On the last Wednesday of every month, I serve up a potpourri of advice, inspiration and other tidbits I've come across in recent weeks. This Wednesday, we're not only near the end of the month, but also nearing the end of 2017. So today, I'm sharing some thoughts I want to keep in mind as we leave this year behind and move forward into a new one. We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out. -- Ray Bradbury Genuine compassion comes from the fact that you see your own limitations: you wish to be kind, and you find that you aren't. Then, instead of beating yourself up, you see that that's what all human beings are up against, and you begin to have . . . genuine compassion for the human condition. -- Pema Chödrön On the late-afternoon streets, everyone hurries along, going about their own business. Who is the person walking in front of you on the rain-drenched sidewalk? He is covered with an umbrella, and all you can see is a dark coat and the shoes striking the puddles. And yet this person is the hero of his own life story. He is the love of someone's life. And what he can do may change the world. Imagine being him for a moment. And then continue on your own way. -- Vera Nazarian Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. -- Rachel Carson Above all, don't fear the difficult moments. The best always comes from them. -- Rita Levi-Montalcini The happiness of life . . . is made up of minute fractions -- the little, soon-forgotten charities of a kiss, a smile, a kind look, a gentle word, a heartfelt compliment. -- Samuel Taylor Coleridge The human experience of aging is interwoven with vulnerability. And what if it's OK to be vulnerable? What if that's the point? What if wisdom and connection, depth and richness all spring from the shimmer of impermanence? You don't have to pretend the sensations of aging are comfortable, or pleasant, or wanted. But what you can do is be present as it all bubbles up -- the whole goopy, horrifying, colorful mess called being alive. -- Elaine Smookler, "Anti-Aging? No Thanks," Mindful magazine, April 2017. A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves.
-- Frederick William Faber
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I know. Thanksgiving was last week. But let's carry that spirit forward for awhile. Here are some thoughts about gratitude to keep us in that frame of mind. Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings. -- William Arthur Ward As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. -- John F. Kennedy, November 5, 1963 Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. -- Melodie Beattie At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. -- Albert Schweitzer Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. -- Marcus Tullius Cicero "Thank you" is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding. -- Alice Walker Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life . . . and the world. -- Sarah Ban Breathnach, Simple Abundance Journal of Gratitude I write about the power of trying, because I want to be okay with failing. I write about generosity because I battle selfishness. I write about joy because I know sorrow. I write about faith because I almost lost mine, and I know what it is to be broken and in need of redemption. I write about gratitude because I am thankful - for all of it. -- Kristin Armstrong One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. -- Carl Jung What are you grateful for today?
This month's collection of wisdom is a mixed bag, a reflection of what I've been thinking and doing since we returned from vacation. First came the obsessing over all the things I needed and wanted to catch up on, then the realization that I didn't need to do them all at once. When I settled down enough to set priorities, it was with a renewed commitment to my creative projects, both ongoing and new. I also spent some time reflecting on our travels and on the benefits of travel in general. And then, because my daily at-home routine involves at least a little attention to the news of the day, I sought guidance to help me keep distressing events in perspective. Finally, travels over and routine restored, I found comfort in being right where I am, right now. We have to fight them daily, like fleas, those many small worries about the morrow, for they sap our energies. -- Etty Hillesum I believe that if you do not answer the noise and urgency of your gifts, they will turn on you. Or drag you down with their immense sadness at being abandoned. -- Joy Harjo, Crazy Brave Work is love made visible. -- Ama Ata Aidoo We see achievement as purposeful and monolithic, like the sculpting of a massive tree trunk that has first to be brought from the forest and then shaped by long labor to assert the artist's vision, rather than something crafted from odds and ends, like a patchwork quilt, and lovingly used to warm different nights and bodies. -- Mary Catherine Bateson You throw an anchor into the future you want to build, and you pull yourself along by the chain. -- John O'Neal The more I traveled, the more I realized that fear makes strangers of people who should be friends. -- Shirley MacLaine We say, "Seeing is believing," but actually . . . we are all much better at believing than at seeing. In fact, we are seeing what we believe nearly all the time and only occasionally seeing what we can't believe. -- Robert Anton Wilson I have striven not to laugh at human actions, not to weep at them, nor to hate them, but to understand them. -- Baruch Spinoza Perhaps the most radical thing we can do is stay home, so we can learn the names of the plants and animals around us; so that we can begin to know what tradition we're part of. -- Terry Tempest Williams The little things? The little moments? They aren't little. -- Jon Kabat-Zinn What's on your mind as this month draws to an end?
