My Summer, Thus Far!

I wrote a poem earlier this summer called My Staycation. It says:

‘As I watch others run to and fro,
I just sit here in quiet and know,

That in Christ’s presence, I am free.
So, I slow down, develop and be.

I seek all that He would have me do,
I sincerely listen and pursue.

Both His statutes and mission for me,
I delve deeply so that I may see.’

So far, I have spent some mornings sitting by the lake while sipping coffee and jotting down my early thoughts. At home, I continued deep breathing exercises and practiced some of my Yoga moves to enhance feelings of being grounded and centered. Deep breathing exercises remind me of Thich Nhat Hanh’s book title, “Breathe! You are alive! “

Also, muting the talk shows and limiting the news have left me feeling less anxious. I have found a form of relaxing through a Word Find website. I find it rewarding as I add new words to my vocabulary, and I time myself to see how I am doing.

I saw the biopic of Elton John’s life called Rocketman at the movies. It was informative and as I wrote a movie review, I listened to his songs on You Tube. I felt his presence through his lyrics and the good memories rushed back in like a tidal wave.

But my mainstay has been reading. Francis Bacon reminds us that, “Reading makes full man; conference a ready man and writing an exact man.” Thus far, I have digested eleven books and reviewed them on both Amazon and Goodreads.

From the Victorian Era, I read Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell; Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser and The Bostonians by Henry James. They were interesting stories and I noted the various writing styles, learned new vocabulary and further understood why they are called great writers by the scholars.

On the British front, I read Constance: The Tragic and Scandalous Life of Mrs. Oscar Wilde by Franny Moyle; Hope by Terry Tyler and Lipstick by Peter Davey. The first title pretty much describes this little-known historic figure and the latter two are by current UK authors who I met on Twitter.

Back stateside, I read Clock Dance by Anne Tyler and spent time catching on Alice Walker’s later works. I have read most of her books over the years. Absolute Trust in the Goodness of the Earth and Hard Times Require Furious Dancing are collections of poetry. I took a host of notes to commit her spewing wisdom to memory. The Cushion in the Road and We are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For both encase her global speeches on a variety of topics.

It is the last weekend in July though the summer is not quite over. Those school bells will soon be ringing signaling summer’s end. But until then, there is still time to add on more memorable moments of this summer’s joy!

Lynn M.                                                                                               July 27, 2019

Rocketman: A Movie Review

Elton John is one of the most beloved and revered men on this planet in 2019.  I finally got around to seeing the movie Rocketman and there is so much to say here.  I first remember hearing of him when we rocked to Bennie and the Jets back in the day, as we say.

His songs have been the musical backdrop for many years of our lives and certainly for those of us who have been around for a while.  As he went through his changes, we went through ours.  This movie gave us insight into what sparked those songs during his personal battles.  Taron Egerton was so believable as the knighted one.

For starters, Reginald Kenneth Dwight was born in the UK and lived with a loving grandmother, a troubled and lonely mother and an impatient and distant father who goes off to leave the family. The movie shows him at age five, as a preteen and then as an adult. 

A lot of creative risks were taken as this biopic unfolds but we learn that Elton John wrestled with his own sexual preference.  His outlandish clothes, his cocaine addiction, heavy boozing and pill-popping were his soul’s way of screaming, “I don’t like who I am.”  One friend even told him, “When you finish killing yourself….”

His mother’s biting criticism, his father’s second marriage with two sons on who he doted and a love affair with a handsome but cruel business manager landed him in a hospital and a sanatorium.  The only constants in his life were his grandmother who had escorted him to the Royal Academy of Music years earlier and his songwriter and loyal friend, Bernie Taupin. He and Bernie remain friends and business partners today.

Thank goodness Elton John finally accepted himself for the gods know how to create a genius. One line in the movie said, in essence, “You have to kill the person you are so that you can become the person you were meant to be.”  He found a level of balance and peace through grace and we are all the richer for it. 

I only wish that more of his songs had been played in full length, but a movie only has so much reel time. So, I have done the next best thing and took to YouTube as I continue to enjoy the music of the incomparable Sir Elton John! 

Push play and Listen to Someone Saved My Life Tonight! 

      Lynn M.                                                                                                          July 20, 2019

 

 

Creative Expression!

Creativity can unfold in many forms and shapes.  If one thing is not shaking, then we can try something else to unleash the creative spirit within us.  There are so many ways to open new channels. 

I recently communicated with a fellow writer and she said that she was trying some new things.  She meant that she was funneling her energy in new media formats.  She had not written a new book, but she was doing more online interviews and articles and has found newer ways to stay in the creative mode.

It helps to unload and get rid of some of the inner angst on many levels.  Journaling is a great way to talk to that silent friend and let those emotions fly on paper and then disintegrate into nothingness.  It is like letting out a big sigh of relief!

If no new ideas for a book project have, as Alice Walker said, “crawled in,” then we can find other ways to color our worlds.  We can always blog, write poetry or even paint for that matter.  Ernest Hemingway spoke of how painters influenced his writing and said, “ I was learning something from the painting of Cezanne that made writing simple true sentences far from enough to make the stories have the dimensions that I was trying to put in them.”

Lately, I have been creating e-cards for family members and close friends.  They have worked as a panacea for both the receiver and me, the giver.  As I acknowledged special events, I found increased calmness as I worked with pictures, colors, designs and fonts. I took the time to personalize each birthday, anniversary and sympathy card and found myself deeply engaged during the process.

Many have found peaceful rewards through a host of activities like doodling, whittling, drawing, knitting, crocheting, glass staining  and of course, the list is endless.  They offer quiet  gifts and no talking is required. What a great outlet!

Lynn M.                                                                                                         July 13, 2019

 

 

 

My Staycation!

 

 

 

 

As I watch others run to and fro,
I just sit here in quiet and know,

That in Christ’s presence, I am free.
So, I slow down, develop and be.

I seek all that He would have me do,
I sincerely listen and pursue.

Both His statutes and mission for me,
I delve deeply so that I may see.

Lynn M.                                                         July 6, 2019