Recognizing the Spirit in Things...

SMILING CAR

There are many who will be appalled at the fact that I name all the things I love. My RV is Wanda. My computer is Toby – it’s a Toshiba. My little red Toyota Yaris is Bebe, because she reminds of a little red ball bearing just rolling along. I have a little piece of polished citrine that I call my Gratitude rock and a similar piece of carnelian that is my Love rock. When I spot them suddenly and pick them up, I am reminded to be grateful for all I have in my life and treasure the love all around me.

This has been a habit of mine for years. Before Bebe, I had an Isuzu Rodeo I called Suzie. Officially it’s called animism, attributing human qualities to objects. Make no mistake; I do consider the things I name to have a personality, even a soul.

I know what you’re thinking, “What does this nut job mean by that? Things don’t have souls.” Actually, the idea has been around for eons, in other cultures. But the truth for me is that I can feel a spirit in certain things and beyond that it gives me great pleasure to recognize the importance of these objects in my life.

Come on. You know the joy of cranking your car engine over and hearing it roar, especially when by rights the thing should have quit long ago. How about when a little sweet talk seems to revive your tired and battered computer? Goofy? I think not!

Anyway, the odd looks I sometimes get when I refer to Wanda or Bebe don’t really bother me. I just feel a bit sorry for the individual who is missing out on recognizing the spirits of things all around them.

If I bother to get into a conversation with said individual, I find that same person will often admit to getting a strange feeling in some homes or buildings. What is the difference, I wonder?

How do you end a piece that reveals so much of you? I guess with a blessing to others – May you find the spirit in the things around you, too.

Generosity of Spirit

As I watched the Inauguration of our 44th President, I was struck by the tone of both his speech and those individuals caught on camera attending the event. On the riser and below on the Capitol Mall and even among those as far-flung as the Lincoln Memorial, faces reflected an unbounded joy, words spoken invoked images of sacrifice, giving and forgiveness.

The phrase that came to me was “generosity of spirit.” There seemed to be an all-encompassing ability to transcend past transgressions, old hurts, separateness, differing viewpoints, individual ideologies; what could even be called love – for each other, and mankind in general.

Generosity always provokes a response. Sometimes, it is an embarrassed anxiousness, but so often it is a returned generosity instead. Those who give without any expectations inspire others to give what they are capable of in response. So, a wonderful circle of benevolence begins to spiral into a virtual whirlwind of goodwill. Such is what I observed while watching the historic event unfold yesterday. It made me ache to be there.

I experienced this same generosity of spirit once in my life. We lived through the Northridge earthquake, about six miles from the epicenter. It was two men a few doors down to knocked down our front door so that my daughter, husband and I could get out All of the neighbors in our apartment complex supported each other, sharing bottles of water and food, barbequing meat that would otherwise go bad due to no electricity and passing it out to anyone who need it, sleeping together on mattresses set out on the lawn around the complex. The love and concern extended to everyone who entered our circle. I never felt more connected in my life.

The kindness remained for months, but after some time it lost its glitter, an unavoidable phenomenon, I believe. However, it is up to all of us, as a nation, to preserve that feeling, that generosity of spirit, as long as we can; call on it in the worst of times and enjoy it in the best of times.

It is my fervent belief that of all the good President Obama will bring to us this may be the most important.

Following Your Bliss

Back in the day, when I was cranking out screenplays, pitching ideas and going to seminars for screenwriting, I was introduced to Joseph Campbell, whose 1988 PBS series with Bill Moyer “The Power of Myth” was recommended by everyone, in part because Campbell’s ideas had reportedly been the basis for the Star Wars trilogy and Hollywood was jumping on the bandwagon.

I loved the series and drank in the phrase Campbell coined, “follow your bliss.” He meant that whatever it is that makes you blissfully happy is the thing you must pursue in your life and all else will fall in.

To this day, I fervently believe in that principle. Last week, I was personally elated, to the point of tears, by an example of the truth of that philosophy.

My sister, Julie, had been trying to get into nursing school, and finally was admitted after two years of applying, and to the program she really wanted at SAC State.

The critical part of this story is that Julie, after 23 years of working for a very stable company as a manager, quit her job to pursue the lifelong dream of becoming a nurse. She had spent a couple of years in part-time schooling, but then it became obvious that to really achieve her goal she would need to go full-time.

My brother-in-law, John, was capable of supporting them both, but it represented a big change in their lifestyle and sense of security.

Additionally, it couldn’t have been easy to leave a position where she had achieved no small measure of success for the scary prospect of finishing school and then getting a job in a completely new field.