I've been taking a time-out this month, doing some relaxing, some traveling, shaking up the usual routine. In that spirit, I offer a selection of quotes about leisure, recreation and travel. I hope you'll take time out to enjoy them! The healthy being craves an occasional wildness, a jolt from normality, a sharpening of the edge of appetite . . . a brief excursion from his way of life. -- Robert Morrison MacIver Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving. -- Terry Pratchett, A Hatful of Sky Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare. No time to stand beneath the boughs And stare as long as sheep or cows... -- William Henry Davies, "Leisure" Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us. -- Maya Angelou, Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now The only true voyage of discovery, the only fountain of Eternal Youth, would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes, to behold the universe through the eyes of another, of a hundred others, to behold the hundred universes that each of them beholds, that each of them is . . .
-- Marcel Proust, Remembrance of Things Past I've been a fan of Colleen M. Story and her blog, Writing and Wellness, since I came across her posts on Twitter a year or so ago. When I learned that Colleen has a new book coming out, I jumped at the chance to read an advance copy. What writer could resist a book titled Overwhelmed Writer Rescue, with this tagline: "Stop drowning in your to-do list and start living a more joyful creative life!"? Though the book has "Writer" in the title, the advice in it applies to creative folks of all kinds, and even those who don't consider themselves creative. In concert with the book's launch, Colleen has agreed to answer a few questions. Read on for a taste of what you'll find in the book. What led you to write Overwhelmed Writer Rescue, and how do you hope readers will benefit from it? I started my motivational blog, Writing and Wellness, in the spring of 2014. After about two years of interviewing authors and interacting with readers, I began to realize there was a kind of epidemic going on in the writing world. Authors and other creative artists were drowning. There’s just so much we have to do these days.
As I heard the struggles authors were having, I recognized them. I had gone through the same things and found my way through, and I wanted to help. I was working on my next novel last fall (2016), but my muse knocked hard on my mental door, demanding I put my research and experience together in a way that authors and other artists could easily access. My hope is that Overwhelmed Writer Rescue will help authors and other artists to create a better balance in their lives. Readers will learn more about their unique personalities and what they need to thrive as artists, and above all, how to better care for their creative selves. Would you recommend this book for non-artists who have artists in their lives? If so, what might they gain by reading it? In the interest of gaining early feedback and in making the book as high quality as I could, I asked several beta readers to read it. Some of them were not artists, and I was really happy to hear that they still got a lot out of it. The comment I received most often was, “This book would benefit anyone, not just artists.” People told me about changes they made in their lives after reading, and expressed how those changes helped them feel more productive. I think in our society today, most of us are feeling rushed and overwhelmed. There many reasons for that, and I go into those in the book, but it’s not a healthy way to live. The sad thing is, we were taught nothing about time management in school, and certainly most of us have little information on how we’re supposed to deal with the influx of technology in our lives. As for readers who have loved ones who are artists, the book may give them some insight into the creative struggle, and help them better understand how they can offer support, as well as how they can protect their own sanity in the mix! I've recently come to realize that the patterns and disciplines that served me well when I was working full time as a writer don't feel quite right for the phase of creative life that I'm in now. Is it a good idea to re-examine our habits and attitudes from time to time and tweak our routines accordingly? This is a great question, and something I talk about specifically in the book, especially in the chapters on “time personality” and “flexibility and persistence.” There are certain skills that once we master them, can work to help us reschedule our creative routines depending on the time of year and what’s going on in our lives. We all experience, for example, yearly fluctuations in our creative output. I tend to really burrow under and write during the winter months. Living in the northwest, going outside during those months is often really uncomfortable, so it’s easy to keep my focus on a book. When the weather starts to warm up, however, that becomes a lot harder. I want to be out and shaking things up. These are the times when I’m more likely to enjoy teaching workshops or launching a book or going to conferences. The important thing is to figure out where your cycles are, and learn to honor them. One thing we can count on is that things