Some personal, some global. Without a doubt these past two weeks have had more than the average share of troubling news.
So how to cope?
There are two processes I use that are effective in taking anger, despair and/or any sense of hopelessness and embroidering them — as constructive threads — into the fabric of my life. With compassion and intentionality they are woven into this ever widening tapestry. They are not seen as separate from all the other colorful threads; discarded as irrelevant or not being part of the original design.
So, what helps me continue with my life’s weaving? Firstly, I gather a few friends and take a walk out to The Point or other wild aspect of Windgrove.
Sitting on top of a cliff while watching the waves crash 50 or so feet directly below one’s overhanging feet is enough to power up anyone’s flattened battery. When the big sets roll in, nothing but positive energy — even if verging on the scary — envelopes the body (along with a bit of salty spray). The irony of being in all this chaotic mess of wave does not escape me. It informs.
Secondly, I find going into the sheltered cave of my home with a piece of wood, a few carving tools, a warm fire accompanied with a mug of coffee in the morning and a glass of wine in the evening is extremely effective in bringing about a bit of equilibrium to the day.
Pictured on the dining room table is a walking stick I’m carving for my mentor, fairy godfather and dearest friend Paulus Berensohn who will celebrate his 80th crazy year in a couple of weeks.
In the 37 years Paulus has been in my life, among the many learnings, the most important is this: It is okay to drag along a suitcase full of shadowy fears, vulnerabilities and anxieties for this is where your muse resides.
Listen to what she is trying to tell you and then use this information to live artistically/Artistically to help both yourself and the world around you in this “one wild and precious life” you have been given.
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