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What is Saving My Life Right Now (July edition)
Creative Living
January, with its Allure of Newness and Spaciousness
Once again, the time has flown by and it is almost three months since I posted here. Partly it’s because I’m writing so frequently on Substack, and partly it’s that the holidays took more time than I anticipated, no matter how much I tried to have a slower season. But I’ve been planning posts for you here as well and now that we’re into a new year, it was time to write and catch up with you.
I enjoyed a slow start to January, and needed about ten days after Christmas to catch up on sleep and calm myself down after weeks of activity and lots of stimulation. Do any of you feel this way after winter holidays?
Yet I also have this excitement about a new year beginning, even though I know we really can start something new or start over any time of year. I love to write down goals and plan out how to make them happen. And I like the discipline of a routine after a few weeks in limbo during late November and December. Below is a list of what I’ve been doing or thinking about, and what I’m planning in the next few months.
Re-committing to a Routine: This year, I plan to meditate and practice yoga every morning. And to work out and/or walk every day as well. I feel the need to be as strong, grounded, and healthy as I can be for whatever this year brings. And journaling every day is also one of my commitments.
Journals and Planners: Starting new journals and planners is such a joy each January. I’ve got several going for different reasons or needs. I recently shared a post about journaling on Substack, which you can read here (and do subscribe!).
- The Cycles Journal is to track my cycle, physical and emotional symptoms, moods, wellness routines, etc. This is my fourth year using this journal and I wish I’d had it in my twenties and thirties. I gifted one to my daughter and another to my niece in hopes that they’ll connect more deeply with themselves and their cycles this year.
- Molly Remer’s Prayerbooks on Lulu are what I use to write down spiritual things specifically such as prayers and poems, thoughts and questions.
- Woodspell Apothecary’s Planner is beautiful, spiral-bound, and connects me to the land, the moon and herbal medicine. It’s my third year using this planner and I love it more than ever.
- The Bullet Journal is where I write daily lists, goals for the month and year, and record other things such as favorites lists.
- We’Moon Planner is feminist datebook with artwork and there are poems and short pieces throughout that are read from during Molly Remer’s monthly circles.
- Leonie Dawson’s 2025 My Brilliant Year Workbook: Biz Edition is a good way to reflect on what worked and what didn’t in my business last year and how I want to do things differently this year.
- The Life Organizer by Jennifer Louden isn’t a journal, rather she offers weekly questions that are very helpful for women, especially busy mid-life women, to discover what they really need and how to make themselves a priority in the middle of it all.
Journaling & Gentle Movement Course: I’m offering an online course called Nourishing Your Roots: discover what is healing and restorative for you this winter. It starts January 14 and goes through February 3rd. I hear so many people say they’re stressed, tired, sick, unmotivated, and don’t seem to have clarity about their lives and goals. Journaling is one way to get focused and clear on what you really need and want in order to heal and have a more nourishing life. And movement helps us connect with our bodies, supports our immune systems, and lifts our mood. If you’re a paid member of either my Patreon or Substack, this course is free to you. Or you can sign up on my website, here.
A few of the books I’m reading this month (because there are always more):
- This is Happiness by Niall Williams. I read Time of the Child just as Christmas was arriving and had to go back and read This is Happiness. So Irish, so full of characters that have a lot of life in them, such good stories.
- The Art of Possibility by Benjamin Zander and Rosamund Stone Zander. I’m reading this one for my Substack’s Book Club. You can subscribe here.
- Anne’s House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery–I started reading through the series again in the late Autumn for comfort and to escape the harshness of the world scene.
- Wild Mercy: Living the Fierce and Tender Wisdom of the Women Mystics by Mirabai Starr. I am in love with her Prayer to the Shekinah in the beginning of the book.
- When God Was a Woman by Merlin Stone–all about the history of the suppression and destruction of the goddess religions worldwide. For someone who grew up in Christianity, there is a lot I never knew about the damage connected to even the roots of our faith. It is a lot to take in, but I’m glad to know what history tells us.
- Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. Yes, I still am finishing this one.
- American Detox: The Myth of Wellness and How We Can Truly Heal by Kerri Kelly. This one caught my eye and I purchased it on Kindle when it was on sale. So far, it’s worth reading.
- And I hope to start The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge. This is one of the books I received as a gift for Christmas and one of my friend Laurie’s favorite novels. I’ve been meaning to read it for years! Let’s see how I do with all of these this month.
