Ray Bradbury and His Joy of writing

I had the opportunity to hear him speak many years ago as a part of a class I was taking. His message to us was to ‘believe’, to never lose sight of the child that exists in all of us. His joy of writing came through his words, expression and manner of speaking. He spoke of taking flight within one’s life, exploring new ‘worlds’, not letting your life to become stagnant. He left a strong impression on me, not just about writing, but about living life.

His main points during the talk included:

• Keeping Joy of life alive.
• Never losing sight of the child within you.
• Believing in yourself
• Look always to the future
•  Be free, not bound by others beliefs and thoughts

I did two drawings. One was the quick non-stop pen drawing below. It was done at the end of the lecture, as we were in line to go up and meet him. Along the side of the drawing I wrote the words he spoke that touched me the most.  I couldn’t afford to purchase a book for him to autograph, so when I reached him, I nervously handed him the quick sketch. He looked up at me… he looked at the sketch… then proceeded to give me an A+ as well as his autograph.

My sketch that was done in line while waiting to meet him.

My art, drawing and photography, has been of the visual mode. I have done woodcarving, clay sculpture, and photography. The method of expression is different. With the carving and clay sculpture, it took many steps to reach an expression presented through a single form. With photography, one click creates a single image. Of course, with digital software of today, more manipulation can be done, but it is still a single image that speaks for the artist.

With writing, it is the combining of many words in a unique manner that becomes a special expression. A mood, personalities, plot, environment and circumstances are combined to take the reader on a journey.

“And what, you ask, does writing teach us? First and foremost, it reminds us that we are alive and that it is a gift and a privilege, not a right. We must earn life once it has been awarded us. Life asks for rewards back because it has favored us with animation. So while our art cannot, as we wish it could, save us from wars, privation, envy, greed, old age, or death, it can revitalize us amidst it all.”

For Bradbury, writing was something he had to do daily. For him, an hour of writing was like a tonic. “Not to write, for many of us, is to die.” “Every morning I jump out of bed and step on a landmine. The landmine is me.” ”After the explosion, I spend the rest of the day putting the pieces together. Now it’s your turn. Jump!” He said he wrote at least a thousand words a day ‘from the age of 12 on.’

He started to make lists. He first made lists of his loves and hates. Later he began to make lists of titles and nouns. He called these lists the provocations that make it possible for his better work to surface. Down the road came lists that dealt with the night, nightmares, darkness and objects in attics. He states:

Where am I leading you? Well, if you are a writer, or would hope to be one, similar lists, dredged out of the lopside of your brain, might well help you discover you, even as I flopped around and finally found me.

He would choose a noun and start a prosy poem and it would eventually turn into a story! Characters would appear and he would let them finish the rest of the tale for him. He explored the attics of his grandparents as well as their basements. Death, fear, fantasy, graveyards all attracted him. Nouns relating to these subjects started him rapidly writing. Carnivals and his experiences with them were another source of great inspiration for him.

There is so much that I read in the Zen in the Art of Writing that I could go on and on. If you have a chance, pick it up. His vocabulary is so full of description, his thoughts run from one subject to another… showing the relation of thought and feelings. Most of all is the excitement he felt when putting words together to create his vision from within.

I believe one thing holds it all together. Everything I’ve ever done was done with excitement, because I wanted to do it, because I loved doing it.

Afterwards we all had to write a report on his lecture, using any format we wished. I did mine through a colored pencil drawing on plain newsprint, the image shown here. Again you can see the words that reached out to me.

The words I wrote at the bottom say:

In order to motivate your listeners, you the teacher must renew yourself. You must stay in touch with that inner you– the child.  Believe in yourself and enjoy what you do.  Be Free, open to change. Be Joyous!

This was my final report after attending the lecture by Ray Bradbury

Moving Forward

The sun is above the horizon, behind the clouds

It is amazing, the direction our lives may take. It does not matter what stage of life you are in. The way I see my life right now… I am facing a new dawn each day. Yes, I still carry all sorts of ‘stuff’ from the past, but it is what I do with it that makes a difference. I am like the dawn in the photo above… the sun is there, peeking through the dark clouds. Those dark clouds are the ‘stuff’ in my life. I know the sun will rise above those clouds… so will I.

For many individuals that ‘stuff’ is like an anchor… it pulls them back to all they have gone through in the past, preventing them from moving forward. I am not saying that we must forget or leave the past as if it never took place, but do not let it stop us from moving forward.

