I spent a lot of yesterday in intentional thought. Thinking on purpose is a whole new level of thinking. Like you – I have a lot of thoughts. But I marshaled them. Set them up in a line on the beach. Gave them a little boat each and rowed around with each thought for a while.
My first move was to delete the news widget from my phone. The relief is immediate. The endless click bait headlines are designed to raise our anxiety. Gone. Sunk that boat.
Going forward I will find my news elsewhere. From sources I seek. Research for accuracy. Trust. Or not at all. I have officially retreated from the click bait influence.
Yesterday my phone fell on a rock (thankfully not in the pond!) and the screen now is a fractured mess. Almost definitely only the screen protector (which is insured) so off I go to the phone place today! Which is very boring and breaks my ‘not going to town’ resolution.
So I looked at the cobweb of cracks. Floating. Thinking.
And last night the barn owl visited and hooted for hours. She makes a huge sound. The owl is a messenger from home. So I thought about that for a while too.
My second decision after ditching the common news is to travel again. My NZ family is flying me out to Australia in December. And I will spend my birthday and the holiday season with my daughter over there. She has asked me to design and install her new garden which is going to be great. I have not given her the worms or chooks choice yet!? 😂 But am looking forward to installing a compost set-up to begin. And a rainwater system. It will be a city garden of course. With the challenge of vegetables twelve months of the year.
I have a million ideas and have not even seen the new backyard yet. I am assured it is bigger than the last one.
Also I have made a start on my first little book called ‘baking bread for lazy bakers’. Something like that. Throw in a better title if you think of one. Titles and headers and captions are my weakest writing point. I need you for this stuff!
Onwards children!!
The election is done. I am not a political creature. Subterfuge and lies stand out in neon for me. All I feel is constant shock. The people have spoken. They are launched. Flying down the slip on their great steel ocean liner. So. I am stepping back out of the way.
For weeks now I have felt a liquid draw in me. Not like magnetism exactly, not moon like, more like becoming water. I am more fluid. Less fixed. Flowing where the land takes me. Following streams of thoughts that duck into tributaries and white water waves that break out, gushing into somewhere new.
The election broke a dam in me. I am roaring across the land now. Under this great vast sky.
And taking you with me. Always.
One of my favourite sayings is attributed to Emerson.
‘Life is a Journey, not a Destination.’
And lovely Helen Reddy ‘ from my teenage years
‘I am Woman hear me Roar.’
Bluebeard is in my thoughts too – though I am still sorting the relevance of that into words.
Life jackets on my lovelies.
Love Celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
29 responses to “Life jackets on my Lovelies”
I think there are many of us that wish you could tuck us into a corner of your one travel bag and allow us to feel somewhat normal again along with you 🙂 Great memories come with the Helen Reddy song.
I loved that song!! I am roaring to myself today!
Title : Kneady. 😂
Kneady!! Brilliant!! Morning Misky!
Good morning, c. ❤️
you have chosen an excellent course to continue to enjoy life and move onward
We all must! Roll along!
Getting rid of the news app is a great idea. All the news here (including the BBC) is lascivious and sensationalist now. It’s all tabloid guttter press.
Without a decent page three or two headed dog!
Ha ha, indeed! I did see a two headed pig once (pickled) at the Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle.
eee !!
Good morning Cecilia……….Read this post today with amusement. In my world, you, my friend, are still somewhat of a “pup” (no judgement intended). It is interesting that you have discovered at such a young age not to follow the news anymore. I have not done so for years. It does make my husband a little frustrated that I have to ask him for any updates in that area that I want to know about….but, so be it.
Finally trying to put myself first after a lifetime of “people pleasing” has honestly made me a much more serene individual.
Glad you are finally going to write a book…..you are a great writer and should certainly be able to put together something witty and interesting.
well, closing for now.
Jo
I turn 65 this December but am happy to accept the pup description. I certainly feel like I have no idea what is going on – often!
I quit the main stream media years ago when I realized they were frequently lying ot deliberately slanting what should have been a simple reporting of facts and events. I found some podcasts that were more balanced and even then decided not to get hooked on listening every day. I’ve been much happier. I don’t have to put up with the madness, manipulation and hype. My small priorities have very little to do with the world as a whole so I pay attention to what I need and how to accomplish that. It was a massive relief getting out of Chicago, it was bad enough two years ago and not getting better. I’ve had to stop going to another small town near here because there is a population of imported people who are not going to try to assimilate and have made it very unsafe to be there at all. Crime has gone through the roof and families who were there for generations are leaving because they don’t feel safe there anymore. Crime has gone up here as well because those people are driving all over the area, breaking onto homes, accosting people in parking lots and on the streets, bring more drugs and violence here. I had enough of that in Chicago. I just want a little place in a reasonably safe community where I can live out my life in some kind of peace.
We all hope for safety. Maybe you should go even further South. We have very little crime down here. Most of it is drugs and the odd murder within a family!😂 I think there is crime everywhere – at least we are not living in the 16th century!
I’ve been looking in the Watseka area and keeping my fingers crossed.
Watseka is only 40 mins from here!
I know. It would be lovely to actually meet in person.
Yes!
The boats method is genius!
It has been quite the marshalling year… sorting the sheep from the goats as they say, seeing people & things for what they are & aren’t, what works & doesn’t and most importantly actually taking the cues, acting accordingly allowing a little grief for what / who / how no longer serves then carrying on accordingly a little older, wiser, lighter. Your Melbourne trip sounds like a great circuit breaker way to celebrate a birthday ♡
I much prefer the way we got our news before the 24/7 firehoses of today. You either read a newspaper, or you watched a 30 minute broadcast each evening. Humans are not designed to absorb and make sense of a constant stream of words and images.
I suspect our American female friends will have many reasons and opportunities to roar over the changes coming their way over the next four years. I am woman hear me roar, indeed.
I think now is an excellent time to practice our swimming. When the Titanic went down, many who had got clear were sucked down with her. We have not read, watched or listened to ‘news’ in a couple of years now. If we hear of something we want more information on, we are quite capable of seeking it out, but I don’t want that stuff pressing on my senses. It’s mental pollution. I think you will sleep better under southern skies, away from the noise and clatter. As for the book title: ‘Loafing About: better baking for lazy bakers’
Oh – I like that – loafing about!! I knew you would come up with something good!
Great title!
Your trip sounds like it will be very therapeutic. The thought of beginning a garden from a blank slate and one for all year sounds really nice. I am looking forward to those updates and pictures.
After the big gardens here I am very much looking forward to creating a small efficient urban beautiful garden. Good morning!
I unfollowed three “friends” on Facebook yesterday, the ones with all the drama how the world is going to end now. It was lovely only seeing people that I wanted to hear what they have to say. The news & weather apps have a way of blowing things out of proportion with their headlines, too. Who needs that? We’re setting ourselves free. Patti
Boats sure are handy! Keep smiling lovely lady …