What I’m learning:
- How to watercolor with Liz Steel’s Foundations Course.
- How to use the Digital Pressure Canner my son gave me for Christmas.
- How to format a book for self-publishing to Kindle or Lulu.
Projects I’m working on:
- I want to make a few new scrunchies. One of my favorites broke the other day and I looked at it and thought, “How hard can this be?”
- I’m putting together a few new sets for my shop: a Winter Skin Care Box, an Imbolc/Brigid’s Day Box, and a Valentine’s Day Box.
- I’m brainstorming new courses to teach for Late Winter & Spring which may include yoga, Ayurveda, herbs, aromatherapy, journaling, and/or meditation.
What about you? What journals, planners or workbooks are you using this year? What are you learning or what projects are you working on? What are you reading this month? Please do share!
August Themes
Three of the main things about August 2023 that stand out: live performances, the word ‘torpor’, and fear. And now that I look back I can see that they’re all connected.
Fear:
If there is one subject that came up many times for me in things I read and podcasts I listened to it was fear. If you’ve read the much recommended Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert you will recall her writing about how those seeking to invite more creativity into their lives need to choose curiosity over fear. A curious life is an adventurous one. We take a step toward our creative impulses asking “What if?” in a good way and see what unfolds as we bring an idea out into the world.
Fear never tells us to go forward, to try out our new idea, that we are capable, or that we can get past disappointments. Instead fear shuts us down before we start, makes us rethink our idea so much that we abandon it, or tells us why whatever we want to do is too risky. If we live a life led by fear, we will stay small and take as few risks as possible.
As an entrepreneur, I know this, and have to constantly fight with fear in my mind and tell fear to take a back seat before I do anything. I’d be lying if I said fear doesn’t win some of the time. Especially if I’ve experienced a fail or two or a period of low sales, etc. I can begin to doubt my ability to succeed at anything. I know I’m often referencing Brendon Burchard, and it’s because he speaks to the struggles of people in business and motivates us to action.
On a recent podcast about resilience, he says that one of the qualities of resilience is to get back up again and again as soon as possible and continue moving toward goals. The longer we stay down after a disappointment, the farther away we stay from success. And fear will do nothing except keep you down and hold you back. Ugh, right?
Torpor:
The word ‘torpor’ popped into my head in mid-to-late August to describe the energy I was feeling personally, and what I was sensing from others. Sales and interest in what I was offering slumped, everything felt suspended in time. Like we were all waiting for something and withholding decision making and action until whenever that something came.
And then I thought of the torpor which means, according to dictionary.com
- sluggish inactivity or inertia.
- lethargic indifference; apathy.
- a state of suspended physical powers or activities
And, according to the Cambridge Dictionary: the state of not being active and having no energy or enthusiasm. What were we waiting for, I asked myself? The hot weather to end? School or a return to schedules to recommence? The leaves to turn? Sweaters, apples and pumpkin spice everything? Crisp cool evenings around a fire? YES!!! As long as summer remained, there didn’t seem much point in trying or starting anything new. We languidly went from one day to another, without much inclination to do–we simply wanted to BE.
Live performance:
Alan (my husband) and I had several music gigs in August and at each one I felt so fortunate to be able to do this together. If you are a musician or singer you know what it’s like: each new place is an opportunity to win over your audience. And you’re hoping you can so that they’ll enjoy themselves, you’ll find satisfaction in a performance well-executed, and the management will notice and invite you to come back.
One of the highlights of our August gigs was at a winery near Keuka Lake. When we first got there, it seemed a little cramped and like maybe they weren’t going to have a good turnout or much engagement. Within our first hour, an elderly couple came and sat in the front and intently listened to every song. The woman clearly had dementia, as she would ask us the same questions again and again. But she enjoyed the music so much. After each song she would say, “You guys are great!” with a big smile on her face. We felt a little awkward yet honored by this. I think she liked Alan and she looked at him with adoring eyes.
Another party sat midway back on the deck: three middle-aged women and three twenty-something kids. The kids paid close attention to us and sang along, clapping and cheering at the end of songs. FYI, this is highly unusual! Most twenty to forty-somethings are glued to their phones, unengaged and oblivious to what’s happening IRL. This party eventually moved to the lawn to play cornhole, but continued to dance and cheer at the end of songs.
When we said we only had two songs left, I saw one of the girls make a dash for the taproom. A few minutes later, she came up to us, put money in the tip hat, looked me in the eyes and said, “Thank you so much! You guys are really good!”
