Sunday, December 4, 2011

Earlier I mentioned the request from a friend to write about my spirituality and I've given that a lot of thought. One of the reasons I am writing this blog is to integrate my weaving, gardening and spirituality. When it comes down to it, though, I'd have to say my spirituality has become quite integrated into all aspects of my life. That is not something I could have said even a year ago, but my day starts with reading, yoga and meditation, and though I can't say I am constantly aware of my spiritual path, it is something I am aware of on and off each day, all day. I hope that doesn't sound arrogant. I guess it might. I don't mean to sound like I have everything figured out. I know when my life gets rocky or when days are crazy busy this integration fades to the background, but I feel so fortunate to be in a time of my life when, for the most part, I feel pretty grounded and connected.

I'll have to admit that the long gaps between my blog postings, though, have something to do with my desire to stay in a spiritual mindset. I have worked hard to avoid those mental conversations with myself or those practice conversations with others. You know, when you are preparing for some potential future encounter that may or may not even happen. You know what I'm talking about, right? I stop them by shouting at myself in my head, "Who exactly are you talking to?" If you are familiar with the concept of "being in the now", I think those conversations keep you from experiencing life right now and I stay on guard for them throughout each day. 


As I have been doing more writing, though, I find myself composing a blog entry, or some other piece I am working on, in my mind as I am doing something else. I recently saw a Masterpiece Contemporary program where a character spent the whole time composing a poem describing his experience in his head while having lunch with an old girlfriend. It was exactly what I have been trying to avoid. I'm playing with some solutions, one being to sit down and write a little every day and then try to block the mental composing when it arises. Any suggestions from those of you who have overcome this problem? Please comment below.
 
As I mentioned before, it has been a long time since I’ve written, but I haven’t forgotten I would share why I think we had a good sweet potato harvest. If you have a soft heart for field mice, avert your eyes! I have this amazing mousetrap which I placed among the sweet potato vines a few weeks before harvest. I trapped numerous little rodents who in previous years would burrow down to my sweet potatoes and gnaw huge holes in them. I hate to have to do it, but I lost only a couple of potatoes to such damage this year. If you’d like plans for the trap, I’ll post them on my website, hopefully in the next day or so (www.TurtleIslandEnterprises.com). I can't post the plans right now though, because I promised myself I'd finish tying on the warp on my loom. I have a couple of handbag orders so I'd better get at it. By the way, I’ll put photos of my hoop house, and how to construct one on my website, too.

As a post script to the earlier entry, I would add that it hasn’t rained yet today so I was able to get the rest of my garlic in for a total row length of over 40 yards. I’ve decided not to plant potatoes or onions next season after poor crops the last couple of years. I think the recent excessively wet springs are to blame, but no matter the reason I have room for more garlic.



1 comment:

  1. I think part of the nature of being a writer is to compose things in your head at times other than when you're sitting with pen in hand. For me that's part of the art and I love when the inspiration keeps flowing. I do try, though, if I'm with someone and ideas start flowing to nudge them to the site and stay present. Or if I'm doing something else when the ideas flow, sometimes I stop the other thing long enough to jot some notes and then return to the other task. Flowing ideas for writing to me is part of the present moment and usually means that I'm in the flow.

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