Sage Woman Chronicles

Season of Appreciation

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” ~ Albert Camus

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” ~ Albert Einstein

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” ~ John Muir

Today is Veteran’s Day in the United States. It’s a commemoration I have never felt comfortable with since I became old enough to understand its meaning. I abhor the wars that caused so many men and women to sacrifice their lives, health and sometimes sanity. I want to honor the warriors, not the wars. I know that sometimes good comes from terrible events, I just wish we could learn to settle our differences in ways other than war. So, I’ll just say that I honor these warriors on one of the first days of appreciation that marks this season.

The other morning we had a glorious sunrise. Arizona is known for its sunrises and sunsets. Barry and I have hundreds of pictures taken from our front porch, or from the road outside our house. Each new glorious sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset, I’m filled with gratitude. I pay attention to the sunrises mostly in autumn, and winter because in summer sunrise is at 4:30 or 5:00 a.m. and I’m not coherent at that time of morning. But the summer sunsets turn the landscape into a peachy golden flow. The quality of the light is unlike anything I had ever experienced before moving here. Unfortunately, I have not as yet been able to capture the effect with my phone camera. Which is actually something I like about that magical time of day. To appreciate what I’m describing, you have to be present when the sun turns the desert luminous.

In the autumn and winter, we are greeted by the sun streaming through our southern facing windows making gorgeous patterns on the walls and furniture. It greets me as I prepare breakfast and Barry’s lunch. It’s like a lovely companion.

When we first moved here, I noticed something I had never seen while living anywhere else. As the sky is beginning to lighten, or darken, a lavender band forms at the horizon reaching out in the opposite direction. When I lived in Portland, the sky was often obscured by clouds, and when I was younger, I didn’t pay close attention to the beauty of the nature around me.

I can no longer imagine living in a large city with the noise and fumes. I’m much older now and know the value of taking a moment to allow the beauty of nature to sink into my soul.

As we enter this holiday season, I plan to take time to be grateful for all the abundant splendor around me while I can.

I hope you have a magnificent weekend.

Thanks for reading, liking and commenting. I appreciate it very much.

Lucinda is the author of The Space Between Time, an award finalist in the “Fiction: Fantasy” category of the 2017 Best Book Awards. It’s a historical, time-travel, magical realism, women’s novel, and is available in all ebook formats at Smashwords, and print-on-demand at Amazon and other fine book sellers. To join her email list, click here. She will never sell the names on her list.

Reading, Writing, and Belonging

“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

“Humans aren’t as good as we should be in our capacity to empathize with feelings and thoughts of others, be they humans or other animals on Earth. So maybe part of our formal education should be training in empathy. Imagine how different the world would be if, in fact, that were ‘reading, writing, arithmetic, empathy.’” ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson

“I never feel lonely if I’ve got a book – they’re like old friends. Even if you’re not reading them over and over again, you know they are there. And they’re part of your history. They sort of tell a story about your journey through life.” ~ Emilia Fox

I’m not sure exactly what it is I want to express with this post, except for the last nine years I’ve been focused on writing and that has changed me in profound ways. Long before I was a writer, I was an avid movie watcher and reader. I still am, and for quite some time now I’ve been trying to understand just what it is about story telling in all its forms that draws me in. It might be the communal aspect of watching a movie or reading a book with one or two of my friends and then discussing every little detail about it. But watching and reading can also be solitary activities and I love that about them too. Or it might be that stories help me understand human beings better. When I hear people talk about how they are affected by the books they read, or write, I know that there is something fundamental about story telling that we need. Maybe I don’t need to define it, just enjoy it.

I have a number of former students and friends who are totally into cosplay, attend Comic Cons, dress up as their favorite characters, and are even on panels at these events. They read all the fan fiction, watch all the TV shows and movies about their favorite characters. And at first I thought them a little daffy. But after listening to them talk about the different layers of the plots and of their characters, or of the movie we watched in class, I changed my mind. I remembered all those hours of discussing movies with my father and I knew that these students were demonstrating a great deal of understanding about human behavior, their motivations, and hangups because the stories engaged their imaginations. Most of my friends and students have empathy because of their attention to the extreme situations their favorite characters have to deal with. They put themselves in their shoes. They think about what they would do in a similar situation. I love that!

The thing that connects me to great stories is the playwright or author’s ability to help me feel with the characters. When I was in college, the first play I was cast in was The Merchant of Venice. As we rehearsed the play, I understood more fully why Shylock wants his pound of flesh. He, as a Jew, has been treated so horribly. He’s a wounded character but unfortunately, he gets punished again at the end for trying to get what is due him, by literally taking a pound of flesh from the man who can pay his debt. In a way I couldn’t blame him for wanting revenge. But the whole point of the play is about how showing mercy is better than seeking revenge.

When I read a great book, or see a timeless movie, somehow I not only understand other people better, I understand myself better. That’s what I aim for when I’m reading, directing a play, watching a movie or writing. I’m looking for new clues that will help me understand human behavior a little better.