will never stay the same. Jobs come and go, family members need our help, and sometimes, our health needs our attention. How do we fit our creative work in when our lives are shifting around us? The more we know about our own creative selves, the better we become at fitting our creative time in no matter what. We are creative beings, so the work continues, regardless. It’s knowledge of the self that helps us weather the ups and downs with more ease. Writers are often encouraged to reach out to other writers and offer support by joining writers' groups, exchanging and reviewing work, etc. These activities certainly can be beneficial, yet they can cut into writing time. Do you have any tips for maintaining connections with other writers without sabotaging your own writing? Again, it comes down to balance, and to knowing yourself. How much interaction do you need? Creativity is a highly individual thing. (It’s why I have several quizzes throughout the book to help the reader get to know herself or himself.) Personally, I’m extremely introverted, which means I require a lot of time alone to refuel. But I really enjoy interacting with people, too, particularly with other artists. I just have to be careful I don’t do too much of it, or I get worn out and my writing suffers. Others may crave more interaction and may benefit by getting more frequent feedback. I think in this case, it’s more important to go by what your inner artist needs than to try to meet some sort of time or activity quota. You may be optimally motivated by attending a writer’s group meeting just once a month, for example. That may be enough to keep you going strong on your novel. But if you find yourself sagging after a couple weeks and you’re not writing, maybe you need to join a second group so you’re getting feedback on a regular basis. How is your writing going? How much are you getting done? Are you improving? These are the questions you should ask yourself when determining how much interaction/feedback you need. Keep to your writing schedule, but keep in contact with your motivation and energy. Can you share a bit about your own personal path to a more productive, less overwhelmed creative life? I’ve been a full-time writer for 20 years now, and honestly, it seems it’s taken me that long to really figure out how to balance my life. I’ve always worked really hard and for a lot of hours to fit in both my freelance writing and my fiction writing, but in my 30s, I suffered a serious back injury and had to write for two months on the floor. That experience woke me up to what I was doing. Prior to that, I saw my body and my health as invincible, and ignored the little signs telling me that I was pushing it too hard. After that happened, I realized I was going to have to change things if I wanted to continue to enjoy a healthy life, and continue to do what I loved. At about the same time, I got really frustrated with my lack of progress in fiction. I had penned several novels, but had yet to get a publishing contract. So I made some changes. I focused on working smarter rather than harder, and started to adopt some of the productivity techniques that I talk about in the book. I cut back on my extra-curricular activities, rearranged my schedule, recommitted to regular exercise and rest, and worked to gain a better outlook on my long-term goals. The results were well worth it. I’ve published two novels and I’m working on a third, I’m loving the work I’m doing with Writing and Wellness, and my freelance business is still going strong. But there is rarely a day that goes by that I don’t exercise, and do 30 minutes of yoga, and eat healthy foods. I take a two-week vacation every year no matter what, and use that time to reconnect to my creative self and find out what’s next. I teach music lessons and play in the local symphony, and get out in nature as often as I can. I think the most important thing I’ve learned is that physical and mental health have to come first. Without those two things, we can’t live up to the great potential each of us has. It’s not hard. It’s just a matter of learning the skills we need to create a healthy, productive and creative routine. Personally, I think it’s fun, this creating one’s own life. We have more control than we think. We just have to grasp it. Boost productivity, improve time management, and restore your sanity while gaining insight into your unique creative nature and what it needs to thrive. Find practical, personalized solutions to help you escape self-doubt and nurture the genius within in Overwhelmed Writer Rescue, available today at Amazon and all major book retailers. Enjoy your FREE chapter here! Colleen M. Story has worked in the creative writing industry for over twenty years. Her latest release, Overwhelmed Writer Rescue, helps writers and other creative artists escape the tyranny of the to-do list and nurture the genius within. Her novels include Loreena’s Gift, a Foreword Reviews’ INDIES Book of the Year Awards winner. She has authored thousands of articles for publications like Healthline and Women’s Health and ghostwritten books on back pain, nutrition, and cancer. She is the founder of Writing and Wellness, and works as a motivational speaker and workshop leader. Find more information on her author website, or follow her on Twitter.