If I were the same person I was in my teens, I would find dealing with my life as it is now to be quite difficult. I was shy, timid and ‘afraid of my own shadow!’  Now, because of the life experiences I have had, the challenges I have faced and still face, I am stronger… not physically, but within.

Somehow, I am going to regain some of that physical stamina too.   They say, it takes hitting rock bottom, that makes an individual start to fight back. OK… the gong has sounded and I am ready. I am going to be drawing on all that I have gathered in my ‘tool box’ for survival. My Qigong, with my mindfulness breathing, self awareness, adapting. You name it… I am going to use it. If I can manage to get myself down on the floor… I will do some yoga following Iyengar’s method.  I need to make sure I have a way to get up too!!!

I am like the little engine that said:  I think I can… I think I can… I know I can!

The sun in its full glory, starts a new day

Here comes the sun!  I am on my way… join me!

Slow Down… Slow Down

This is that time of year, when the pace of life seems to go into high gear. I love the holidays, but not what comes with it. Wish I was one who could remember to start the gift business in January. I do not get many gifts, but the thinking about them, who needs or should get what can be too much when the time is close. I love to make gifts, but that takes real planning… like start in June planning.

For years I always made my own Christmas cards. In the beginning I did wood or linoleum blocks and printed them with my printing press. One year I did up to 3 colors on one card, and got the colors lined up pretty good!

Nativity done in 3 block print

Then I ‘graduated’ to doing them on the computer, using my photographs or digital art and printed them from there. Last year was just a letter. It had lots of photographs along one side… this year, no photographs available. Oh well… working on an idea, but it is way after my usual starting time for doing my cards. The one below was done so long ago. The original size has made it hard to enlarge without a lot of Photoshop work. It was done in Painter, long before it was bought by Corel.

Nativity done in Painter 4

One last look at a linoleum block print… one color. The paper has seen better days. I had to remove age spots! I have the blocks, but stupidly did not keep a printed sample from each card. There were a few designs that I am sure the recipients thought were a bit odd…

We all need Faith

What we all need to do during this period of rushing around… is to remember to stop and smell the roses, smell the fresh air, visit a quiet place to unwind and regenerate.

Here is a rose for you. Sorry I cannot include the scent!

This is that time that Mindfulness is key to survival. Be aware of your surroundings, listen to those you love. Remember to take deep breaths at those times the rush starts to catch up to you. Find a good book or e-book… take to that quiet place and enjoy. Not only will you enjoy the season more, but those around you will appreciate you more as you will not be stressed out.

It also seems as it during the holidays, obstacles are put in front of us, whether it be health problems of your own or a special person in your life. Believe me, you will be more help to them, if you can step back, regenerate and step in again to help where you are needed. Perhaps, as a family, you can all help each other find a quiet moment to regain the needed strength that is needed to keep going under the added pressure.

Taking Care of Us!

This is what we are going to try to do on a regular basis, to re-nourish our inner selves. Since it gets hot in Florida fairly quickly in the summer, if you want to do something outside it has to be early in the day. We want to enjoy the river that is right around the corner from our house, so we bought two inexpensive kayaks. This past week had been a stressful one for me and the two hours we were on the river, washed away all the negative remains of those days.

Elliot’s silhouette under the bridge

Well, today was our second outing. One kayak fits in the SUV and the other goes on top!  The loading and unloading was easier this time and the feeling of being on the river is just getting better and better.  The quiet, after we pass under the bridge… with the noise of everyone else going to work at 8 a.m…. is amazing.  The morning was nice and we were ready.

Me with my kayak

You might recognize the photo of my avatar as it was taken from this image. Years ago, I took lessons from Nigel Foster and I actually remember the rhythm between legs and arms for a full body workout. I have a lot of reconditioning to do.  Kayaking sure beats going to a gym!

I love to see the huge branches of the older trees that are leaning out over the river, covered in Spanish moss and bromeliads. I believe this one was actually no longer a living tree, but its branches were full of living plants and creatures.  Their reflection in the water creates an interesting pattern. The other thing we must look for along the water’s edge, is alligators.  Yes, they love this river.  Usually if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone.

A large branch reflected in the water

Now you will have to take my word for it.  There is an osprey in that tree… see the yellow circle?  That is where he is eating his morning catch from the river.

Believe me, there is an osprey in the tree!

Elliot and I were going very quietly here as there was a large blue heron resting on a piling (way to the back of the photo!!) as he was doing his morning fishing. We tried to just glide, but the current wanted to take us the wrong way.  The heron did not seem to be bothered by our presence.

