Open v. Closed

Quote of the Day:  Whenever one door closes, another one opens.
Or, as Maria says it in The Sound of Music, When God closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.

 

This image comes from the store called The Olde Open Window.

 

My word for the year is OPEN. Roxane, blogger at Peace Garden Writer, discussed the word for the year with me. She said that sometimes you also experience it's opposite. For me, that would be close, closed, maybe even closing.

 

Sometimes, something has to close in order for another to open. Sometimes, we're open to that change. Sometimes, we resist it. I attended a decluttering workshop once where the instructor gave me an image. If we hold tightly to our old ways and our old things we are closed up, fists clenched, pulled into ourselves. But, if we open our hands, fling wide our arms, we are now open for something new and better. 

 

So, I'm starting out my year of the word OPEN, with a closing. My church, which was a start-up Lutheran church in our area, is closing. We weren't able to grow enough in the past six year to sustain a viable existence. This smaller faith community was just what I needed. They embraced me, healed me, and lifted me up. I felt like I belonged in this smaller parish. They seemed more authentic and close-knit compared to larger congregations, and everyone's efforts were appreciated. Rejoice Lutheran was there for me when I needed it. It's a place where I let my musical talents shine. I will miss the community.

 

So, now what?  I don't know. Maybe I'm meant to be more global in my spirituality? Maybe it's time to step back and be open to other possibilities.

 

What will open up from this closing?

 

Go. Create. Inspire!

 

Journaling Prompt:  Has January sparked some change in your life? Any closings? Anything new opening for you?

 

 

Holy Smokes!

Quote of the Day:  The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small, manageable tasks, and then starting on that first one. Mark Twain

This seems like a fitting quote for the beginning of the year. How are you doing with your resolutions? Mine is to make one change, and write one scene per week for 52 weeks. Last week, I walked a little bit more than usual, and I wrote scene #1 for my play writing, and I scheduled rehearsals and set the date to have my first full-length play, Coffee Shop Confessions, performed at The Coco Moon. I still need to confirm with two of the actors, then I'll officially annouce the dates. Very exciting. I didn't know if I was shaking more from the caffeine or the adrenaline from taking that big step.

Lately, when I cook, I set off the smoke alarms. They were going crazy yesterday. I opened windows, ran around and checked to make sure there wasn't smoke coming from another area of the house, stood outside a minute, but saw nothing to alarm, except for the blaring alarm. I turned off the oven and stove and turned on the fans, and left the windows and doors open. Then, the phone rang. (I thought the neighbors might be calling to check if I was okay.) It was my friend, Krista, from across town. She didn't hear the alarms. But, about that time, they finally quit. We discussed a good change. I've been invited to more shows at the Guthrie, and just this week, to attend a performance at the Children's Theatre in Minneapolis. Very exciting. Krista called to tell me she could accompany me to one of the shows.

Another good change stemmed from the smoke alarms. They sounded again today as I was frying up a salmon patty. It wasn't that oily! So, I decided to clean the stove and oven. But first, I pulled out the stove to clean behind and under it. Amongst the usual dirt and greasy dust bunnies, I found a Starburst, a Nerf bullet, my spaghetti server, and sand. I can't for the life of me remember a single recipe that called for sand, but there it was, piled along the edge where the counter met the stove.

I'm also experiencing a change in my own backyard that I'm not as excited about. I know, it could be good, but right now it just feels sad. I live on the edge of town, and had a lovely wooded view, see family photo, here.

Last Wednesday, the work crew pulled in. The backhoe chomped up the trees like a hungry dionsaur, piling the larger ones off to the side, and setting the rest to burn.

View from the back.

Well, you can't stand in the way of progress, especially when it's cold outside. You might as well embrace change, because it's always there. And, you never know, something really positive could come from this new view. I've already noticed that my kitchen is much sunnier.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  What changes are happening in your world? What one new thing, or creative effort, did you make last week?

Happy Holidays

Quote of the Day:  I wonder as I wander out under the sky, how Jesus the savior did come for to die. For poor orn'ry people like you and like I. I wonder as I wander...
(I plan to sing this song on Christmas Eve during the prelude at my church's service. The tune and the words set me to pondering.)

Photo by Laura Radniecki Images

Happy Holidays from me and the boys!

The song, I Wonder as I Wander, has an interesting story. You can read about it in a beautiful picture book by Gwenyth Swain and illustrated by Ronald Himler. John Jacob Niles, who is credited for this song, was a wanderer himself, traveling about collecting folksongs. This one was sung to him by a young girl in Murphy, North Carolina. In the story that Swain describes, the girl and her father are traveling from place to place, telling their story, singing their songs, gathering just enough from the locals to be able to move on. I think they're trying to keep ahead of their pain because the mama in the story has passed, and they're grieving.

We all wander, don't we? And, I wonder...how can we make this a more beautiful stop on the Earth for each other? Here we are celebrating Christmas and other holidays, buying, baking, wrapping, sending. But, are we pausing? Are we living in the moment and cherishing our relationships? It's not all cheer and eggnog just because it's the holidays. Many people feel melancholy from recent changes in their lives. Someone might be missing who usually joins them around the table. And, while we cling to traditions, they can be cause for not being able to move on and make new memories.