That made my whole weekend. To have a young person who clearly enjoys music, perhaps is a singer or musician herself, come up and thank us felt incredible. Like we really did our job well enough to reach even the young people. And it made me remember to engage with musicians when we are out listening to music. To clap, to look them in the eye, to smile, to tip. While we were listening to a young jazz trio last night at cocktail bar in Ithaca, I thought how magical live performances of any kind are. All the years and hours of training and practice and rehearsals go into a live performance, a gift for whoever will listen.
And how are fear, torpor and live performance connected? When I allow fear to be in charge of my life, I can get into a state of apathy or inactivity because I doubt I’m any good as a singer/musician, so why even try? Why bother practicing? When I overcome these doubts, tell fear to get in the backseat, shake off torpor, and move forward doing the best that I can do (practice, rehearsal, and performing), the rewards of live performance, or any creativity for that matter, is that I used my energy to create. I didn’t stifle or hide it. And whatever the outcome, I can feel good knowing I did my best and I let curiosity, the “what if?” lead me where it will.
So, what themes did August bring to you?
“I Don’t Have Time For” Is Not a True Statement for Many of Us
What is the most recent you’ve said you don’t have time for? Is it a daily exercise/movement routine, yoga/meditation/prayer, cooking nutritious food, walking outside four walls, learning a new skill, or re-engaging with a hobby or interest?
I’ve said this phrase to myself or others in the past, but these days I use the phrases “I’m not making time for” or “I choose to spend time doing other things”. Because that’s the truth. All of us have time; what we choose to do with it is up to us. (There are some exceptions with amounts of free time based on privilege, of course, and some of the underprivileged among us actually have little to no free time.)
Take in this info though: the average American spends 3 hours per day watching tv and 3 hours and 43 minutes per day on their phones. You may or may not fit the average, but it’s worth pausing and considering whether you fit this picture. Even if you spend half or a third of this time on your phone or watching tv and you swapped that for doing something you love or you know would benefit you, so much in your life could change!
I’m coming clean: there are three interests that I’ve not consistently made time for in the past few years: painting, music (practicing piano & guitar & songwriting), and writing (journaling, blogging, writing poetry and working on my memoir). In my heart and mind I see myself practicing, writing & creating new music, painting something good enough to hang on my wall, and writing a memoir and poetry collection.
All of those are activities I enjoy and desire to do, yet I don’t make time for them. Why? The first reason that pops into my mind is that it takes a lot of energy and focus to sit down and create and the end result will often not be good enough to turn into a finished product. Key words: end result.
There will be plenty of material that I create that will be just part of the creation and learning process — basically only for the experience itself. And that’s where my capitalistic mindset has me. If it’s not good enough to create a product and sell/sing/play/show it then what was the point? Time is money. I’ve heard this over and over. And all that time will be wasted “playing” rather than working.
In her book, The Gifts of Imperfection, Brené Brown talks about 10 Guideposts to Wholehearted Living. One is that wholehearted people make time to play and another is they make time to sing, dance, and laugh. So playing is something I desire to make time for.
And I do dance in the kitchen out of joy or to let out frustration, but when I think about it, I can find production or habit stacking within dance. I don’t consider dancing a waste of time because my body is getting some movement in and burning calories. Another line of thinking that I’ve absorbed from our culture, so built-in it’s automatically how I think.
That’s why a daily physical yoga practice can be a fight in my mind sometimes too. How can I spend 30–60 minutes on movement that doesn’t result in several hundred calories burned ? Because unless it’s hot yoga or Ashtanga, it’s not a high calorie burner for me anyway. So then I still have to get my workout in.
And I’m not a naturally physically active person. I’m the stuck-in-my-head type who’s always thinking, dreaming, reading, etc. I often only work out because, firstly, I’m concerned about my appearance and only secondly, about my health. (More built-in patriarchal and capitalistic thinking. Ugh.)
And it takes mental and emotional energy to override these patterns of how we see ourselves and the world and do something different. To say:
- This is not the only way of living life.
- I can choose another perspective.
- I can do something just for the experience of doing it. There are other benefits outside of production, work, attempting to make my body fit the cultural ideal, or any other unhealthy pressure that has been foisted on me.
- I can choose to tend to my mental health.
- I can choose to feed my spiritual hunger.
- I can strum a guitar or practice piano simply because I enjoy it.
