“I love songs about horses, railroads, land, Judgment Day, family, hard times, whiskey, courtship, marriage, adultery, separation, murder, war, prison, rambling, damnation, home, salvation, death, pride, humor, piety, rebellion, patriotism, larceny, determination, tragedy, rowdiness, heartbreak and love. And Mother. And God.” - Johnny Cash
I've been house-sitting at a friend's farm for the past week, hunkering down and attending to my own writing and creative process. I'm so grateful to finally have this kind of time.
"And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been."
Rainer Maria Rilke.
I hope you're finding some ways to stay cozy this winter, wherever you are.
What's ahead for you for the new year? Hard to say. I know...unsettling. I love this cartoon that one of my writing class participants posted this week. The dialog went like this:
Creature One: "Aren't you terrified of what 2022 could be like? Everything is so messed up..."
Creature Two: "I think it will bring flowers."
Creature One: "Yes? Why?"
Creature Two: "Because I'm planting flowers."
Place as Pilgrimage
Whatever your plans are this summer, I hope they include making a few jaunts to a special place or two that you've been missing over the past year. As we've been considering places to go ourselves, it makes me think about how each place holds its special quality: it’s medicine.