Blue Heron in distance on piling

A Success or Failure?

A sketch on the hike

My Outward Bound Experience

It was a good many years ago, but I experienced an Outward Bound Excursion.  I had sent away for a catalog, and tossed it aside as not a feasible happening for me, but I just could not throw it out!

One day, it made it to the top of the pile once more. Things had changed and I decided that I just might try it.  I applied to the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School out of Maine. My 7-day journey was to take place in the Savage River State Park in western Maryland, September 20, 1998.

No matter how hard this Florida girl trained, in the gym with 4 gallons of water in a backpack, with the treadmill slanted as high as it would go, I was not prepared for the climbing I was in for. I had to swallow my pride and accept help. The two instructors were great and so was Kevin, aka ‘Psycho’. They carried my 2 gallons of water every day.

A quote from my diary. “It took all my energy and that energy I did not know was there to get where we were going. At times I could barely lift my feet. What counts is I did keep going—accepting help, which was given often—but always moving forward.”

The rest seemed to be able to climb over things. Me, I had to go under or around (short legs). I knew some of the experienced climbers resented the slowness of my pace.  I was not alone though. A former pilot, then a heavy smoker, kept me company.  Each good climber was asked to come back where I was and help me. When they saw how hard I was trying, some changed their attitude.

Back at the camp after the trek, we had one more challenge to face. We had to climb to the top of this telephone

Stuck

pole. We were safely harnessed. When we got to the top, we were to jump off and experience  a “Peter Pan type of trip back down, with every one holding a rope to help us down. I did not want to go up. On the trip I became aware I had an unbelievable fear of heights. Me, who had jumped off the roof of our house as a kid!! They persuaded me to go. Well, once I finally got myself seated on top, I could not let myself jump off.

Finally someone suggested I give myself a hug, clasp both arms across my chest and then just lean forward.  That worked.  So did the whole Outward Bound experience.  I came back home, left my job and started in a new direction.  Maybe to some, my ‘poor’ performance would have been called a failure, but I knew I had been pushed beyond all former limits I had ever known, and I survived. It changed my whole life.

I relate to these quotes from the book of Readings and Quotes I bought from Outward Bound. They covered Leadership, Challenge, Self Reliance and more.

“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never to back to its old dimensions.” by Oliver Wendell Holmes

“There is only one thing more painful than learning from experience and that is not learning from experience.” by Archibald MacLeish

“I think,” said Christopher Robin, “that we ought to eat all our provisions now, so we won’t have so much to carry.” by A. A. Milne  

Worry Goes With Hurry

In his book, Take Your Time, Eknath Easwaran says, “Worry goes with hurry because the person in a hurry doesn’t have time to think clearly and make clear decisions, so he or she is always worried about results”. He concludes this paragraph saying, “If you slow down enough to think clearly and act wisely, you have no need to worry because you know you are doing your best.”

He explains that the yoga philosophy states that the human personality consists of three elements—inertia, energy and harmony. While all three are always present, one often seems to be more dominant than the others. Each is different in themselves, but they are all states of the same energy.  He used the example of ice, water and steam. Each can be transformed into the other.

Inertia is the least wanted state, but a person does not have to stay there. That is when they need to find motivation to move on. Energy is great, but only if it is under control. To see a person with tremendous energy roaring forward without a direct goal in mind, is like waiting for an accident to happen.  A quickly made decision on their part, can take them totally in the wrong direction. Harmony is the balance between the two.  This is the goal we want and need in our lives.

Eknath Easwaran quotes Thoreau who said, “It is not enough if you are busy. The question is what are you busy about?” According to Easwaran “Energy out of control has two salient characteristics: hurry and worry.” Sometimes, a person who is trying to make a good impression, comes on strong, but since he or she have not really thought their presentation all the way through, they fall flat.  To me, this is different from someone just ‘puttering’ around the house or the yard. Their puttering does have a reason, most likely it is to relax.

He also mentions, and I am most aware of this. We usually have energy for the things we want to do, but those other tasks, well, what happens to our energy then? For some reason, it just seems to evaporate.

Two programs I am using to help myself, in totally different ways state: Act, it does not matter whether you want to do it or not… you just do it! One is the Guided Mindfulness Meditation by Jon Kabat-Zinn. The other is by Jim Miotke in his Productive and Happy—7-Keys. Both say, “Do it!  Your frame of mind should not be your guide over what needs to be done and when. You will never get to first base that way.