I don’t think Julie was aware that getting into nursing school would be so difficult. What she discovered after getting top grades was there were just not enough slots in the nursing programs and most of them were based on a lottery system, not merit. So, effectively, her struggles to get all A’s wasn’t really getting her anywhere.

Happily, SAC State’s program is merit-based, and in January she’ll be on the last leg of her journey to finally being the nurse she’s always dreamed of being. Julie followed her bliss and all else fell into place.

When she called to tell me the good news, she and I both cried and then after we hung up I found myself choking up for about an hour afterwards. I realized a great part of my emotion was joy for my sister, but a huge chunk was joy that my belief in following your bliss was reaffirmed.

“Follow your bliss.” ~ Joseph Campbell

Moments of Unexpected Pleasure

This past Saturday I was making some leisurely sorties into various retail stores without any real need to buy anything. I tried on some shoes without finding anything I couldn’t live without. I explored Michaels for a half hour before I realized there was nothing in the store for me worth waiting another half hour in line. I dipped into Bath and Body Works and picked up a couple of unnecessary items, then finally wandered into Barnes and Noble to check out a book I’d been thinking of buying.

Once I located the book with the help of a staff member, who looked like he’d been run through the ringer this holiday season, I found a big, juicy armchair and plopped myself in it. I skimmed through the book and quickly decided I didn’t really want it and nearly jumped up to return it to the shelf when a certain weariness overcame me.

So, instead, I settled in. All around me there were people in various states of buying frenzy, most obviously looking for gifts. I watched them for a while before an awareness settled over me that I was done. I was really done – with making Christmas happen for my son, daughter, daughter-in-law, grandchildren and the sister whose stocking I was to fill in the family drawing of names. Actually done.

A sense of peace descended over me and I sat back without a thought in the world. My mind was as clear as if I had been meditating for hours to achieve the same affect. I listened to the noises surrounding my little safe haven and took the time to peer around me. I discovered a book by Judi Dench, one of my all-time favorite film stars, on a shelf a mere two steps away and retrieved it.

For the next half hour or so, I sat and looked at what was essentially a picture book of her life. For those of you who may not be familiar with Dame Dench, she’s the most current “Q” in the James Bond films. I find her incredibly beautiful and was somewhat relieved to find that she has actually aged very well. In some ways, her age has enhanced the beauty of her youth.

But the truly wonderful thing about this tiny pleasure was the unexpected nature of it. I sat until I was tired of sitting there, not motivated by any other thing. I had nothing that required doing. This freedom from worry allowed me to fully experience the moment, such a rare thing in this busy life of ours in the United States.

It is the end of a weekend now, and as I write this I realize that the thirty or so minutes I sat just looking and relaxing is probably the most tranquil and satisfying I’ve had in months.

Here’s wishing you a lovely few moments. After all, they are the real payoff in life, aren’t they?

Gratitude Is What It’s All About

Thanksgiving is upon us and it is time to express my own gratitude for so many blessings.

I’m most thankful this year for the incredible event that, in my mind, has proven our country is still the country of opportunity and capable of overcoming the worst and elevating the best.

When Barack Obama became our President-Elect, the joy brought tears to my eyes. Aside from the fact that I supported Obama for President, I was overcome that in my lifetime the people of the United States of America voted an African American to its highest office.

Although I felt confident in Obama’s eventual victory for the last three months of the campaign, since Geraldine Ferraro had been the Democratic nominee for Vice President and the party lost, I had believed that neither a woman nor a black could become President in my lifetime. It seemed that ignorance, hatred, bigotry and fear would hold sway for many, many years.

So, I’m deeply thankful that my country can now lift its collective face towards a brighter, more enlightened future.

Then I have so much more to be grateful for that it would take pages and pages to list it all, but I’ll give it the old college try to hold it down to a couple of paragraphs.

With all my heart, I thank the Universe for giving me the opportunity to seek my bliss, to place me in a situation where I can write, for once without a high-pressure job to juggle while trying to tempt my muse to visit me.

I’m thankful to have a job, a place to live and the ability to pay my bills. I know that there are many living in fear of losing one or more of these things and know that I am lucky.

Thankfully, I have people who love me and people that I love – perhaps the greatest gift of all. I spoke to one of those people today, and said I never feel lonely. Wow, how blessed am I?

So, for Thanksgiving I’ve decided to spend the day alone, finishing my first rewrite on the novel I’ve been squeezing out of my brain for more than two years and feeling deeply grateful.