I just realized that I wrote this post because until recently, I felt like the odd person out. I mean, a lot of the people I associated with were into sports, or outdoor activities, or going to concerts, even some of my theatre friends, and I just didn’t get that. I mean I love nature and music, but I didn’t understand the whole sports fan thing, until I began to have students who were into dressing up like their favorite characters, and analyzing every detail of the books and movie world they inhabited. I finally got it. Most people are looking for their tribe, a place to belong. I’m finding my people and it’s a good feeling.

Thanks for reading, liking and commenting. I appreciate it.

Lucinda is the author of The Space Between Time, a historical, time-travel, magical realism, women’s novel. It’s available in all ebook formats at Smashwords, and print-on-demand at Amazon and other fine book sellers. To join her email list, click here. She will never sell the names on her list.

I’m in a Critique Group. Now What?

Revised book cover for The Space Between Time

“If you’re going to say what you want to say, you’re going to hear what you don’t want to hear.” ~ Roberto Bolaño, The Insufferable Gaucho

“People will react to you as a result of their own mindset, rather than as a reflection of your worth. Most people use others as mirrors for their own darkness. If you have been hurt by such people, perhaps you can use these experiences to become a different kind of person – one who reflects the light within others instead of using them as mirrors. Maybe your experiences of pain can lead you to being a great leader, someone who lights up the world. Your most painful struggle is ripe with opportunity.” ~ Vironika Tugaleva

Earlier this year I joined the Women’s Fiction Writer’s Association and yesterday my request for joining a critique group was granted. I’ve not met these women in person. We’ve begun to communicate via email and so far I’m encouraged. I hope these women will offer helpful comments on my work. I’m excited to see what happens.

One of the most vulnerable things artists can do is receive feedback on their work. It’s a necessary part of the artistic process, but it can feel like you’re standing in front of a group with no clothes on. Part of that feeling is because often the criticism hurts. If you’re lucky, the group doesn’t want to hurt your feelings, they just want to help you improve your work. Of course, there are those who just love to watch the poison spread as they tear your work apart. We’ve all met those kinds of people. They’re hard to deal with, but it’s important to speak up and not take their abuse.

As someone who has to give feedback as a director and to student actors, I see the situation from both sides. When I’m working with my students on their scenes, I tell them what they did well first. Then I give them the “Here’s what you could do better,” comments, and finally I give them more positive feedback. Often I offer up a bunch of suggestions among the improvement comments. I let them know that since they are playing the part, they need to decide why their character is saying and doing what they are doing. I think that helps them feel like they have some control over their performance instead of me telling them exactly how to do it. In almost every class, as in any critique group, there is always that one person who doesn’t want to take any suggestions. They think they know everything there is to know about their character or story. In those situations, I just keep my mouth shut because they aren’t open to learning anything new..

When I am on the receiving end of criticism, I try to remember that, for the most part, what my partners say will be helpful and give me ideas for improving my work. I’m tempted to have the attitude that no one knows my work better than I do, but the reality is, I don’t know how what I’ve written comes across. That’s what I want from my critique partners. I want them to tell me where the story bogs down, or where I go off on an unnecessary tangent. I want them to point out parts of the story where they were confused, where I left out vital information, or gave too much away too soon.

Unlike theatre, writing is a solitary endeavor. I love the collaboration of doing a play, but when it comes to writing, I prefer to work alone until the first draft of my manuscript is finished. I thought seriously before I asked to be put into a critique group for that reason. But I don’t want to take seven years to finish this second novel, so I decided to get help earlier in the process.

Another reason I wanted to join a group was to gain more exposure. If I’m going to be a member of a writer’s organization, I might as well get acquainted with some of the members. This seemed like a good way to do that.

I do, of course, have a couple of writer friends near by who are also willing to help, so if it turns out that this new group doesn’t work out, I’ve got a back up plan. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Thanks for reading. I appreciate your likes and comments.

Let’s Make Friends With the World!

“If I can’t impact people then this whole thing is a waste.” ~ Chris Rosati

Barry and I are avid fans of Steve Hartman’s segments on CBS Sunday Morning. A couple of weeks ago he had a tribute to Chris Rosati, a man Steve had profiled first in 2013 with subsequent updates. Chris lived in Durham, North Carolina and had ALS. He said that before he left this world, he wanted to make as many people happy as he could. His first plan to accomplish this was to steal a Krispy Kreme donut truck so he could give away donuts to cancer patients, and to children at local schools.

Somehow Steve found out about Chris’s plan and scheduled an interview. As Steve said in the initial interview, “This plan has some holes in it, and I’m not talking donuts,” to which Chris replied, “One of the blessings of ALS is what are they gonna do?” Chris admitted that his plan was wacky but he told Steve what he really wanted to do was change the world by making people happy.

Of course, when Steve’s story broke, Krispy Kreme gave Chris and his wife an entire bus load of donuts to share with as many people as he could. His good deeds didn’t end there. His smile and generous nature inspired people and especially children all over the country to do random acts of kindness. He had them make videos about their good deeds and then held a red carpet premiere of the videos. After that he came up with the idea of “Butterfly Grants” to help children fund their good deed projects.

