Conversation With a Dragonfly

 Just look at you!

All dainty and glittering

like a bubble bath.

You look familiar...

Haven't I seen you somewhere?

Was it on the list of Insects People Like?

What they don't know

is what an unerring hunter you are,

such a voracious aerial predator are you.

There you go...

Plotting your course like the ancient mariner

able to snatch your target in midair

focused singly on your prey amid a cloud of fluttering fraternity

brothers

attacking your lone target from the chaotic swarm.

Glutton...

Wolfishly consuming, tearing up your kill and mashing it into a

single glob.

Munch, munch, munch...

a wad of snuff for your mouth.

Bantam creature

Bottomless appetite

Not one for much smelling or pheromonal flirtations.

Not you.

Who knew?

Gilled predator, you hatch from an egg;

Hydrojet through water in search of aquatic prey.

Until...

you are ready to spread your wings and take your hunt to the sky.

coffee in bed

 

he texts me from the kitchen, "coffee?"

i respond with an emphatic, "yes, please!"

lingering in bed, still groggy with sleep, i await my coffee delivery.

looking at photos, doomscrolling, playing wordle, reading the news, watching tv, it doesn't matter. those small shards of time idly spent are a luxurious avoidance of checking off items on the day's to-do list.

he began the ritual of bringing me coffee during Covid when virtual school began later than being in school and all my morning routines were topsy turvy.

now it's weekends only and his coffee service is reminiscent of the not so distant past.

so much has changed in the five years since the world shut down from the Pandemic.

morning coffee in bed is a steadfast symbol of love, our love. 

it gifts me with a few more moments of time, reminding me to be joyful, to appreciate kindness, and to give love.

Hours of fun!

 

I'm going to see my granddaughter today.

The toy I'm bringing will help her with fine motor skills and cause and effect. :)

It's a blessing that parents now have so much more awareness than when I was a mom.

It can also be a curse because at times, it's an information overload.

Nevertheless,

I hope her new toy brings her hours of fun.

I'm going to see my granddaughter today!

When Curiosity Taps You on The Shoulder...

Does this ever happen to you? You read something somewhere, more than likely on the internet,  probably a social platform that gives you pause? Do you mentally bookmark the thing so you can revisit the site to explore it further but then you can't find where you found it in the first place? Can you relate to frantically searching your history only to have the thing you're searching for become the first thing listed and then out of frustration you give up, resigning yourself to never finding the thing again?

This was me yesterday, and the thing I read was "choose curiosity over fear." I jotted it down in my notebook to perhaps use as a prompt for a future Slice. And for the life of me, I cannot remember the source! When I googled it, I found that it's attributable to Elizabeth Gilbert who authored Eat, Pray, Love. The book didn't resonate with me when I read it all those years ago, but this line struck a chord.

The message was that being curious leads to growth and creativity. There was a bit about curiosity vs passion and how being curious can be beneficial very differently than being passionate can.

And then it dawned on me as to why I was intrigued in the first place.

I am a passionate person who is somewhat lacking in passions. Turns out not having passions doesn't work out that well in retirement and leaves me feeling unproductive. It has me questioning whether or not I chose the right time to leave teaching. 

Maybe I should have had a well developed to-do list.

The reason I like the quote is because I am by nature a curious person, a lifelong learner if you will. So if I feel curious enough, I'll learn how to play canasta or bridge. If i want to take a refresher class in knitting, I will when I am curious about knitting. I'm just not passionate about those things right now and I think that's OK.

Curiosity does not require a deep commitment as passions do. 

Curiosity often taps me on the shoulder and welcomes me in.

I'm definitely curious about whether I can make a commitment to writing!

A love letter to Yoga

A Love Letter to Yoga 

We've been together for close to forty years, maybe more.

We met on the Upper West Side in a studio in a worn down apartment building, or was it an old hotel? I can't remember.

What I will always remember is the feeling of entering the sacred space, the quiet whispers of yogis waiting for class to begin, the gentle unrolling of the sticky mat, the anticipation of moving my body in new ways, and learning that these habits are profoundly universal anywhere you practice.

Knowing nothing about Yoga, the asanas, pranayama, or meditation I bravely entered into a new community that has existed for over five thousand years. I was curious and searching for something.

Yoga helps me to connect to the present moment, to move through the world with greater patience and gratitude. It opens the heart and reminds us to be kind not only to others but to ourselves.

I've learned that a daily yoga practice is a journey, that the greatest challenge is not in the poses but in the showing up.

It's a quiet ritual that awakens the body and nourishes my soul.

It has become my daily companion, my way of having an intimate conversation with myself; my time for self-care and self-discovery.

Namaste.

The Important Thing

Today's slice is inspired by Margaret Wise Brown's The Important Book.

 I share this with you on this drab and dreary Day 4:

The important thing about writing is that it lets you give out your emotions and tell the world how you feel.

Sometimes you feel sad and that's OK to write about.

Sometimes the person who reads your piece will feel sad too or maybe cheer you up!

Sometimes you write about your hopes and dreams.

Other times you write about a memory and bask in the comfort it provides.

And still others, you write about joy.

But the important thing about writing is that you write what is in your heart.

Motherhood and Daughterhood

Watching my daughter become a mother has been a journey that began long before my granddaughter was born. As she carried her child and prepared a world for her entrance, I witnessed the beauty of her transformation. I was able to see how nurturing a mother she would become as she questioned thoughtfully and purposefully.

In an instant, her world changed when she welcomed her baby girl. The quiet filled with newborn sounds.

Her patience, strength, and determination knows no bounds when it comes to giving her daughter the very best of her.

The love in my heart deepens with every moment, every glance, and every smile between them reminding me of how love evolves.

I realize how we, and the women who came before us are bonded in this understanding of sacrifice, joy, and privilege that is motherhood.

Knowing that life is unfolding into something richer and deeper than I ever could have imagined fills me with hope in these often hopeless times.