Into 2010 we go...

Out of The Sandbox



Recess in first grade was a war with the second graders
A battle over who could build the higher sand pile
With little time to shape and mold pointed piles
Awkward miniatures of Kilimanjaro or the Mater Horn
The challenge was all consuming, six of us working
Steadily, quickly, but the second graders always won.

That day, I believed for once we really had them
It was near the end and we had them by a foot or so
Then, joined by others, they took the lead and the bell rang.
Another day of humiliation, why did we always lose?
With that weight, I started to the line, then turned back
The devil in my feet; ran and kicked their mountain down!

It felt good to get the best of them, see the horror, the fear
But their expressions were not about the sandbox war…
Something— Ahhhh! — Something stung me, whipped me!
Jumping, my arm twisted in the death hold of her hand, I jerked
She slapped again and again until I screamed in painful fear
I remember words about not turning back after the bell rang...

Then she let go, I walked slowly, every eye in the school on me
I couldn’t look up, couldn’t get in line, walked to the boy’s room
Locked myself in, bawled for what seemed hours (was ten minutes)
The first grade teacher came, talked me out, my mother arrived
Raised hell, had that woman called on the carpet, reprimanded
(Good old Mom)… events then fade; I don’t know what happened,

Remember mostly the sting of that hand, hard words, those eyes
My first encounter with the terror of pain inflicted by a stranger
Something bigger people called
The Law.

365 Lessons-Lesson 23: Nurture Creativity

My sister sent me this video yesterday. It was kind of what I needed to hear. The author of Eat, Pray, Love talks about nurturing creativity. I find it can sometimes be a hard thing to nurture and protect at times. Our passions can sometimes get squashed when the realization hits that we need to make a living and living our passion is somehow not going to be the way we do that. Life takes over, and sometimes, for me...remembering to nurture my creativity or in this case, my writing, which is my passion, is no easy task. It takes constant effort, but it is worth every step. Here's the inspirational video my sister sent just when I needed it:





Sometimes I feel like all the artists, dancers, and writers out there are known because they must be geniuses. I don't think so now.

(I painted this painting called Clear Fall Day in 2006 after a meditation course. I've never painted anything in my life on canvas before or since. This all goes to show that we all have this creativity inside us. We can do and be anything we want to be)

We all have amazing gifts to share with this world. We are all geniuses. If you are passionate about something. If you have a dream. If you are an artist, a mother, a dancer, a painter, a traveler, a knitter, a sewer, a trumpet player, a doodler, a whistler, a gardener, a whatever and you LOVE doing what you are doing, NURTURE IT! Believe in what you are doing and do it. If you feel happiness from what you are doing in life, that happiness spreads to all those around you. There must be something you do in life that makes you happy. Make that your priority. Protect it at all costs. When we are doing what we love we inspire other people to do what they love and it goes on and on and on like this. All of us have these gifts inside us. I am grateful for everyone I have met here because I see that you all are doing just that!