  What form of energy do you usually find yourself with? Are you able to bring Harmony or Balance to your Energy?

The present moment.

We need to be in the ‘Present Moment’, meaning our minds must be clear and ready to receive the Qi. When worries, the TV or other external happenings are present, they invade our mind. Thich Nhat Hanh says, “the only moment to be alive is the present moment”, “This is the only moment that is real”… therefore we need to make the most of it by making it totally ours. What about grief or sorrow, you might ask. Again quoting Thich Nhat Hanh… “We are more than our sorrow… we cannot let just one channel dominate us. We have the seed of everything in us, and we have to seize the situation in our hand, to recover our own sovereignty.”

Thich Nhat Hanh teaches a form of walking that he calls Mindful Walking or Walking Meditation. A person is to walk slowly in a relaxed manner. The goal is to walk, being aware of your surroundings. In the beginning you will count your steps against your inhalation and exhalation. Count, but let your lungs fill up naturally.

At first your inhalation may be longer then your exhalation. Eventually your breathing will become more balanced… 3-3… or inhaling for three steps and exhaling for three steps. Do not try and do this in a mechanical manner. Just be aware of your breathing and feel the air as it fills your lungs. Try to let go of your worries and troubles… put a smile on your face. At first it may not seem easy, but it can come about with practice.

“If you think that peace and happiness are somewhere else and you run after them, you will never arrive. It is only when you realize that peace and happiness are available here in the present moment that you will be able to relax.

“In daily life, there is so much to do and so little time. You may feel pressured to run all the time. Just stop! Touch the ground of the present moment deeply, and you will touch real peace and joy.”

Remain aware of your breathing… if you stop this awareness, you will find that your mind will jump back into the troubles you are trying to back off from.

We live in a very noisy world. I found some comments by Janet Luhrs, of the Simplicity Movement, about how to bring quietness into your life.

• Start the day with silence… stretch, read an inspirational message, before the coffee and news.
• Eat at a table without TV or reading… mindful eating is very beneficial.
• Drive in Silence… keeps us alert and more receptive to our own thoughts.
• Create a silence retreat at home… one evening a week, no TV, no phone and no talking.
• Practice silent exercise… no iPod, video, or other media, hopefully outdoors. Silence helps you pay attention to your body.

A good source of literature and music as well as videos you can listen to along these lines is Sound True.

A short definition about Qigong

According to Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming in his book The Root of Chinese Chi Kung …
“Chi Kung is the science of cultivating the body’s internal energy”… “The correct definition of Chi Kung is any training or study dealing with Chi which takes a long time and a lot of effort.” He points out that because of the long history of Chi Kung, it is hard for one person to explain it all and a student of Chi Kung should study more than one to get a more rounded knowledge.

Chi Kung is also spelled as Qigong. Chi or Qi stands for life force… universal energy. Kung (gong) is the study, the practice related to Chi. There are many styles, including healing forms of Chi Kung. I will also use the spelling Qigong.

Douglas Chung, Phd., in his book Qigong Therapies… describes Qigong as the integration of mind, body, and spirit, where the body is relaxed, the mind is calm, and the ego is set aside so that attention can be paid to the conscious self for holistic healing and potential development.

He lists six major Qigong strategies:
1. Internalization…energy internalization, energy management.
2. Body Posture… relaxation is critical. Various postures enhance the free flow of energy throughout the body.
3. Breathing… there are different breathing methods. Abdominal breathing is the most efficient and must be learned by most people.
4. Mental reframing… know your real self, believe in yourself, affirm yourself.
5. Spiritual Adjustment… this is an awareness of yourself–in the present moment… “your body, energy within and without, and on the flow of energy in whatever you do.”
6. Integration of mind, body, and spirit… where the body is relaxed, the mind is calm, and the ego is set aside.

Practice + Intention = Inner Harmony = Qi Flow = Health and Longevity

You must Believe. Often we start things with good intentions, but in the back of our mind… we harbor doubts about being able to accomplish our goals.

I am not a wealth of knowledge about Qigong. I came across it by chance and discovered it had an important lesson for me to learn. I have done some studying of the medical Qigong. As we get older, we find it harder to keep our energy level up where we would like it… sometimes there may be a physical reason, Then there is stress, and of course, we cannot leave out what the fast pace of life demands of us physically and mentally.  That is why I have tried to adapt what I could about Qigong into my life.  I am not able to take medicines, so I have to rely on my mind and my attitude to carry me forward, to keep me going.