Something IS happening in my world and has me very consumed. A continuation of past, present and future merge is afoot. My reunion with eleanor was wonderful and we are working on another blog for our upcoming 40 year high school reunion. It's a continuation of our HS Literary magazine of which E was once editor. Can't articuate the elation I am experiencing. Suffice it to say I took E to Davenport for dinner, and with the Scariachis looking o'er us, we told stories like the writers we are. E has been doing morning pages, too, with her cat on her lap for some time now. See, I knew you two were connected. I'm excited about your visit. XXXM
- posted by http://leavingdodge.blogspot.com/ @ 9:13 AM

 
OMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
- posted by http://leavingdodge.blogspot.com/ @ 8:03 AM

 
Wow a new look--much cooler. Anyway this is a brief check-in since I am very time limited and don't have time to write. Your polar bear piece was so nice and it made me think of the red furious. Both of my dogs have really toxic breath and the furious especially has the defend to the death gene. And yet, I bury my fingers in that red fur or feel her face on my bare feet and I feel like I am part of god's world and one with his creatures. Much seems to be happening. I am preparing for Eleanor's visit. (I always called her Aelenor in writing. More anon...XXXXXXXXM
- posted by http://leavingdodge.blogspot.com/ @ 9:52 AM

 
Okay, so first, there are no rules and so there is no way to "CHEAT". Une lettre is okay as is everything else, how about that? Everything I'm writing lately is a travelogue and I think that's okay. I THINK the point is to learn to put it out there and for whatever reasons, we are each other's audiences.

I THINK this is about putting things in writing and exchanging information; about stream of consciousness. About evolution. There is a GREAT episode of West Wing (WW) in which Laura Dern plays the Poet Laureate. She says that her (the artists') job is to captivate for as long as she has an audience and anything else (truth, for example) that happens along the way is gravy. I'm paraphrasing of course. And so.

Eleanor sent this "The traditional belief is that the soul of the departed one hovers close to us for 49 days after death, when it begins to move out further, to parts unknown" . That the 49 days of observances ended on the Buddha Moon is very auspicious and I wouldn't have known that if you hadn't pointed it out. We need to exchange these important facts and use them.

There are no "rules". All entries are prayers for us as writers.

"The word which is often translated simply as prayer means literally'wish-path'...It is not a request to an external deity, but a method of purifying and directing the mind. It acts as an inspiration by arousing the mind's inherent desire for good, which attracts the fulfillment of this aim."
- from intro to the Inspiration-Prayers

Why do you think the polar bear is your totem animal? What does she say to you? XXXXXXXXXXXXXM
- posted by http://leavingdodge.blogspot.com/ @ 9:00 AM

 
Morning Pages. So. It's a Wednesday morning and I had a bad couple of days. I've been having little emotional breakdowns every few days and I think it's part of the writing process I'm in. I have started several pieces that somehow are parts of a whole but the form isn't clear yet. One piece was the remembrance I wrote for Billy and I just keep breaking off different pieces. The bummer is that unlike a "real writer" (Norah Jones, here) there is no objectivity, there is only me and the process is daunting.

Maybe that's the whole deal with writing (or being an artist). That you have to believe yourself to be interesting enough to keep digging and and captivating enough to put it out there for someone else. And you have to have the courage to go into some of those places and make yourself safe enough to live the emotional life it takes. Whew!

To be an artist, my bottom line has got to be that I do this stuff because I have no other choice. That's what I have to believe and somehow I have to find the faith that if I cultivate that belief, everything will be okay--that God will provide. I think that's what it will take...as well as community with the like-minded.

Lately, I've been pissed off at people in my life because they are not meeting my needs and, really, they are just not the ones I need to reflect back this particular part of me. And this particular work is hard and lonely! (whine). Billy is giving me lots of lessons right now and speaking to me all the time. My prayer is that I get strong and fit so that I can carry this consciousness that comes to me during the 49 days of his passing. (Did I tell you about the 49 days?) Today is the 49th day.

Which brings me to this: What are we using this Blog for? This is feeling very like leaving my diary on a bench in a shopping mall. Maybe that's okay. I was wondering if I should post the stuff I'm writing or keep on doing little artist exercises for the blog? Any thoughts mademoiselle?
- posted by http://leavingdodge.blogspot.com/ @ 12:24 PM