We put up an artificial tree this year, for the first time. Bobby commented on it. I said I didn't think I'd ever go fake, but now that I have, I don't plan to go back. I said, "I am kind of a traditionalist." He said, "I wouldn't say that." That gave me pause. Maybe I am someone who can embrace change and do something a new way. (Embrace was my word for the year.)

"Christmas is a state of mind." I believe that quote comes from Kris Kringle in Miracle on 34th Street, one of the many holiday movies I've watched while baking and wrapping and preparing my home for the holidays. 

When the tree goes dark, the wrapping tossed, and the meal cleaned up, what lingers are the words shared, the love felt, and the senses filled with the sights, sounds, smells, and memories of time together with friends and family.

I'll see you back here in the New Year!

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  What do you wonder as you wander?

Change Time

Quote of the Day:  Eliminate something superfluous from your life.  Break a habit.  Do something that makes you feel insecure. - Piero Ferrucci (found in The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron)

I thought this was a cool way to use army guys.  It was hard to photograph, though.  This sculpture is taller and in dark entryway.  I had to break the rules and use my flash. Sorry, Jon (my teacher)!

March has been a time of change.  I tried a few new things, like a photography class and having a reading of my play.

I tried to look at things from a new perspective.

For a change, I wasn't completely terrified to share my creative work.  I didn't let myself get blocked when I realized that I'd need original music for my play - that turned into a musical.  And, I approached another artist, a composer, and asked him if I could use his songs in my play.  He said he'd ask the band.  It's a start.  He might not be the one, but I have taken a huge step in reaching out, talking about my art, and inviting someone else in.

Today, I was the musician at my church.  I checked and double-checked about the time change, headed out early, and told my 10-year-olds that today they could bring their sleds to church.  They've been wanting to slide down the hills at Camp Confidence ever since we started meeting there this fall.

Then, I came home and made a Sunday dinner (in the afternoon) for myself.  I didn't have the ingredients for my usual sauce, so I opened a cookbook, looked at the picture and read the ingredients. Then, I opened my cupboards and fridge and tossed together my own sauce: Calamata olives, a blend of spices, a splash of lemon juice and Worchestershire sauce.  I threw a sweet potato in the oven and stir-fried some broccoli.  The salmon was done, but the sweet potato was like a big stone, still solid.  I didn't think it would be ready to eat until sometime on Tuesday, so I sliced off one end and threw it in the stir-fry.

Turned out delicious!

And, it looks so healthy!

Julia Cameron tells us that a good way to open up our creativity is to take a new path now and then.  Drive a new way home.  Take a walk in a different neighborhood.  Try something new.  Make a change. 

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  What is one way you can do something different and embrace a change?

Taking Risks

Quote of the Day:  It's a very excruciating life facing that blank piece of paper every day and having to reach up somewhere into the clouds and bring something down out of them. - Truman Capote

What if the caterpillar said, "Nope, I don't want to change.  This is good enough for me.  I've got the ground and this nice, dry leaf.  I know what to expect every day.  I mean, yes, I do look up at the sky sometimes and wonder what it's like to soar above the ground.  I admire those butterflies with their beautiful wings.  But, well, I'd rather stick to what I know than go through a metamorphosis.  That sounds a little scary."

Kind of like taking risks, isn't it?  What if your intuition is telling you to make a change, but your logical mind gets scared?  What if you dared?

Are you holding back and avoiding facing a challenge? 

I find myself blocked sometimes.  I haven't written one word on my novel since I returned from the Highlights workshop.  I've been assessing what my story is.  I have thought about my play, but need to take the time to reread it and write the final scene.  Then what?  Well, then it's time to release it to the world.  Let it fly out into the sky and see where it lands. 

I have written two short pieces.  One that I plan to submit to the Highlights for Children fiction contest, and a rebus story for regular submissions.  When we were on our tour, the editors mentioned that was a need, so I came home and wrote one.

Hey, you out there, sitting on your dried up leaf, maybe it's time for you to take a risk and make a change.  I'll be here for you, and maybe we can fly away together.

Come back and let me know what happens!

Journaling Prompt:  Write about the times when you come alive.  Where are you?  Who is with you?  What are you doing?  Did you take a risk?

Change of Rhythm

Quote of the Day:  "...an 'in-between' zone, a state in which we are neither who we used to be, nor who we are becoming.  It's like standing in a doorway, or being in a passageway, or even in a long dark tunnel, between two phases of our lives." - Jean Shinoda Bolen, 20th-century American educator and writer

The decision here would be easy - Why, yes, I'd love to please step down into The Swiss Chocolate Box.  I've had a great summer.  Visiting this candy store in Portland, OR was just one of many great adventures.

Summer's rhythm is a jazz session with moments of slow, bluesy chords that slide along, no hurries, no worries.  It also has hot spots of frenzied beat, loud, blaring horns that set you to dancing until you collapse, breathless, then suddenly stops. 

I had dreams the other night of filling out forms and schedules and keeping track of the calendar.  School is starting in a few days.  Football has already kicked off.  My piano families are calling for lesson times.  The fall is a strict march - no messing with the beat.

Will this stricter rhythm keep me on the narrow path?  Will it bring more order to my life?  Or, will I find measures of rest and moments free for improvisation?

Journaling Prompt:  What changes of rhythm are you anticipating?