- I can sit with a cup of tea and even a piece of something delicious because I crave rest and delight and space to simply be.
- I can laugh and dance, talk to the plants, enjoy living.
I will always make time for work because I love it and because I live in this economic system and it’s necessary. I can also choose to make time for wonder, for awe, for rest, for play, for silliness, for being myself. I can take an honest look at how I spend the hours of my days and choose a kinder, slower, more intentional way of living.
What will you make time for today?
Friday Favorites (2/24/23)
Here are a few of my favorite sources of inspiration and learning from the past week or so. Enjoy!
Podcasts: As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been listening to Brendon Burchard’s Motivation podcast. It has helped pull me out of the doldrums and rekindle my vision for my business, my relationships, and my every day life. He’s a bit “Energizer Bunny”, which you might expect from a motivational speaker. I highly respect him though because he’s built six multi-million dollar companies with the personal growth, mindset, and business acumen that he shares on both his Motivation and Marketing Podcasts.
If you’re a business owner or simply trying to uplevel in any area of your life, give Brendon’s podcasts a try! Yes, you’ll definitely pick up on that masculine energy, although he preaches rest, relaxation, and refueling as well as focus, scheduling, and simple hard work.
Books: This week I read The Vibrant Years by Sonali Dev and was absorbed into the story from page one. It unfolds the story of Bindu, a sixty-something grandmother, as well as her forty-something daughter-in-law and granddaughter Cullie. These three women, at different times in their lives, are discovering who they are at their various ages, healing from past hurts, falling in love, and certainly not living by societal standards. It’s exciting, heartwarming, and all I’ll say is it ends on a positive note. I need this kind of book in my life.
I’m reading The Joy and Light Bus Company from Alexander McCall Smith. If you’ve never tried The Number 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Series, I recommend them so highly! I’ve been reading and re-reading these (on Audible only) for years. I love the slow pace, the characters that return in each book, the soft and witty humor, the conundrums and mysteries they work through and solve, the accents, the bush tea drinking. This is Book 22 and the next one in the series is in my Audible queue waiting to be read. They are delightful.
Essential oil blend: I am blowing my own trumpet here. Recently I filled some new bottles of my Winter Wellness Diffuser Blend, and said, “This blend smells so good!” And it’s very helpful for supporting respiratory health, decongesting stuffy noses, as a cough suppressant, and to boost immune strength. I’ve been using it in my bedroom diffuser at night to help keep my nose clear. It works!
That’s all for this week, friends! I hope you check some of these favorites out and let me know if you do. (For the full list including poetry, exercise, music, and more books, join my Patreon at the Literary Society Tier or higher.)
Be well,
Kim
What Is Saving My Life Right Now (January 2023)
Now that we are more than halfway through January, here’s a list of 5 things that are inspiring, delighting, and sustaining me so far this month. (The phrase “what is saving my life right now” originates from author Barbara Brown Taylor.)
Art by Molly Costello: Molly is a Chicago-based artist I discovered on Instagram. Their uplifting messages are what drew me in, so I purchased Molly’s “Fertile Futures: Practicing the World We Want” wall calendar. It came Thursday and it’s next to my desk. See Molly’s work on Instagram.
The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante: I watched the film “The Lost Daughter” last year, which is based on Ferrante’s novel of the same name. I wanted to read her books after that. These books have a very different, VERY Italian feel. Lots of melodrama: violence, screaming, shouting, death, poverty and wealth, and a unique, raw, emotional and intelligent story of a woman’s experience of life in Naples and other parts of Italy. I’m on the third novel, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay. These books are so captivating it’s really hard for me to put them down and go to sleep each night.
Vadham Saffron Premium Masala Chai: Although I am still a coffee lover, I’ve had to switch to tea and my “uncoffee” chicory/dandelion/cacao alternative because coffee seems to be affecting my dry eye condition. So unfair! Anyway, a friend gave me a sample of Vadham Saffron Chai last summer and I finally tried it before Christmas. It is heavenly and I am a Vadham devotee now. If you like chai, you will LOVE Saffron Chai. Get it here.
Music: Can I admit to still listening to the occasional Christmas choral piece, even in the middle of January? In the evenings, when the fairy lights twinkle and candles are flickering, and I’m beavering away at my desk, I love to hear these dearly loved songs rising and falling in the background. Spotify has this Christmas Market Playlist that I’ve played more than once
Lunica Planner from Woodspell Apothecary. When I saw this planner on Instagram in the fall, I asked Alan to get it for me for Christmas. And I’m so glad I did. There’s a phenology wheel, space for garden notes, a section for monthly plant study, rituals and recipes, and more. I hope the owner keeps these planners coming, because they’re just perfect for a lover of seasonal living/herbs/plants/lunar cycles and more.