In winter, our outings are mostly mission-driven: venturing out to the store to stock up on groceries, returning books to the library, braving the elements to go to yoga practice or to a monthly writers' group meeting. Summer, on the other hand, is a time for aimless wandering. Lately, we've been taking drives through the countryside with no particular destination in mind—sometimes only for an hour or two, other times for a whole day. A couple of Sundays ago, we headed out with the vague intention of ending up somewhere around Pentwater, a lovely little village northwest of here, bordered on one side by Pentwater Lake and on another by Lake Michigan. But we had all day, and we really cared more about along-the-way than about getting-there. After driving through forests and rolling farmland, we came to Cherry Point Farm and Market and couldn't resist stopping. I'd heard about the farm—one of the oldest operating farms in Oceana County—and its lavender labyrinth. We could see from the road that the lavender was in bloom. We parked and headed straight for the field where the labyrinth winds around and around a raised, circular herb garden. Labyrinths date back to ancient times and have long been used in garden designs. Unlike a maze, which offers bewildering choices of path and direction, a labyrinth typically has a single route to the center. Many people use labyrinths for meditative walking; the spiral pattern suggests a spiritual journey or one's path in life. Lavender, with its calming scent and medicinal properties, seems a perfect fit for the design. We didn't walk the labyrinth—my recovering foot was still in the boot, and I was avoiding uneven ground—but we did wander through the Stone Circle Herb Garden. The garden is designed in accordance with principles of sacred geometry, with a pattern of overlapping circles defining 36 herb beds. Bee balm, calendula and a full palette of other flowers were blooming, and the air was perfumed with minty-grassy-earthy scents.
The farm also hosts special events during summer--Tuesday Tea, with sweets and lavender tea, and fish boils on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings. And on Sunday mornings, Flapjacks and Fruit breakfasts. Just writing this paragraphs makes me want to go back and sample the fare at one of those gatherings. Lunch left us satisfied, but not quite ready to leave. We strolled toward the market—where fresh cherries, cherry pie, cherry turnovers, cherry strudel, cherry jams and jellies and other goodies and gifts are sold—but we got sidetracked at the Word Garden. Scattered about the sunken rock garden are smooth stones painted with words. Visitors can arrange the word-rocks into evocative or humorous combinations. I guess it's not surprising that the farm has a Word Garden. Cherry Point owner Barbara E. Bull spends winter months writing books—one children's book, two historical tributes to her family farm, and three novels so far. Just one more manifestation of Cherry Point's imaginative spirit. I left there thinking about how a touch of imagination can elevate the ordinary and create something memorable. From the spiraling paths through lavender, to the serene design of the herb garden, to the lanterns on the Board Room tables, to the Word Garden, this wayside stop was a rich reward on a summer day. Where have you found imagination at play this summer? Cherry Point Farm and Market is at 9600 W. Buchanan Road, Shelby, Michigan, 1.5 miles south of Silver Lake on Scenic Drive (B15). Open daily from April through October. Current hours are 8am to 9pm (shorter after Labor Day).
