The Pits and Pieces

  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 pra...

  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 ...