My very heartfelt wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Clearing My Head

As some of you may have noticed, I've been away. A road trip to LA and a plane trip to Phoenix, of all places. But that's not really what I mean. I've been taking a break from writing, which has been welcome but unintentional.

When I finished my first draft of my novel in early October, I felt as if I'd just done a marathon, and I had, of sorts. I had just completed 100 pages in less than two months. That's the fastest I've ever written - long term. I found myself mentally and creatively exhausted. So, I ended up neglecting everything, including my journal, which I've been very diligent about for months now.

I have a very dear friend, who will recognize herself in this simple advice, "Take care of yourself and give yourself time." I took her advice, offered long ago for a completely different situation, and now I find myself raring to go again. I'm half-way through my first rewrite and on schedule to begin marketing my book when the new year begins.

Not only am I ready for rewriting, but this weekend, inspiration came to me again, (or Shirley for those of you who remember my muse's name)and I'm working on a short story as well as being driven to blog again.

I think sometimes we pushed ourselves to do too much in too short a time frame and end up not doing anything well, and perhaps more importantly, not enjoying life. Time is an abstract notion that we tie ourselves to, chained to minutes and hours that have no real meaning in our lives.

Forgive me, I've been reading Eckart Tolle's book "A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose." This is a fabulous book, but very difficult read, which has me re-examining everything. I highly recommend it, but don't strive to read and understand everything right away. At first I had to take numerous breaks, in order to absorb the very deep insinuations about how we live and what is reality. A good bookmark and ten minutes of quiet time daily should get you through it nicely in a month or two. As you'll see when you read it, there's no real hurry to most things in life - so why rush to the end of a book that will give you lots to think about on nearly every page.

And please forgive me my absence - but I'm back now. I'd love to read your comments on this blog once in a while. There are lots of you that read it, at last count about 200 readers, but few comments. Feel free to disagree too.

Wishing you a lovely respite from whatever you have overdone lately!

The World According to Technophobes

A few weeks ago, I was in an antique store and the guy on duty behind the counter was busy playing solitaire with a deck of cards. I mentioned that I played solitaire on my computer and was met by a grimace and “harummph,” indicating that the computer solitaire wasn’t real solitaire.

First, I wondered what made it so much more legitimate to manually flip cards over; not something that requires magnificent skill in my mind. Then I made the connection; he was discounting it because a computer – or technology – was involved.

I have been exposed to a number of technophobes in the past few months, which I’ve borne with as much equanimity has I could muster. However, yesterday a conversation with some co-workers, about how wonderful the internet is, sparked me to remember just how much my life has changed for the better since its inception (as well as that of others who embrace rather than discard technology.)

I probably appreciated technology the most as a reporter. First, the internet made fact-checking and information gathering a whiz. I couldn’t imagine the lives of those who had gone before and had to make trips to a library to get their articles together. Don’t get me wrong – I love libraries. However, being able to Google (see, even our language has changed radically as a result of the advance of computer sciences) something, and receive hundreds of thousands of references, transformed the art of journalism and many other disciplines.

While being able to email someone has reduced the amount of real mail we receive, most people would trade off instant communications for the aesthetics of receiving the occasional letter. Now, it seems, our biggest problem in this regard, is not becoming a slave to our email. Culling through the spam and irritating fluff emails can be annoying. Still, I’d never want to have to go back to having only the options of mail, telephone or, God forbid, telegraph messages.

Cell phones are the most maligned of the newer electronic devices. I often hear sarcastic remarks like: “What in the world did we ever do without cell phones?” Actually, this is an easy question to answer. We worried about our spouses and children when they didn’t get home when we expected them, where now we dial them for an update. We got to the grocery store and forgot what it was we needed and usually went home without a critical item, when now we can just call home for help. We got stranded on a lonely road in the middle of the night and were dependent on a stranger to come along and help us out, instead of being able to call the police or AAA.

Now, let’s talk about one of my favorite technological advances – the digital camera. How freeing is it to snap shot after shot, never having to worry about running out of film or the expense of printing all the horrible pictures along with the few gems? I have gotten the best photos by simply shooting several of every possible scenario. In the old days, I’d have to be very careful not to waste film. Also, I can now store all my photo on my computer, email copies to others, print only the ones I want and take an unlimited number of shots. Wow!

There are so many more innovations – Ipods, camera phones, GPS devices – it would take forever to cover all the enhancements that technology has and continues to provide. I, for one, am thrilled to be living in the age of technology.

I wonder what they will call this period in 100 years?