & Pete complete with Polaris’ introductory theme song. I have great memories of watching this show with Mallory when she was younger. Seems like yesterday we enjoyed Pitstain and Artie, The Strongest Man In The World along with the steel plate in Mom’s head. Best line: Nobody talks that way about my lucky underpants!
2. Ben. Also? Jerry. Specifically? Cherry Garcia.
3. Sadly, notsomuchthecoffee. Moreso, it’s been a lovely South African shiraz.
4. Reading. Lots of it. Taking my time with Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. She writes about traveling over one year’s time to Italy, India, and Indonesia and I noticed that while she was EATING IN ITALY during the first portion of the book, I was eating a lot, too. Pasta has been my best friend and I’m keeping it around. My waist. I’m in India with her now. I’m praying a lot.
5. “Shanti-Mantra” by Ravi Shankar. I listen to it and I can almost believe that advice my mom gave me: It’ll be ok. We just don’t know what ok looks like.
Right now, ok is looking like some lucky underpants. You know you want some.
November 12, 2007 @ 6:25 pm | Filed under Lessons I'm Learning, NaBloPoMo | Permalink |
Gillian B Said,
November 12, 2007 @ 7:09 pm
Oh for some lucky underpants! I love the “Shanti-Mantra.” I learned a mantra at yoga teacher training that I keep in mind for those days when I feel completely afloat. “Lokah Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu” which means “may all beings everywhere be happy and free.” It’s such a nice thought. When that doesn’t work, this video takes me to my happy place (no idea why… it’s just so… relaxing…) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRdo_lRpaIc
Namaste!
Tom Said,
November 12, 2007 @ 8:22 pm
You wear underpants? I gave that up a long time ago when the dogs kept eating them. It was too expensive to buy new ones so I stopped. Now I have less laundry to do! If my wife would just learn to pick up my stuff I might start wearing them again.
Lara Said,
November 12, 2007 @ 10:18 pm
i used to LOVE “pete and pete” when i was younger! i’m jealous - what channel are you watching on? can you find me some old episodes of “clarissa explains it all” too?
Tricia Said,
November 12, 2007 @ 10:50 pm
Are you writing to me- or are you just writing?
mary Said,
November 13, 2007 @ 4:47 am
We loved Pete and Pete! I think my husband and I liked the show better than our son did! I hate to sound like an old fogey (although that word right there makes me sound like one)but they sure don’t make shows like that anymore!
Caffeinated Librarian Said,
November 13, 2007 @ 5:58 am
Pete and Pete? What the heck are you talking about, Lady? That must be one of those there Yankee TV shows.
Blogging through the doldrums sucks, but everyone’s been there. Makes sense that you’d hit it in NaBloPoMo - I will resist the heavy temptation to remind all of you that if God meant you to blog EVERY day he’d have named you all “Dave of Blogography.” (Okay, I’ll mostly resist the temptation, then.)
I’ll trade you your doldrums for my cold any day. Seriously. ‘Cause I’m a giving kind of person…and because I’d really like to be able to taste something during the month of November.
Okay, I’ll go and whine on my own blog now.
Lovebabz Said,
November 13, 2007 @ 7:28 am
Yikes, I have no idea who Pete & Pete are…sorry. I did however love the wine selection and I am sprinting to my favorite wine seller NOW! I loved the Shanti Mantra and have passed it along to my circle of peeps. I read Eat Love Pray in Prison–as a matter of fact it was my last book. I, like so many others strongly connected with the book on so many levels. This is my season so I am happier than usual. There are no doldrums. I am living in my gratitude…every day.
dana Said,
November 15, 2007 @ 12:27 pm
I still haven’t picked up Eat, Pray, Love yet. I’m trying to get through the James Patterson (Women’s Murder Club) books my friend lent me. Six months ago. I began watching the flippin’ tv show before I even finished the first book.
I hear you on the reading. I’m trying to get through the stacks of paperbacks on my night table.