On the last Wednesday of every month, I serve up a potpourri of advice, inspiration and other tidbits I've come across in recent weeks. This being mid-summer, and finally being free of the boot I've been wearing for a foot fracture, I'm sharing quotes about summertime and freedom. How's your summer going? Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer. -- Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty Freedom is the basic condition for you to touch life, to touch the blue sky, the trees, the birds, the tea, and the other person. -- Thich Nhat Hanh, Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language. -- Henry James Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time. -- John Lubbock, The Use Of Life At these times, the things that troubled her seemed far away and unimportant: all that mattered was the hum of the bees and the chirp of birdsong, the way the sun gleamed on the edge of a blue wildflower, the distant bleat and clink of grazing goats. -- Alison Croggon, The Naming One benefit of summer was that each day we had more light to read by. -- Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle Again and again, the cicada's untiring cry pierced the sultry summer air like a needle at work on thick cotton cloth. -- Yukio Mishima, Runaway Horses: The Sea of Fertility, 2 Life, now, was unfolding before me, constantly and visibly, like the flowers of summer that drop fanlike petals on eternal soil. -- Roman Payne, Rooftop Soliloquy I have only to break into the tightness of a strawberry, and I see summer – its dust and lowering skies. -- Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye The crickets felt it was their duty to warn everybody that summertime cannot last for ever. Even on the most beautiful days in the whole year – the days when summer is changing into autumn – the crickets spread the rumor of sadness and change. -- E.B. White, Charlotte's Web Summer, after all, is a time when wonderful things can happen to quiet people. For those few months, you're not required to be who everyone thinks you are, and that cut-grass smell in the air and the chance to dive into the deep end of a pool give you a courage you don't have the rest of the year. You can be grateful and easy, with no eyes on you, and no past. Summer just opens the door and lets you out. -- Deb Caletti, Honey, Baby, Sweetheart 'Cause a little bit of summer's what the whole year's all about. -- John Mayer Read more summer quotes here.
As a kid, summer was one long stretch of opportunity. More time to play—yay!—but even better, more chances to make stuff. Popsicle stick baskets at Girl Scout day camp, Plaster of Paris plaques at vacation Bible school, clay doodads and woven plastic lanyards at my school's summer recreation program. Plus an imaginative assortment of creations my neighborhood playmates and I dreamed up, like costumes for our backyard circuses and hula hoop shows. Back then, none of us needed tips on how to boost our creativity. It just came naturally in those early years, before we felt the need to justify time spent on such pleasant pursuits. Before we learned to fear criticism and failure. I still see summer as an ideal time to pursue creative projects, and I guess I'm not the only one. The cover of the latest issue of Writer's Digest, billed as "The Creativity Issue," hooks readers with such headlines as "Train to Be Creative on Demand: 7 Ways," "Turn Your Inner Critic Into Your Greatest Ally," and "3 Artist's Techniques Every Writer Should Try." Inspired by the magazine—and those summer breezes wafting through my open windows—I went on my own quest for ways to kick start creativity. Here are seven suggestions that appealed to me. (Sources are at the end of this post.) Be a hunter-gatherer Collect ideas, images, random thoughts, quotations—anything that catches your attention—and stash them where you can peruse them at your leisure. That place might be a pocket notebook, a file folder (physical or virtual), a drawer filled with paper scraps, a box on your desk or a bulletin board in your studio. Resist the urge to organize your collection. Random associations that emerge from the jumble just might trigger original ideas. Create connections Speaking of random associations, you don't have to wait for them to appear, you can prod the process. On a blank sheet of paper, write down whatever words come to mind. The words can represent ideas, categories, topics or objects, or they may just be interesting in their own right. Randomly draw arrows between pairs (or groups) of words. Use the results to inspire a poem, a story, a collage or a painting. Doodle I know—you got in trouble for doing this in school, but now doodling is in vogue. Witness the recent book, The Doodle Revolution: