“Am I going to change the world, or am I going to change me?
Or maybe change the world a little bit, just by changing me?”
—Sarah (“Sadie”) Delany, Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years
It’s fall! Can you tell? Our weather still says
summer, but that didn't stop us from a this-and-that weekend, here at the Johnson household.
My husband and I puttered about the house and yard, together and apart—a relaxing and
satisfying way to spend Saturday and Sunday.
Some of the things we did:
I began putting out fall decorations, with this little set
of votive candles I just bought. Everything else is in the attic…time to send
someone up there to bring the boxes down.
We cleaned our potting bench. My husband has taken up
vegetable gardening, so we now share the bench which I had let get into quite a
state:
Better:
I cleaned and refilled the bird bath and squirrel bird
feeders:
 |
| Ick |
 |
| Much better |
 |
| Come and get it! |
I found a little friend keeping the orchids bug free:
Scout enjoyed the warmth of the sun:
 |
| Baby basils |
 |
| Dendrobium Salaya Candy |
There was also a little laundry, a little horse time, a
little online puttering (Pinterest, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Blacksburg Belle and more), a little vacuuming, some
sports on TV and, of course, some reading.
I'm at my happiest when I'm savoring these little moments, small accomplishments and simple pleasures. I’m grateful I had the time to
slow down and enjoy them.
What did you do this weekend?
I found my own “treasure within a treasure”! I bought The Art of Happiness at my
library’s used book store, and this was inside:
A happy little surprise, and the simplest of simple pleasures.
What was your happy surprise today?
Jane Hirshfield, who lives in the San
Francisco Bay
The Promise
The Promise
Stay, I said
to the cut flowers.
They bowed
their heads lower.
Stay, I said to the spider,
who fled.
Stay, leaf.
It reddened,
embarrassed for me and itself.
Stay, I said to my body.
It sat as a dog does,
obedient for a moment,
soon starting to tremble.
Stay, to the earth
of riverine valley meadows,
of fossiled escarpments,
of limestone and sandstone.
It looked back
with a changing expression, in silence.
Stay, I said to my loves.
Each answered,
Always.
American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry
Foundation www.poetryfoundation.org), publisher of Poetry magazine.
It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2011 by Jane Hirshfield, from her most recent
book of poems, Come, Thief, Alfred A. Knopf, 2011. Poem reprinted by
permission of Jane Hirshfield and the publisher. Introduction copyright © 2012
by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as
United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress
from 2004-2006.
Since choosing “passion” as my word of the year, I’ve felt
peculiarly passion-less. Ho hum.
Frustrated and overwhelmed, yes. Lazy, yup. Motivated to pursue my passions?
Uh, not really. What’s wrong with me?
Apparently, just choosing passion as a watchword doesn’t do
it for me. I actually have to think about passion and do something to ignite it. In pondering this subject, I’ve found a
few ways to reignite my flickering pilot light—maybe you’d be interested in hearing
about what I’ve learned?
Perhaps the simplest trick is to set myself a specific and achievable goal. My horse, Tank, is one
of my passions, but this time of year because of the heat and humidity, I find
it more and more difficult to get myself down to the barn. When I’m there, I
often choose not to do anything with him, but groom him and let him graze.
Despite the whole “I can’t believe I have a horse” thing, I get just the
tiniest bit bored, and we don’t really make any progress as a team. Hanging out
is fine, but there are many things I’d like to learn—like trick or agility
training, and how to do equine massage—and I want to keep up with our Parelli
Natural Horsemanship games. While it’s still hot, I usually go to the barn
about three times a week. One of those days, we’ll probably just continue to
hang out, but I plan to have a goal, even if it’s a small one, for the other
two days.
Sure, you say. Adding something sounds great but how can I
pack one more thing into my full schedule? To make room, I take something away. Don’t tell anyone, but my favorite thing to
get rid of is household chores—I skip dusting, or order dinner instead of
cooking it. I don’t shop or go to the library as often as usual. I also reduce
my TV watching in favor of more enriching activities.
During the Summer Olympics, I watched hours of equestrian events on TV. I got excited watching those experts and their spectacular horses,
and I took that excitement with me to the barn. Whatever your chosen passion, search out someone who’s really good at
your shared passion. Don’t compare yourself or become discouraged because
you’re not as good—be inspired by her or his accomplishments. I’ll never be an
Olympic equestrian, but I can be a
better rider and partner to Tank.
Once a month, I take
a day off. I don’t do anything I
don’t want to do. I don’t clean, cook, do laundry, run errands. I write only if
I feel like it. (I always read!) Sometimes I go see Tank, and sometimes I hang
out at home all day. I try not to get sucked into mindless web surfing, but if
that’s what I feel like doing, I let myself. It takes a bit of life arrangement
to do this, but surprisingly, I find that after just one day in which I don’t
let myself work, I come back to the usual routine with lots more energy and
passion.
None of these tips is revolutionary in any way, but that
doesn’t mean it’s easy to implement them. Many days, especially during the hot
summer months, all I want to do is flop on the couch and watch a movie, or curl
up someplace cool with a book. It takes effort to pursue passions—but if I put
in that effort, that little spark of passion burns up into a steady flame. My
goal is to look back on a passionate life lived—not realize I wasted too much
of my time on the trivial.
What are your tips or tricks for staying interested in your
passions?
