Walking

I've always been a big fan of walking as a way to relax, to reflect, to recharge.  In a recent meeting I heard a landscape architect claim that there was evidence that the chemical compounds released in forests had a an effect on the brain similar to anti-depressants.  Haven't bothered to track that down, but I did see this article in the NY Times yesterday, "Easing Brain Fatigue with a Walk in the Park."

  http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/27/easing-brain-fatigue-with-a-walk-in-the-park/?smid=pl-share

Turns out that walking in a "green" area may really be good for your brain.  Think I'll go take a walk....

The moon

I've had a stretch of bad days...went out last night to put my trash by the curb and saw a glorious full moon.  Seemed to make everything better. What is it about the full moon that fills us with awe and wonder?  To marvel at our existence?  To understand that it will all be okay?

Not sure this will work...but this video is spectacular

About this video

"Full Moon Silhouettes is a real time video of the moon rising over the Mount Victoria Lookout in Wellington, New Zealand. People had gathered up there this night to get the best view possible of the moon rising. I captured the video from 2.1km away on the other side of the city. It's something that I've been wanting to photograph for a long time now, and a lot of planning and failed attempts had taken place. Finally, during moon rise on the 28th January 2013, everything fell into place and I got my footage. The video is as it came off the memory card and there has been no manipulation whatsoever. Technically it was quite a challenge to get the final result. I shot it on a Canon ID MkIV in video mode with a Canon EF 500mm f/4L and a Canon 2x extender II, giving me the equivalent focal length of 1300mm. Music - Tenderness by Dan Phillipson : http://premiumbeat.com/royalty_free_music/songs/tenderness http://markg.com.au http://facebook.com/markgphoto http://markg.com.au/2013/01/full-moon-silhouettes/"

Once upon a time...

I've made no secret of my fascination with stories.  From novels to poems, children's books to essays, I find stories a way to express simple wishes and complex worries. This evening, enjoying the nearly spring weather on a much needed long walk, I listened to an interview with Maria Tatar, a professor of Germanic literature and folklore studies at Harvard. She was talking about the "great cauldron of story." Perfect.

Although much of the interview focused on modern fascination with fairy tale, there were a few things that really struck me.  The first was her comment about "the great once upon a time." She called it a marker, it says "this is not the here and now."  Interestingly, Majorcan storytellers begin their tales with, "It was and it was not."  I like that, the uncertainty of reality...With that start you can go anywhere, even places that you'd be scared to go otherwise.  Tatar called once upon a time a safe space--you can say things in story that you're afraid to talk about.  You can inhabit those questions or those fears.  I like that word, "inhabit,"  it conveys a certain understanding that goes beyond words, a physical connection. And, she said, in some mysterious way you can come to an understanding. She was careful, though, not to say a resolution, because, as she noted, you have to keep working through things.  That seemed a reassuring thought.  You may have to continually revisit places and issues, but you gradually come to a different understanding. 

At the end of the story you get "happily ever after."  So, no matter how horrible the monster is, the hero survives. The hero battles the monster and finds a way out.In a fairy tale we can tame the monsters.  Face down those demons, within and without, and figure out what they are.  In that way, fairy tales offer hope, things can work out in the end.  Even though we know that, really, things don't always go so well, the fairy tale gives us courage.  As Tatar said, if we're courageous, if we use our wits, if we try to do the right thing — it will turn out all right. Even if it's just in the short run.    
                                                                           

What we need

I have lunch with a retired colleague every week. Over time, our luncheon conversations have narrowed. His once wide ranging stories have settled into three major themes, one of which is calculating exactly how old he is and expressing disbelief that the number could be true.  Over and over we do the math, count the years, look at the evidence. Every week we repeat the conversation and he is just as incredulous as the week before. I showed up at his house a few weeks ago and decided that we needed a change of scenery and we went to a small restaurant nearby for our lunch. He was delighted. On our drive there he remarked, "How did I get so lucky?  I was getting hungry and then you showed up for lunch.  What made you think of me?  Why did you come today?  Everything is working out just right for me!"

Thinking of that day reminds me of how little we really need to be happy.  What is it we want, at heart?  To be cared about and cared for, to be hungry and have someone take us to lunch, to be lonely and have someone come to visit, to be tired and have someone rock us to sleep. 

Real people are too complicated...

Today I happened to be listening to the radio when Katherine Paterson was being interviewed. Katherine Paterson writes Young Adult novels, stories aimed at young teens. I don't think I've ever read any of her books, but have heard of "Bridge to Terabithia," and "Jacob Have I Loved,"  both Newberry medalists, I believe. She has an interesting biography, born in China, lived in the South, worked in Japan.  What struck me was a a discussion about how she got the ideas for the characters in books.  Did they come from her family or her own children?  She said two intriguing things. First, that a lot of what she writes about comes from herself, from her own thoughts and feelings.  She laughed and said "You could learn a lot about me by reading my books."  The second was that book characters can't really be based on real people because, "People are too complex, they're too contradictory."  She went on to say that people are always doing contradictory things, things we wouldn't expect or that go against our understanding of them.  "Real" people are too complicated to put into stories.

I think both are true and related ideas.  Writers are always advised to write about what they know best, and what do we know best...ourselves.  We have to draw upon our own lives for ideas and insights. I think writers might think they are using a different voice, but, underneath, what they are revealing is a part of themselves.  Many writers talk about the writing process like giving birth.  Maybe through writing we are able to give voice to feelings we may not even know we have.  At the same time, parts of our lives can be complicated, complex, and contradictory.  How can we make a simple story from things we can't explain to ourselves?  Or, can telling the story bring some order to what on the surface feels too confusing?

Passing the Peace

I've been thinking about churches lately, what I like and don't like about church services. I've decided there is one thing I definitely do not like...the tradition of "passing the peace."  Called by various names, this is the part in the worship service when you are to greet the others around you with a handshake, accompanied often by the words, "Peace be with you."  I don't remember this ritual from my childhood and am not exactly sure when it started or who came up with the idea.  I blame the Roman Catholics of the 60s and 70s...the folk mass movement.  But I could be completely off base there and perhaps this has been a long standing ritual for some denominations or faith traditions.

If I am in an unfamiliar church, I don't particularly mind saying hello to the people near me, but feel no desire to venture down the aisle greeting everyone. What usual happens though, is that I run out of people to greet long before the time is up.  That means you are left awkwardly standing, looking cheerful, and trying to figure out when you can comfortably sit back down.  Invariably, there is some friendly person who sees it as his or her mission to seek out just such people and rush over with a warm welcome.  If you are a moderately reserved person, like I am, the last thing you want is to have someone intrude on your moment of discomfort.  What you would like to do is quietly sit down, absorb yourself in the minutiae of the bulletin, and wait it out.  You do not want to be singled out as the newcomer or stranger or "person who nobody is saying welcome to." If I'm in a familiar church, then I'll greet the people I want to before or after the service. I don't need that obligation foisted upon me.  Again, a quick hello to the people in my immediate vicinity is tolerable, although I think unnecessary.

Perhaps I'm just a curmudgeon.  Peace be with you.