Journeys with Jood: Quiet

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Quiet

Several bloggers have mentioned on their blogs a need to be quiet suddenly, almost all citing the news as a source of "what more can we say?" I wonder if it is despair, or is it simply that it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere? Summer is a time when my brain turns quiet -- I listen to birds as they wake me; I love the sound of wild parrots in the evening as they flock to trees to nest -- lots of them in Hermosa Beach -- parrots that had been pets, and were released, and now live wild, breeding. Not native, but they've certainly moved in.

A lot of what I have to say is being said in my self portraits. I see how restless I feel; I see anger; I see fear for my granddaughter's future. I see that the lines in my drawing are saying more than I have in words at times.

What do you do when you need another outlet for your emotions, your thinking, your hopes? When words go quiet, what do you do to keep from going mad?

7 comments:

robin andrea said...: I always read this poem:

The Peace of Wild Things

Wendell Berry

When despair grows in me
and I wake in the middle of the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting for their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Then, I go out and hike somewhere, and try to fill my eyes with the something beautiful.; Thu Jun 22, 09:35:00 AM PDT
Kim Tyler said...: I read something beautiful and inspiring, listen to music, or - like Robin Andrea - get out into nature. Sometimes words just bog me down, even though I am a total word-oholic! But the news these days is definitely a downer, those in charge seem so lost, and the grimness getting grimmer. I fear for our children and grandchildren too, and wonder how we can turn things around.....; Thu Jun 22, 10:27:00 AM PDT
DivaJood said...: Robin, that's a beautiful poem, thank you. I love the line: "I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief." That is the true beauty of living in the present, in the here and now.

Sigrid, I agree -- the news is a major downer, and there are times when I just turn it off. Today was one of those days.; Thu Jun 22, 05:00:00 PM PDT
Yoga Korunta said...: The Chimp will be gone when she grows up. We are witnessing an experimentation with Fascism.; Thu Jun 22, 07:57:00 PM PDT
DivaJood said...: Yoga, not such an experiment -- we've devolved into fascism.

Gee, I wonder if they'll let me out of the country for my trips to Australia and Bhutan?; Thu Jun 22, 08:38:00 PM PDT
Anonymous said...: DivaJ, I'm overwhelmed everyday by our national nightmare, and more and more I've found that I have to walk away from the news (tv, computer), and walk out of my house, take the dogs for a walk, meet a friend, dig in the dirt, and as robin and sigrid note, find something beautiful to focus on, whatever that may be.

It helps though to have thoughtful friends in the ethersphere asking the right questions, feeling the outrage. Not feeling alone is a great start.; Mon Jun 26, 08:30:00 PM PDT
DivaJood said...: ae, that's so true - finding like voices in the ethersphere has been quite energizing for me. Knowing that when the FBI comes knocking, all my blogging buddies will be rounded up with me. Barely kidding, with that remark.; Mon Jun 26, 09:17:00 PM PDT