Posts

My Ideal Book Club

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  I've belonged to writing groups for many years, but I've never belonged to a book club. Nor have I ever wanted to. Why? Because part of my stubborn nature means I do not wish to be forced to read a book not of my choosing. I have friends who belong to book clubs, even writing group friends who straddle both kinds of gatherings. One format is: they meet once a month, and each woman chooses one book for the year and hosts that session. That would mean I would be reading ELEVEN books not of my choosing in a year. I don’t think so! Sure, they might be books I'd have chosen to read anyway. But that's not quite the point. I may have chosen to read them at another time, in another year, in another decade. If we’re not enrolled in some kind of educational course, any book one reads should be something you've personally chosen to read, depending on mood or interest or topic or circumstances. To be directed to read something takes the pleasure out of reading. I'

Reflections On Reading

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  “ I opened a book and in I strode Now nobody can find me" Those are the first two lines of Julia Donaldson’s poem (you can find the full poem in the pic below). And that pretty much captures the essence of why readers read. In an online discussion group with Ageless Possibilities , we were talking about our relationship with books, and Kerry Clare’s essay came up which describes so beautifully a reader’s journey blossoming into a lifelong love affair. My love affair with books began early. As a child I LOVED Enid Blyton. In the early years, the Noddy picture books and Brer Rabbit, then the mysteries with the Secret Seven and Famous Five. And the Mallory Towers series. Why did English parents always send their kids to boarding school and why couldn’t mine? Boarding school was where it was at! I longed to go (the reality of course would have been quite different, but children’s imaginations don’t deal with reality). Then there were The Bobbsey Twins and along came Nancy Drew.

On What We Need (Chocolate being one)

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  In our Spanish conversation group last week, the theme was: You plan to run for the office of president or prime minister of your country.  What are the four pillars of your political platform? All four proposals should be humorous or bordering on being ridiculous. It’s a mixed group with people from Canada, U.S., U.K. (the English speakers) and Spain and Mexico (the Spanish speakers). The format is one-on-one (or two-on-one depending on who shows up) for the first two breakouts where you speak about the topic in Spanish, then two more breakouts, but in English. The English speakers learn from native Spanish speakers and vice-versa, but it is invariably the Spanish speakers who master a foreign language better and can ad-lib without sputtering. Now, don’t get the impression that I’m in any way proficient in this language (given the themes). I prepare a few simple sentences in advance (using google translate and easy words I can pronounce), and I struggle but everyone in the g

I Have Not Been . . .

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Some phrases that you come across, in reading or listening, stick with you and rattle around in your head. Here’s one from a Portuguese poet (unknown) that I’m paraphrasing: You are what you’ve been,  but you also are what you haven’t been. Here’s another from the novel BLACK CAKE by Charmaine Wilkerson: “ Sometimes, the stories we don’t tell people about ourselves matter even more than the things we say .” Both speak of the gaps, the silences, the unspoken, the things not done, the path taken and not taken. What have we not been because of conscious choice, or missed opportunity, or resistance, or worse – because of fear? It’s easy to interpret this in a broad, vague sense: I have not been an astronaut. I have not been a pilot or an underwater explorer. I have not been to Antarctica. But that’s too simple. There are many things we haven’t been because those things have never beckoned. But what about those that did? What about those that hovered on the edge of our conscious

Jubilación

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  At the start of the year, I made the decision that this year I would ‘retire’.   I have been on a phased retirement track, working three days a week, for a couple of years now. But what does it actually mean to ‘retire’? The dictionary defines retirement as: “ Withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from active working life ” . The word ‘retirement’ seems outdated and  has a lot of negative connotations in an ageist society hell-bent on productivity. What does it mean to withdraw from active working life ? To give up an occupation you are skilled at, and have been doing for many, many years? I know I won’t be looking for ways to fill my time, because I do have plenty of options. In the past couple of years, I have been adding to my interests. But the transition for many retirees is difficult because for so long they have been doing something they’re good at, and for which they’ve received accolades and recognition. When they retire, they’re at the top of their game,

I Am From . . .

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  In an online group of life stories, facilitated by Ageless Possibilities , we were introduced to the format of the poem “I Am From”.   The I Am From project was originally aimed at students to celebrate diversity.   But it is also a wonderful tool for older adults looking back at their origins and life stories.   Here’s my attempt at it: ** I am from the hot desert sand, from where palm trees sway Heavy with fresh, golden dates hanging just out of reach. I am from mudpies, made outside while parents napped And the sun beat down on our bare, unprotected brown skin.   I am from the humble, square kitchen where my mother chopped Onions on an old wooden table instead of a granite countertop. And a squat meat-safe filled with forbidden tins of fruit soaking in rum Ready for plump Christmas cakes, lightened by the scoops we pilfered.   And the same kitchen where My mother and I stood at the sink, peeling shells off fat prawns “Remember to pinch out

Flow and Survival

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  Like many of you, I began the year contemplating where to put my focus. Less scrolling online, more in-depth engagement. I’ve done ‘word of the year’ a couple of times in the past, but they’ve never stuck with me. In the last couple of weeks, I’ve had a phrase rattling around in my brain: ‘seek the flow’, likely inspired by the book, Stolen Focus, I wrote about in my  previous post . I know those things that get me in the flow (painting, reading, writing, walking). But what I want to do is go deeper into it, that flow. And once I’m there, to take it slow. I’m not one for making resolutions, but I do try to set some intentions and make plans, although I don’t hold myself steadfastly to them. But this year I want to go deeper into the things that bring me flow. I want to get there and STAY there, without distracting myself. Take Walking: I often listen to podcasts as I walk. I began doing this about a year or more into the pandemic, but for all of 2020 and part of 2021, I used to g