Love all that too Eamon! I equate this topic to the phrase, “stop and smell the roses” which I do every time I pass them in my front yard. I have loved cultivating roses over the last two decades and love the relationship that I have with them, the whole plant, each individual bud and bloom, and the process of cultivating and cutting the stems just right, in the right place, above a little pink nubby, and on a downward diagonal angle to allow another stem, then flower(s) to grow in its place.
I’d love an ecological metaphor for when life brings a lot of dis-ease into a body. Due to tremendous “complicated grief” (actual diagnosis), and serious life stress and midlife crisis, I’m experiencing worsening of an autoimmune disorder I’ve had since I was 12, bringing me closer to having two reverse total shoulder replacements, a second total knee replacement, an ankle fusion, hardware removal from a past ankle injury/surgery from a fall plus, new chronic diagnoses affecting my kidneys, liver, gallbladder and GI system. Ironically, I’ve never been better at taking care of myself, being proactive with my health and eating, meditating, stretching, etc., than I have over the last two and a half years…and still…
”the hits just keep on coming!”
I’m working on my health through western medicine with phenomenal doctors and facilities, eastern medicine and exploring more alternative healing modalities, all with the eventual goal of finding a way to heal myself of all of it and return again to the balance I had as a child who danced for a living.
That may be too many things for one metaphor, but I love the way you connect life to the beautiful planet we get to live on and call home and so if you’re ever looking for a new topic, that’s when I would adore Reading. Thank you for sharing your gift for metaphor and science as it relates to life on Mother Earth. 🌎🌏🌍🌱🌲🌳🌵🪴🪺🍁🍂🍃🎋🪹🍄🐚🪸🪨🌾💐🌷🌹🥀🪻🪷🌺🌸🌼🌻🌞🌝🌛🌜🌚🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌙🪐💫⭐️🌟✨⚡️☄️💥🔥🌪️🌈☀️🌤️⛅️🌥️☁️🌦️🌧️⛈️🌩️🌨️❄️🌬️💨💧💦🫧☔️☂️🌊🌫️
Love that meandering is a legit term to explain natural phenomena and also so resonant on our silly human level. Really feeling this right now in my life.
Sarah I discovered you and your glorious writing this cool Friday morning sitting in the sun as I meandered down a rabbit hole from Austin Kleon’s newsletter. I love drawing the maps of each week’s adventures, from rabbit hole to rabbit hole 🕳️. Like learning of a wonderful woodcut artist from the picture of 2 owls to illustrate an article.
I’m struck by how impactful your writing is to me as I’ve journeyed in this rabbit hole. I too am sensitive, often depressed, grew up finding shelter in nature and set my vector on environmental science when I couldn’t be an astronaut. Your article made me think that perhaps we all start as vectors, through the straight granite channels of schooling. We fight to keep the channel straight in our 20s and 30s while building homes, families and careers - listening to closely to articles and self help books of societal “shoulds”. But by our 60s where I now reside we have learned to meander. And I wonder how much more I will be able to increase my meandering amplitude in the years to come.
I must remember to thank Austin for the gift of that initial rabbit hole.
Karen, thank you for your beautiful and thoughtful words. They have absolutely made my (cool, drizzly) Wednesday morning. I am still always shocked when the art i make for myself resonates with others in the same pitch. I am especially grateful that you found this through various rabbit holes, for your thoughts and kindness.
I do think we all struggle with the vector of Should - and even when we stray from it, it can be even more painful to be an outlier. But at the end of the day, rivers seem so happy and peaceful in their meandering! There’s got to be some wisdom to that.
Love all that too Eamon! I equate this topic to the phrase, “stop and smell the roses” which I do every time I pass them in my front yard. I have loved cultivating roses over the last two decades and love the relationship that I have with them, the whole plant, each individual bud and bloom, and the process of cultivating and cutting the stems just right, in the right place, above a little pink nubby, and on a downward diagonal angle to allow another stem, then flower(s) to grow in its place.
I’d love an ecological metaphor for when life brings a lot of dis-ease into a body. Due to tremendous “complicated grief” (actual diagnosis), and serious life stress and midlife crisis, I’m experiencing worsening of an autoimmune disorder I’ve had since I was 12, bringing me closer to having two reverse total shoulder replacements, a second total knee replacement, an ankle fusion, hardware removal from a past ankle injury/surgery from a fall plus, new chronic diagnoses affecting my kidneys, liver, gallbladder and GI system. Ironically, I’ve never been better at taking care of myself, being proactive with my health and eating, meditating, stretching, etc., than I have over the last two and a half years…and still…
”the hits just keep on coming!”
I’m working on my health through western medicine with phenomenal doctors and facilities, eastern medicine and exploring more alternative healing modalities, all with the eventual goal of finding a way to heal myself of all of it and return again to the balance I had as a child who danced for a living.
That may be too many things for one metaphor, but I love the way you connect life to the beautiful planet we get to live on and call home and so if you’re ever looking for a new topic, that’s when I would adore Reading. Thank you for sharing your gift for metaphor and science as it relates to life on Mother Earth. 🌎🌏🌍🌱🌲🌳🌵🪴🪺🍁🍂🍃🎋🪹🍄🐚🪸🪨🌾💐🌷🌹🥀🪻🪷🌺🌸🌼🌻🌞🌝🌛🌜🌚🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌙🪐💫⭐️🌟✨⚡️☄️💥🔥🌪️🌈☀️🌤️⛅️🌥️☁️🌦️🌧️⛈️🌩️🌨️❄️🌬️💨💧💦🫧☔️☂️🌊🌫️
Thank you for your writing!
Love that meandering is a legit term to explain natural phenomena and also so resonant on our silly human level. Really feeling this right now in my life.
Sarah I discovered you and your glorious writing this cool Friday morning sitting in the sun as I meandered down a rabbit hole from Austin Kleon’s newsletter. I love drawing the maps of each week’s adventures, from rabbit hole to rabbit hole 🕳️. Like learning of a wonderful woodcut artist from the picture of 2 owls to illustrate an article.
I’m struck by how impactful your writing is to me as I’ve journeyed in this rabbit hole. I too am sensitive, often depressed, grew up finding shelter in nature and set my vector on environmental science when I couldn’t be an astronaut. Your article made me think that perhaps we all start as vectors, through the straight granite channels of schooling. We fight to keep the channel straight in our 20s and 30s while building homes, families and careers - listening to closely to articles and self help books of societal “shoulds”. But by our 60s where I now reside we have learned to meander. And I wonder how much more I will be able to increase my meandering amplitude in the years to come.
I must remember to thank Austin for the gift of that initial rabbit hole.
Karen, thank you for your beautiful and thoughtful words. They have absolutely made my (cool, drizzly) Wednesday morning. I am still always shocked when the art i make for myself resonates with others in the same pitch. I am especially grateful that you found this through various rabbit holes, for your thoughts and kindness.
I do think we all struggle with the vector of Should - and even when we stray from it, it can be even more painful to be an outlier. But at the end of the day, rivers seem so happy and peaceful in their meandering! There’s got to be some wisdom to that.
Thank you again for your words 🤍🫶🏻