Your One Wild and Precious Life

Quote of the Day: 
The Summer Day (aka The Grasshopper)

by Mary Oliver

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean—
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down—
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

"The Summer Day" by Mary Oliver, from The Truro Bear and Other Adventures: Poems and Essays.
Click over here to hear Mary Oliver read this poem to you.  Close your eyes and let the words fill your imagination.

I woke to a cold and dreary morning.  The wind was blowing, the sky was grey, but the rain hadn't started, so I got up and dressed in case my walking partner was up for a walk.  I opened the door and saw the first raindrops, closed it again and made coffee.  As I was reading blogs and facebook posts, I found this link, posted by my talented photographer friend Joey.  She does most of the photos for the magazine that I write for.  We have become a great creative team.

Since I was in the quiet kitchen, just me and the cat, and the hum of the refrigerator, and the scent of coffee, I could truly listen to Mary Oliver read her poem, let the words soak in, shut my eyes to  see the imagery. 

My comment to Joey:  I could write a whole blogpost on my response to hearing Mary Oliver read this poem. Doesn't it make you want to grab your blankie and pillow and curl up in her voice, her words, and the images they create?

Her response to me, my gift of the morning:  Yes.....just like the images you just created, Mary.

So, I did, I wrote up a blogpost to share with you a truly lovely way to start a dreary day.  I'm inspired to do more than simply clean my kitchen today (and a bathroom or two). I feel motivated to make something good happen.  Maybe schedule a production of Coffee Shop Confessions (with or without music, that's been my hold-up).  It's time to share it with the world.

Joey at the Table Reading of Coffee Shop Confessions. She had tea, just like Lolly, the character she brought to life.

Journaling Prompt:  Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

Signs of Spring

Quote of the Day:  my favorite springtime poem by Mary Oliver.

Such Singing in the Wild Branches

It was spring

and finally I heard him

among the the first leaves -

then I saw him clutching the limb

in an island of shade

with his red-brown feathers

all trim and neat for the new year.

First, I stood still

and thought of nothing.

Then I began to listen.

Then I was filled with gladness-

and that's when it happened,

when I seemed to float,

to be, myself, a wing or a tree-

and I began to understand

what the bird was saying,

and the sands in the glass

stopped

for a pure white moment

while gravity sprinkled upward

like rain, rising,

and in fact

it became difficult to tell just what it was that was singing-

it was the thrush for sure, but it seemed

not a single thrush, but himself, and all his brothers,

and also the trees around them,

as well as the gliding, long-tailed clouds

in the perfectly blue sky-all, all of them

were singing.

And, of course, yes, so it seemed,

so was I.

Such soft and solemn and perfect music doesn't last

for more than a few moments.

It's one of the magical places wise people

like to talk about.

One of the tings they say about, that is true,

is that, once you've been there,

you're there forever.

Listen, everyone has a chance.

Is it spring, is it morning?

Are there trees near you,

and does our own soul need comforting?

Quick, then - open the door and fly on your heavy feet; the song

may already be drifting away.

Listen to Mary Oliver read more of her amazing poetry here.  She has a loving and emotional way of describing nature and all its glory.

The birds have come and woken up something new inside me.  I tried to capture a few on camera. 

I need a stronger lens or better bait.  I tried cut up oranges and grape jelly. 

So far, I've attracted ants.  I did see one come close, but of course, I wasn't ready with my camera.  So, this morning, I'm sitting in my kitchen with the deck door open.  A cool breeze is coming in, and I've heard a few birds, but none have landed on my deck railings.  This is the closest they came.

While I was looking for images of orioles verses yellow finches, I found this blog by Lisa Sabin-Wilson.  Her post on trying to capture her orioles on "film" was much like mine.  It was an older post, so I clicked her title to see what she's recently done, and discovered a glorious video of an NPR recording of Adele. Sweet, soulful music.

I had intended to write this post yesterday, but it didn't work out.  I ended up doing yardwork.  Here's what happened.  On Tuesday, Lisa, my friend and neighbor, asked if I had any hotdogs.  I had four left in a package, so I ran them over to her house.  On Wednesday morning, she came over to my house while I was at a meeting, and started digging up a voluntary tree that had grown from a seed that came down my downspout.  Once she got started, there was no stopping her.  She trimmed my bushes, and cleaned up the brush around my house.  We solicited the help of her nephew.

He was more than happy to pull the Radio Flyer to the back and call for Someone (me) to help him unload it. I offered up lemonade as a reward.

Birds, buds, blossoms, and being a good neighbor - that's what makes Spring so beautiful!

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  What are some signs of Spring in your neck of the woods? Or, what are the signs of changing seasons in your part of the globe?

Sunny Day Awards

Quote of the Day: from the poem

Such Singing in the Wild Branches

by Mary Oliver

 

Listen, everyone has a chance.

Is it spring, is it morning?

Are there trees near you,

and does your own soul need comforting?

Quick, then - open the door and fly on your heavy feet;

the song may already be drifting away.

 

 

This lovely award is from a new bloggie friend, Jen Daiker at Unedited.  The flowers and the color are bright and cheerful, like this beautiful spring Sunday in Minnesota.  After a week of grey skies, rain, and foggy mornings, the sun is out today.  Glorious morning! I can smell spring. 

And, this great award is from Kittie Howard at The Block.  Kittie has the most interesting stories.  Whenever you need something fascinating and inspirational, go to The Block.  Read about "What Seven Remarkable People Wanted. You can find the series archived between November and February."  She also has great stories of life in the Bayou.

Today, in the Brainerd lakes area, the temps are in the upper 50's! I took my first bike ride of the season around the little lake in town, then around the middle school and back home.  I'm tired.  Still, when a friend/neighbor called and asked if I want to walk with her and the dog, I couldn't resist.  Spring in Minnesota in the middle of March is irresistible.

The "walk" was more of a stroll about the neighborhood, greeting the folks we haven't seen since October.  The theme of the day was "Everything with Wheels".  People were either wearing them, riding them, or washing them.

Came home, whipped up a batch of brownies and took a long bath.  Ahh, that's what good Sundays are made of. (And, yes, I did remember to spring ahead with my clocks and made it to church on time with two of my boys!)

Journaling Prompt: What signs of spring do you see in your life?