Chris died earlier this month. When Steve asked Chris’ daughter what she’d remember most about her dad, she said she was proud of him because he tried to do something hard, he tried to make friends with the world.

It is sometimes hard to make friends with the world. Yet it’s people like Chris Rosati, who remind me that every little act of kindness, especially in the face of so many struggles, does make the world a better place and I shouldn’t stop doing it.

The thing is, I often get caught up in my old ways of thinking and start to assign blame, or I panic about things that I won’t even remember happened in a few months time. Yet I’m grateful that when I go into panic mode, something happens to remind me to take a deep breath, turn my thinking around, and trust that I’m taken care of no matter what.

Today as I was writing this post, something happened that brought up a lot of fear and panic. But I was writing about Chris Rosati and my little problem seemed so trivial and temporary compared to the challenges he faced. I’m sure he had bad days when he wondered why he was going to die too young, but he chose to help others rather than wallow.

So, in honor of Chris’s determination to change the world, I’m going to let go of my panic and feel good that, so far, I have had a really great life. I mean what can be better than being able to help and inspire people?

Thanks for reading. I appreciate your likes and comments.

Let’s Chill Out!

“Our culture encourages us to plan every moment and fill our schedules with one activity and obligation after the next, with no time to just be. But the human body and mind require downtime to rejuvenate. I have found my greatest moments of joy and peace just sitting in silence, and then I take that joy and peace with me out into the world.” ~ Holly Mosier

“Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer.” ~ William S. Burroughs

“Stop a minute, right where you are. Relax your shoulders, shake your head and spine like a dog shaking off cold water. Tell that imperious voice in your head to be still.” ~ Barbara Kingsolver

This morning at 7:00 a.m., on the day I’m writing this, I got a ding on my phone. I wasn’t even out of bed yet, because my husband doesn’t work on Fridays and it’s a sleep in day. It was a long Facebook message about Social Security and how I needed to pass this along so that we can protect Social Security … etc., etc., etc. I ignored the message knowing that things may look dire, but I believe I live in a friendly universe, so no matter what, I’m going to be all right. Some people may think I’m delusional. That’s okay. I just see the world differently than they do.

One of the privileges of growing older is the fact that I’ve seen and experienced a lot of stuff. When I was younger I used to get upset when things seemed to go wrong. I’d bend myself out of shape, and make myself sick with what I THOUGHT was going to happen. As it turned out most of the time, what I had imagined never came to pass. I had made myself sick for nothing.

So now I know that, first, nothing is good or bad except thinking makes it so, to paraphrase Shakespeare. And second, especially where governments are concerned, nothing happens over night. They may pass bills to gut Social Security, or take away our health care, or yada, yada, yada, but none of that is going to happen tomorrow. AND there are always people whose purpose it is to safeguard our rights and I can rely on them to prevail.

Over the last few months, I’ve withdrawn from groups on Facebook and other social media that continually post dire warnings. I do this because I don’t see the world the same way they do and I don’t need their negative energy clinging to me throughout the day.

Don’t get me wrong, I will stand up for people in my daily life when they need it, but I’m not going to waste my time ranting and raving about the big stuff that happens, because I am thoroughly convinced that change happens from the ground up. Each individual who chooses to chill out, to get a new perspective, to go with the flow, or even point out inequities, helps us create a friendlier, more stress free environment a little bit at a time.

I think there is an ebb and flow to history. We happen to be in a time when there is a great deal of turmoil. But if you look back at what has happened in the past, it’s often those times, when people with differing ideas clash and cause the most innovative advancements to happen.

Here’s an example. I’m reading a novel right now that takes place in 1150. The church had tight control on almost every aspect of life. One of the characters in my book builds a paper mill. That may not seem like such a big thing, but in 1150, most people did not read, so the church controlled information by telling people what to think. With the advent of readily available inexpensive paper, more people began to have the opportunity to learn to read and write, and not pay the church scribes to create their documents, and make copies of or write important books. Of course, the church did not want this to happen and took drastic measures to retain their control on the flow of information. The creation of inexpensive paper did lead, eventually, to the invention of the printing press. That broke the stranglehold the church held on education and the flow of information. Boy, have things changed since then. Now almost everyone can not only read and write, but the entire world is connected by the media and the most ordinary person can express their opinion for the world to read.

There was a great deal of struggle involved to get us to where we are now. Lots of people died in that struggle, but would you want to go back to having the church control information? I don’t think so. As a result, I thank those who volunteered to push for change both then and now.

Having written all of the above, life is a mystery to me. I don’t know why I’m living a happy fulfilling life, while millions of people are stuck in refugee camps, or live under oppressive regime’s, or on the streets. What I do know is that we each have our part to play, and it seems to me that mine has to do with spreading as much joy as I can.

I know that in the long run if a situation looks really bad, it’s just not worth getting upset about. I’ll do what I can to help, of course, but most of the time, as my dad used to say, “In a hundred years, it won’t make any difference.” And the things that we will remember one hundred years from now will be worth the sacrifice.

Thanks for reading. I appreciate your likes and comments.