Unlock the Power to Think Differently, which posits that doodling is no mindless waste of time; it's a focusing technique that helped Einstein, Edison, Henry Ford, Marie Curie and other brainiacs innovate and problem-solve. Last year I got hooked on Zentangle and found it relaxed and cleared my mind, making room for new ideas. And by the way, daydreaming is also allowed—it's a pathway to insights, a 2012 study suggests, because it helps us tap into memory, even in the face of distractions. Mix media If you're a writer, try your hand at painting. If you're a musician, write a story. Push beyond your comfort zone, and you'll exercise new creative muscles. In the process, you're bound to encounter other creative types and benefit from cross-fertilization. (For more on crossover creativity, see this blog post from last summer.) Establish a routine, then break it A regular warm-up routine—say, sharpening pencils, doing a few stretches, reading something inspiring—can be a wake-up call to your muse. But be sure your routine fits your rhythms. Maybe you're at your creative best first thing in the morning; maybe you don't get fired up until after midnight. Find your personal golden hours and make the best of them. That said, don't be afraid to shake things up from time to time. While routine can get you in the zone, monotony can turn you into a drone. For years, my morning routine has been some combination of meditation, yoga, reading over breakfast, then buckling down on whatever writing project I have in the works. But lately I've been altering the pattern—sometimes taking my camera out on the back porch for an hour or so before breakfast, sometimes doing my yoga just before lunch, sometimes writing in the evening. It's amazing how refreshing those small changes have been! Embrace uncertainty Decisions, decisions—every creative project seems to require a slew of them. Should I start my novel at the beginning of the heroine's ordeal or midway through? Should I add one more image to this collage or take one away? The urge to make a choice and move on is powerful, but sometimes it's best to sit with the uncertainty as long as you can. As one of my writing mentors advised, "Don't be afraid to get in there and make a mess." Eventually, clarity will come. Have fun! Your creations may not be all sunbeams and rainbows—how boring that would be! But whatever you're creating, I hope the process brings you satisfaction and a sense of joy. For me—and I'm guessing I'm not alone—joy is the juice that keeps the muse amused. What are you creating this summer? What are your favorite ways of summoning your muse? SOURCES "A Few Short Rules on Being Creative," by Thierry Dufay, HuffPost, August 14, 2014. "18 Habits of Highly Creative People," by Carolyn Gregoire, HuffPost, November 15, 2015. "How to Be More Creative," A.J. Jacobs, Real Simple. "9 Ways to Become More Creative in the Next 10 Minutes," by Larry Kim, Inc.com, August 11, 2014. "7 UP: These 7 simple exercises will build core strength in your creative muscles," by Gabriela Pereria, Writer's Digest, September 2017. "The Benefits of Daydreaming: A new study indicates that daydreamers are better at remembering information in the face of distraction," by Joseph Stromberg, Smithsonian.com, April 3, 2012. "30 Tips to Rejuvenate Your Creativity," by Joel Falconer, Lifehack. All but the first two images on this page are free-use, stock images.
Around mid-summer last year, I wrote about the energizing way a group of friends and I started most weeks: Monday morning yoga class with our teacher Ellie Randazzo at her Woodland Yoga studio and after-class breakfast at Hit the Road Joe Coffee Café. "No matter how I feel when I wake up on a Monday morning," I wrote, "I'm always uplifted and ready to take on the world (or at least my small part of it) after that session of physical, spiritual and social activity." My yoga-mates were all just as appreciative. "Her classes helped change my body from pain to gain," says Sue Schneider, who knew our teacher through Ellie's work with animal communication and essential oils before joining Ellie's yoga class. "Ellie's yoga was holistic like no other yoga I've experienced," adds class member Marsha Reeves, who's going on four years with the group. "She connected with our minds, bodies and spirits with loving kindness and helped us grow and learn in all those dimensions." Our Monday routine was such an essential part of our lives, we couldn't imagine it ever changing. Then it did. Just a few weeks after I wrote that blog post, Ellie's unexpected death left us all numb. Yet we knew the only way to honor Ellie's memory was to find a way to go on. She had always taught us that growth is all about adapting to the changes life inevitably brings. So