If you’d like to read the full list, I invite you to become a patron in the “At the Well” Tier over on Patreon.
Making Space for Beauty
While on a solo retreat this fall, I had leisurely days and evenings to reflect on what in my life needs to be adjusted and what I’d like to remain the same. This was my first solo retreat ever and it felt luxurious to wake, exercise, eat, and rest whenever I wanted. Being an Enneagram 4, an INFJ, and an HSP (Highly Sensitive Person), I feel so relaxed with my own company and at ease in the simplicity of being on my own. I love all my people, my work, and my cats too much to live that way for long, so I’ll just savor the memories of that time and plan more for the future.
As I was eating my breakfast on the second morning, I listened to Krista Tippett’s podcast On Being for the first time in months. And I realized how much I missed these deep, quiet, thoughtful conversations that feed my thirst for beauty, wisdom, and inspiring words.
Then I began thinking about what else I had let go in the hustle and activity of this year. Poetry! I like to read some every day if I can, and listen to poetry podcasts like Poetry Unbound. Poetry speaks to my soul and feels like it touches a part of myself that nothing else does.
Another delight I had let go of is classical music! I used to listen to public radio all the time, take CDs out from the library (remember those?), and listen to albums on Spotify.
Lately I haven’t included Bach with my breakfasts, I haven’t made time for Mozart, I haven’t enjoyed string quartets or piano sonatas on quiet afternoons. And why not? I ask myself. It’s not complicated to turn music on. I’ve robbed myself of the opportunity for so much pleasure because I “needed to get this work done” and assumed I must take all the color out of life. Well, no more!
I resolved to include lovely music in my days, work or not; to listen to inspiring podcasts like On Being while I’m in the car or cleaning or folding clothes; to make time for at least one poem every day; to set the table with cloth napkins and a vase of flowers or herbs, to light candles even for weeknight dinners. There are many more weeknights than there are weekends!
By depriving ourselves, or even not actively noticing or making room for beauty, it’s almost like living in the dull, gray, unhappy part of Middle Earth that Sauron created in Lord of the Rings: devoid of warmth, color, meaning, and delight.
When I live this way for too many days, I find myself easily irritated or angry, depressed, anxious, and discouraged, thinking there’s nothing to look forward to.And how brief and precious each of our lives are. This year has brought several too-soon goodbyes.
We are made for beauty, delight, goodness, and meaning. Even if we’ve forgotten, even if we’ve fallen asleep or become buried under our to-do lists and the pressures that grown-ups have to deal with, each of us longs for beauty.
Perhaps it’s not possible for you to go away on a solo retreat just now. I remember all the years I craved alone time as a mother with two small children and a host of responsibilities connected to my church community. I would stay up late just so I could have a few hours of quiet after the kids went to bed.
It’s more realistic to look for an hour or two of quiet time alone to ask yourself what is missing from the current flow of your days. What brings you pleasure and joy that you could invite back in? A walk in the forest? A pot of flowers on the windowsill? Your grandmother’s tablecloth? Candlelight? A really good mystery novel? Soup simmering on the stove? Homemade bread? Composing music or listening to a favorite recording? Taking five minutes to appreciate the sunset each evening? Dancing in the kitchen?
You will know what you need, what will delight, inspire and bring a sense of beauty and meaning to your own life. Invite what feeds your soul back into your weekdays, your weeknights, and the so-called mundane will begin to sparkle and shine again as it did when you were a child.
These days of Advent, these ever darkening days and long nights before the Winter Solstice, are a natural time to turn inward, to ponder, and ask, and sit with questions. And to begin to intend and invite what we love and desire most of all into our lives, and into the New Year.
May you enjoy a peaceful Sunday!
Fourth Day of Christmas
Reader friends, a most joyous of winter holiday celebrations to you, if you celebrate any, and good wishes for a happy, healthy, prosperous new year.
This year, I celebrated the Winter Solstice/Yule for the first time with my daughter and husband. It was a simple, homespun evening baking, cooking, making mulled wine (another first), setting the table with fresh evergreens, crystals, and a beeswax candle, the reading of a David Whyte poem, and a fire in the cold, wild, and windy night. It was such a beautiful start to a new tradition.
