A book and a bouquet
- At January 17, 2018
- By Lisa
- In Experiences, Musings
0
While we travel to arrive at a destination, it has always been the journey which spoke to my heart. A long car drive home at night, quiet and uninterrupted, or the excitement that comes with lift-off. There is the ambiance that accompanies the sound of a train along the tracks, and the companionship of a book and a bouquet illuminated by the compartment overhead light. These comings and goings are the expectant beginnings and reflective ends of an adventure. The act of travel.
Years ago, I took the train to New York City quite frequently. During one such trip I decided to indulge myself for the ride home and purchased something noteworthy and something beautiful. A treasured book and a bouquet. When I arrived home, they sat together on my desk as a reminder of that most recent trip. Later the book took up residence on a shelf, its pages stuffed with ticket stubs, receipts, and postcards. I loved this whole idea of a book and a bouquet so much that they became my ongoing companions on Amtrak.
Read More»How I became a writer (and the single life)
- At October 31, 2017
- By Lisa
- In Musings, Writing
- 0
It’s autumn now. The leaves turn gold and red. The Morning Glory vines have shriveled and turned brown, the chilly nights altering their assent toward the roof of the porch. Autumn makes me self-reflective and I’ve been thinking about where I’ve been and where I’m going. I consider the paths and opportunities available to me and these ideas remind me of my youth when all things were possible. I became a writer partly because of my mother’s insistence that I become a reader. She told me that books would “take me away” to far away lands, introduce me to interesting people, and teach me about the world.
My mother would strategically put books in places for me – on the back seat of the car and on the tank of the toilet. Always a book and a Reader’s Digest. This was pretty good thinking on her part because where else could I go when in a car or in the loo? But as a young girl, I wasn’t interested in books. I was interested in bugs and hanging around in the woods with my dog.
Read More»Eight months repatriation in Boston
- At October 19, 2017
- By Lisa
- In Experiences, Musings
- 10
In February 2017, I was told that reverse culture shock might be an issue for someone like myself returning to the United States after five years abroad. When I was told this, I scoffed. I was simply too happy to have returned to a place where I once again … fit.
While I don’t dismiss the repatriation experience of others, for myself I have only had a few blips – like figuring out the ATM at the cash register, how doors open when entering a building, and the fact that the pedestrian street-walk buttons in Boston often don’t work. I have had no problems with reverse culture shock with the exception of perhaps navigating the work/life balance I learned in Sweden.
Read More»Being in our body
- At October 02, 2017
- By Lisa
- In Experiences, Musings, Wellness
- 0
It was almost shocking – the feeling of submerging my body into that crystal blue pool on a brilliant September afternoon.
I can’t remember the last time I went swimming. It had become a long forgotten experience and the sensation of cool water completely suspending me was so foreign, so surprising, that it took my breathe away. It was a visceral awakening and I wanted more. I plunged beneath the surface.
Setting myself to dry in the sun, I thought about the last time I actually inhabited my body? Meditation and yoga will encourage these feelings of mindfulness, but what about all the other experiences we have – the daily experiences – that we miss because of our too busy schedules, our addictions on mobile devices, and fact that we are all too often lost in our own minds. Or perhaps it is that we simply are no longer aware of the pleasures our body can give to us.
Read More»Thoughts on rebuilding a life
- At September 16, 2017
- By Lisa
- In Experiences, Musings
- 8
A friend of mine recently wrote to me asking, “How does one go about starting a new life?” She explained that everything in her present situation was unacceptable and she desperately needed changes. She needed really big life changes.
Her reason for writing to me was because, knowing my past history, she considered me to be a bit of an expert on the subject. I’ve gone about and reinvented my own life twice in the last five years – the first time through choice, the second from trauma. Both events were life changing and challenging, the second much more than the first.
Having given my friend’s question a good deal of thought – for this is not a question to be taken lightly – I wrote to her providing the only answer I could, “It takes something extraordinary”.
Read More»The Importance of Place
The New York Times ran a piece on their Learning Network, October 22, 2013, entitled How Much Does Your Neighborhood Define Who You Are? While the post was written several years ago, the notion of it stayed with me in particular because of the country where I was living at the time.
No, Sweden was not for me and the culture – while I had always dreamed of embracing it and did so while living outside the country – in reality, I found that it countered everything I held dear. The inability of being able to authentically express myself in word and deed stymied me profoundly both personally and professionally. The ways I went about marketing my business were no longer truisms in that Scandinavian country. I often felt as if my IQ was being systemically drained because very few people, while they were smart and well read, were willing to discuss what they read or how they felt about it. Debating ideas is not conversational fare at your typical Swedish diner party.
But, intelligence is not only based on how much one knows but also in how one expresses it. Or not. Gone were the days of healthy political debate and intellectual conversation. I missed them dearly.
All of this begged the question, would I – would we – be different people if we were born and raised elsewhere?
Read More»Your Daily List of Desires
- At August 19, 2016
- By Lisa
- In Musings, Writing
- 0
Tasks on a To-Do list can grow like the snakes on Medusa’s head. No one likes a To-Do list and yet we make them in attempt to keep our lives and our goals on track. But the thing about the To-Do list is that is becomes rather counter-productive as you check one item off and add four more. We begin to get the sense that, despite our best intentions, these lists don’t benefit us in any way except to remind us of how much we have to do and mostly how much we haven’t done.
Several years ago I wrote a post which suggested replacing the To-Do list with something that I considered a better idea – a Done list. That post received quite a nice reception so I thought I’d share the idea here again but with some refinements.
Read More»When Inspiration is Lost
- At August 15, 2016
- By Lisa
- In Musings, Writing
- 0
I am feeling absolutely non-inspired today. Yup, it happens. Every artist, writer, designer and creative person at some point has days (hopefully not too many) of complete and utter dysfunction. Perhaps, in my case, it is because today is Monday and after a weekend of activity, I need the day to regroup. I scan my apartment and see that there are a hundred pounds of laundry needing care, plants that are screaming for my attention, and I have a ToDo list which is making me anxious. I’m wanting to read too many books, share too many thoughts, and achieve too many things. It’s hard to sit and write when such distractions loom huge.
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