we continued meeting and practicing yoga together on Monday mornings, with any class members who had enough space in their homes for ten or fifteen yoga mats taking turns hosting us. "It was an important time of sharing and healing, as we practiced in each other's homes, each contributing to the practice," says Brenda Huckins Bonter, a longtime member of the group. "I believe we became even stronger and more committed to our practice." That arrangement worked fine, but when Ellie's husband Mike offered to let us practice in Ellie's studio, we knew that was where belonged. Those first sessions back at Woodland Yoga were tearful, yet joyful. Even as Ellie's absence tore at our hearts, her presence was palpable—in her photo on the altar table at the front of the room, as well as in the memories of her words and guidance that flooded back whenever we entered the space. "It felt so good to be—and practice—in Ellie's space, with her gardens in viewing distance," says Valerie Deur, who's been practicing with the group since it began, around 15 years ago. "Being there helped me heal." After a few months, another change came—one so wished-for we pinched ourselves to be sure we could believe it. Ellie's sister-in-law, Behnje Masson of From the Heart Yoga & Tai Chi Center in Grand Rapids, agreed to drive up twice a month to teach us at Woodland Yoga—a round trip of about 80 miles. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect fit. Behnje's training and teaching style are much the same as Ellie's, and most of us already knew Behnje—through Ellie, through taking classes at From the Heart, or from the healing class she had led for us after Ellie's death. Though we'd enjoyed our self-directed weekly sessions, having a teacher to guide us again inspired new dedication to yoga practice and principles. Behnje agrees the fit is good. "I am grateful and honored to be welcomed into such a heartfelt and dedicated community," she says. After a couple of months of classes with Behnje, another change. Mike needed to convert the studio space into living quarters for a relative who was moving to the area. Sad as we were to leave that place, we could practically see Ellie smiling as a solution seamlessly appeared. Ellie's sister Kathy Powell Reider, who lives just down the road, was converting her basement into a studio for her yoga nidra and meditation classes. We were welcome to use that space for our classes with Behnje and our practice sessions on alternate weeks. More glad news: Behnje would resume the men's yoga class that Ellie had taught for a small group that includes Ray and the husbands of several other class members. Just before the move, a group of us pitched in to paint the studio and an adjacent meditation room a serene shade of blue. "Helping to prepare that space was an opportunity that helped us get ready for yet another change," reflects Sue. And working together on the rooms "helped us to bond even more," adds Brenda. Announcing the new studio in an email, Kathy wrote, "Though Ellie has passed, this place continues Ellie's work as well as mine." The photo she included with the announcement showed a shimmery presence that inspired the studio's name. "Both the land and the studio are special and have a close connection with all of nature," Kathy wrote. "The fairy folk were here before me . . . Hence, the beautiful space within my home where I will teach and host a variety of uplifting opportunities has been named Fae Wood Studio." To begin our first yoga class at Fae Wood, Behnje, Kathy, and Behnje's husband Rick Powell (brother of Kathy and Ellie) performed a puja (dedication ceremony), chanting before a figure of Ganesh, one of Ellie's favorite Hindu archetypes. Earlier, Rick had wafted incense through the room and around the perimeter of the house. At the front of the room, on a low table brought from Ellie's studio, sat a candle, crystals, flowers, a photo of Ellie and a statue of Lakshmi, an archetype who represents abundance. Before we began practicing, Behnje talked about bodha—awareness—not as a state of superior enlightenment to be attained, but as an everyday practice, becoming more aware of ourselves and the world around us. What a fitting sentiment as we move from these months of transition into a new phase in our practice and our lives as a deeply connected community. Some of the Monday morning yoginis. Front row: Nan Pokerwinski, Sally Kane, Brenda Huckins Bonter, Kendra McKimmy, Behnje Masson. Back row: Karen Kuck, Kathy Misak, Eileen Kent, Valerie Deur, Linda Cudworth, Kathy Powell Reider. Not pictured here: Marsha Reeves, Sue Schneider, Nancy Waits, Ruth Hetherington, Sandy Vandenberg, Tanis Rhodea and former class members Diane Sack, Peggy Straathof. "I like to think that the