And now, after a fleeting Advent season, we are celebrating the twelve days of Christmas, another tradition I’m building upon each year. I didn’t know till I was in my thirties that the twelve days of Christmas, now relegated to the song by the same title, is a long-forgotten but rich tradition that allowed the magic, joy, and wonder to ring out for a dozen days and nights. At the end of which is a twelfth night celebration, and then the Feast of the Epiphany or Three Kings Day.
I love these twelve days between the old year and then the first few of the new. We usually spend them quietly, with Christmas carols playing in the background, candles, trees, fresh greens, fairy lights, good food and drink, books, puzzles, favorite films, and creative pursuits. Yule, which predates Christmas, overlaps part of the twelve days, so as I learn more, I incorporate more delightful merriment into the season.
Whether you have children at home, adults, or you live by yourself, I encourage you to seek out beautiful traditions that are meaningful to you. They can add a depth, a richness to your daily life, to your years. They’re worth the work, the planning, and the extra-ness because you will look forward to the splendor, the enchanted, transformative quality of the traditions you choose to call your own.
I’d love to hear about your winter traditions and celebrations, wherever you are in the world.
Slowing Down for Sunsets, Sleep, and Smiles
My motivation and energy have been a bit tapped out lately. I’m guessing the combination of end-of-year school activity and a bout of anemia is mostly to blame. And a very full workload. Naps have become a part of my daily routine and I haven’t produced much in terms of music, writing, and new products for my business. I’ve read plenty of books, but that’s about all I have to show for the past month.
Usually, when I get into a phase like this, I just push myself harder and talk myself out of the slump. But this time, my intuition told me it was more important for me to recharge and take time for recreation. And to take an iron supplement. The second definition of recreation, according to Lexico.com, is the action or process of creating something again. What I’ve been needing to recreate is my sense of growth and expansion.
A few years ago, I had a two year period when I tried a lot of new things, took chances, and changed my life in dramatic ways. But it is so easy to get comfortable and settle into familiar routines and, basically, to shrink. Which is what I’ve been doing. I realized I needed to challenge myself to grow in new and different ways and do more things I’m afraid of. But before that, I took some time for rest and fun.
Alan and I just had a few days at home sans kids for the first time in three months. Rather than simply working harder, unhindered by family responsibilities, we decided to spend most of the time together doing enjoyable things like listening to live music, sitting in the gazebo as the sun went down, taking a walk and run together, watching a couple of films, and generally taking a break from our regular work schedules.
I admit to staving off guilt when I thought of all the tasks I was allowing to pile up. I thought of how far I need to climb to become a success on social, with my online shop, with this blog. My tendency has always been to work harder, but this time I knew it was time to breathe, laugh, relax, sleep more, and slow down.
At the end of our long weekend, before sitting down to write, I took a walk in the twilight. Redwing blackbirds sang in the cattails, the orderly fields with their rows of soybeans and corns rested, the trees at the edges exhaled, and I felt more connected to the universe and to myself with every step. I felt my imagination stir, and, as I turned back up the hill and headed home, I looked forward to work once more.
If you’re feeling burnout, I hope you can find or make pockets of time to relax and recover. Maybe you can’t take a weekend, but maybe one day or even an hour a day to do something you enjoy. If you have favorite ways to avoid burnout, please share in comments!
I’m Thinking About Trees (A Poem)
I’m thinking about trees, the ones standing
at the back of the house. Maples, in particular.
And how they are so clearly trees and
are not in the habit of having identity crises.
They aren’t wondering if they should perhaps
be like the evergreens next to them, or,
maybe, like the apple trees in the orchard.
After all, those pines don’t stand naked and
exposed during the coldest months of the year.
After all, apple trees have pretty pink blossoms
in spring and all those juicy apples in fall.
No, the maples stand sure with their trunks straight,
while their branches grow out their new green leaves.
They don’t seem to care if the wind blows fiercely
against them. They just dance along—their branches
swaying and bending, their leaves shimmying
with each gust. They have two aims: to root down
deep into darkness and to grow up tall toward
the light.
If anything looks like a prayer to me,
it’s how a tree lives its uncomplicated life.
How it gives itself to each day completely,
as only a tree can. How it stands rooted
no matter what comes and never tries to be
something it’s not. A tree is itself: a tree.
Poem by Kim Pollack /©2019 All Rights Reserved
Life of Kim 