Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Cleanup time / Home



This cool breezy misty morning, just before I suddenly found the energy to begin a task that I have not had the energy for, I finished listening to this:



I am in the midst of reading Matterhorn, a novel by Karl Marlantes, and wanted to know more about the writer.  It's worth listening to the entire interview.  For me, listening to the interview was a roller coaster ride. I've been moved by the book but in a different way.  It is moving me forward, step by step, from a very stuck place.  Curiously, the book was recommended by an artist friend I hadn't seen for a long long time.  We talked briefly in the grocery store.  She has made a living as an artist since the 1980s.  She hadn't known that Richard had died. I have isolated myself from local artist friends and have not painted much at all since the First Gulf War. She mentioned Matterhorn. Later that day, when I looked at the book in the local independent bookstore, I felt a sinking feeling and put the book back on the shelf.  Within a hour or so, I went back to the bookstore to buy the used hardback copy for $8.

In the process of preparing to scrub the porch I noticed that my first day lily of the year is blooming today.







































When I came back inside, I could hear John Lennon singing in my mind:



However far we travel
Wherever we may roam
The center of the circle
Will always be our home, yeah, yeah
(John Lennon, lyrics from "Cleanup Time," 1980)

1 comment:

Taradharma said...

I had not heard of the book. Sounds like a tough and painful read. Perhaps when you complete it you could write your thoughts on it? I listened to a bit of the interview. He is indeed a thoughtful man.

Those tasks - like cleaning the porch - can be so tiresome and easy to put off until another day. But then, your gift was the first flower, and the John Lennon song in your head. And the work is done!