my word of the year for 2024 is TAPESTRY. and i’ll be saying more about what that’s meant for me closer to december’s end.
but i also chose what i called an auxiliary or secondary word VIBE. here’s how i characterized it in my head: a vibration that changes throughout the year to align with and adjust to my many mercurial moods.
for the past ten days, i’ve been immersed in a very interesting creative practice, taking a journey deep into my body’s spontaneous wisdom. as part of a year-long course i am enrolled in, i was invited to “meditate upon the poetry of my mysterious inner life.”
each day, i set aside a few minutes to quickly pull from a magazine an image that attracted me, a picture that produced a strong emotional charge (even if i didn’t fully understand why at the time).
i glanced in that direction
and i wondered
what was keeping me from
proceeding down that way?
insecurity, fear, confusion?
maybe just indifference
what would change in my life
if i decided to go? or not go?
and what would either moving
or staying say about me?
TAPESTRY . . . weaving
the layers of my life
i thought they would come
together in the form of
storytelling this year
but so far 2024 has had
something else in mind
for me and i’m still
unraveling the “why”s and
the lessons behind them
an intense and daily
headache for six months
one continuous and invasive
throbbing that stole away
many precious moments
i felt myself fading into
the background, worrying
about the-worst-it-could-be
and just like that, now
it’s gone – an MRI with no
conclusive findings, likely
my maxillary sinus perforated,
a dental visit gone awry
VIBE .
ciao! i have big news to share on this summer solstice day . . .
announcing the first of two retreats celebrating
💚❤️ THE ARRIVAL FAREWELL TOUR ❤️💚
THE ARRIVAL 2024 (#6)
🇮🇹 tuscany, italy 🇮🇹
september 16-21
and guess what?
what i’m reading: the wrong hostage by elizabeth lowell, a place in the world: finding the meaning of home by frances mayes
what i’m watching: the saint tv series, season 1 (1962), starring roger moore
what i’m listening to: i’m not a fan of audio, but i am currently enrolled in two online courses: “neuro linguistic programming (NLP) practitioner / life coach certification” and “the art of healing depression” (with shelley klammer)
what i’m eating: cabbage & carrots, organic blue corn tortilla chips, pepitas, iced tea
what i’m planning: “talk & walk” one-to-one coaching sessions in wallace, THE ARRIVAL farewell tour (2024-25) at villa magnolia in italy
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it’s the smallest things. it’s the way she always uses my mom’s chair on the pink house porch to leave me tokens of affection. the way my orange pen glides across the page so smoothly and with such vivid color (and can be erased too – gone, just like that).
this poem is not what you might think.
this poem will not adequately delve into my oft-imagined daydream of a boho-chic lifestyle, 60 years ago in the 60s, in the avant-garde garment district of new york city. in an ultra-modern industrial warehouse loft, dancing with my two-year-old daughter named something fantastical like avalon topanga or crescent arabella.
i posted this picture of myself a week ago, with the hashtag nature girl 2024.
i have never wanted to go backpacking. and i don’t camp out. in fact, as an adult, i’d rather be inside (anywhere) than outside.
i always thought this meant i wasn’t fully appreciating or embracing nature, so i set out this year to do more things outdoors, to pay more attention to the natural world.
write poems about the sky
express yourself in fashion
think happy thoughts
move the energy through your body
celebrate the good days
breathe deeply, exhale fully
listen to the trees’ stories
indulge in soothing epsom salt soaks
what you need to do now
heal yourself
make sure you give lots of hugs
turn your face towards the sun
splash color on a page
and lines and shapes too
travel and dance and stretch and flow
talk to people who inspire you
journal and process your feelings
frolic with the waves
what you need to do now
heal yourself
walk and explore your town
eat foods that nourish and restore
study the patterns
recognize the immense bravery
collage only the highlights
scrub away the fear
smile and laugh and laugh and smile
say an ardent goodnight to the moon
what you need to do now
heal yourself