universe aligns us, but I'm not always a believer," says Kathy Misak, who has been practicing yoga with the group for more than a decade. "In this case however, I pause and think, this looks good . . . Perhaps we are a swarming group of honey bees moving together. I do feel that energy, including Ellie's, is helping us move forward. First Mike letting us continue to use the studio and now Kathy providing us with a brand new space to practice at a crucial time. And then, voila, Behnje, teacher extraordinaire, agrees to teach us in our own north woods. We take a deep breath and move forward in our practice, ever grateful." Eileen Kent, who is in her fifth year with the group, echoes the thought. "So grateful to be sharing this yoga journey with these lovely women! We are now in our new sacred space at Kathy’s that already feels so much like home. . . And that energy that touches our lives every day continues to carry us forward with Behnje’s guidance and instruction. Is there a 'Thank You' big enough for Ellie, Behnje and Kathy?" For more information on classes, workshops and special events at From the Heart Yoga & Tai Chi Center, please visit http://www.fromtheheartyoga.com/ Fae Wood Studio's debut public event, the Creative Imagination Workshop will offer a combination of meditation, creative imaging and intuitive exercises. The workshop is Saturday, June 24, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost of $125 includes a light, gluten-free, vegetarian lunch. Register by June 19th, as space is limited. Kathy Powell Reider also offers intuitive readings and individual sessions in animal communication. More information at IntuitiveSVS.com, or call 616-635-6029.
On the last Wednesday of every month, I serve up a potpourri of advice, inspiration and other tidbits I've come across in recent weeks. In the spirit of an earlier post on a silent hike (and having been forced into near silence by losing my voice over the weekend), this month's offerings are on the subject of silence. It's okay to read them aloud, though. Silence gives us the impetus for awareness and creativity. Sometimes our minds need to be emptied before our spirits can be filled. -- Ardath Rodale Do not the most moving moments of our lives find us all without words? -- Marcel Marceau Silence is not a thing we make; it is something into which we enter. It is always there . . . All we can make is noise. -- Mother Maribel of Wantage Silence is more musical than any song. -- Christina Rossetti Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving us wordy evidence of the fact. -- George Eliot In wilderness people can find the silence and the solitude and the noncivilized surroundings that can connect them once again to their evolutionary heritage, and through an experience of the eternal mystery, can give them a sense of the sacredness of all creation. -- Sigurd Olson, author and environmentalist Try to pay more attention to the silence than to the sounds . . . Every sound is born out of silence, dies back into silence, and during its life span is surrounded by silence . . . It is an intrinsic but unmanifested part of every sound, every musical note, every song, and every word. -- Eckhart Tolle, author and spiritual teacher Not merely an absence of noise, Real Silence begins when a reasonable being withdraws from the noise in order to find peace and order in his inner sanctuary. -- Peter Minard, Benedictine monk There is a way that nature speaks, that land speaks. Most of the time we are simply not patient enough, quiet enough to pay attention to the story. -- Linda Hogan, poet, author and environmentalist Silence is our deepest nature, our home, our common ground, our peace. Silence reveals. Silence heals. -- Gunilla Norris, poet and author Seek silence.
Gladden in silence. Adore silence. As one progresses on the path, one seeks silence more and more. It will be a great comfort, a tremendous source of solace and peace. Once you find deep solitude and calm, there will be a great gladness in your heart. Here finally is the place where you need neither defense nor offense -- the place where you can truly be open. There will be bliss, wonder, the awe of attaining something pure and sacred. After that, you will feel adoration of silence. This is the peace that seems to elude so many. This is the beauty of Tao. -- Deng Ming-Dao, author and artist, 365 Tao: Daily Meditations |
Written from the heart,
from the heart of the woods Read the introduction to HeartWood here.
Available now!Author
Nan Sanders Pokerwinski, a former journalist, writes memoir and personal essays, makes collages and likes to play outside. She lives in West Michigan with her husband, Ray. Archives
April 2022
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