Category: About Me
-
Word of the Year…
This year I’m adopting a focus word for 2024; one to ground me, spur me on toward an inward or outward goal. I’m trained to be a keen observer. That can translate to deep passion on all sides – love but also judgement, joy but also fear, excitement but also agitation. While seeking signs of…
-
Observe an Unknown World…
We’ve just returned from exploring and savoring a new-to-us culture. I put writing aside for a week, fearful I’d forget where I was on the page, lose interest in the characters or worse, cast passion into the ocean and trade the sharp points of purpose for the smooth edges of passivity. I journaled awe-inspiring moments…
-
Enthusiasm…
Miriam Webster defines enthusiasm as “intense and eager enjoyment, interest, or approval.” Plus this archaic, derogatory meaning: “religious fervor supposedly resulting directly from divine inspiration, typically involving speaking in tongues and wild, uncoordinated movements of the body.” The Latin origin is “inspired or possessed by a god.” I recently read a quote comparing enthusiasm to…
-
A Letter to My Family and Friends…
My sister tells me I used to write poetry while she played piano. I remember sitting in my closet to read or write. It didn’t matter that they were silly little poems and stories. Later I wrote recaps of football games my dad watched. Didn’t every kid do that? No big deal. Easily dismissed, especially…
-
Marvelous Multiplicity…
What if you were really good at one thing? What if it was at the exclusion of all else? Recent conversations have revolved around the frustration of being good at many things, but never the outlier. Can you relate? I challenge you to see the beauty of the world of multiplicity. Find a comfy spot…
-
Thank You and Please…
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. One of the many things for which I am thankful is the community that reads, follows, subscribes, and comments on this blog. I write it for the pure of joy of putting thoughts on a page, exploring my own wanderings down an imaginary intellectual, mental or spiritual path. Writers write to share…
-
Lalibela…
Lalibela is a tiny pocket of wonder in Ethiopia, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We visited these historic monastic churches when our daughter lived in Ethiopia. I can to this day call up the visceral feeling of navigating a very narrow passage to the smallest of the chapels, a mere room carved into the mountain.…
-
Driving My Boat…
What floats my boat? I’m very happy to spend the bulk of my mornings writing, but every now and then life’s worries and duties interrupt. I was hit hard last week when a routine oil change turned into major car repairs. Perhaps because I nearly cried at the news, my service advisor felt sorry for…
-
Hanging out in the Easy, Fun Zone…
What thrives in your easy, fun zone? Where does your bright beam of inspiration, motivation and enthusiasm naturally land? Back in my public speaking days, I would ask this question: What is the one thing you would do if NO thing, NO person, NO circumstance could hold you back? While we are stepping our toes…
-
Knowing versus Feeling…
The Joy of Djembe Drumming Ensemble performed at a local festival last weekend. It was yet another performance stacked on top of many hours of rehearsals, years of learning and practicing together. We took the stage for a mere half hour and played the guts out of new and old rhythms. Was it worth lugging…
Patty Mayeux Blog 