Greetings from Planet14

Distraction

The backyard needs mowing.

High thin dandelions and exotic weeds with plain names wave in the morning breeze.

Bumblebees work the blooms, busy and productive.

I wait here coffee mug in hand

For the puppy to complete her morning toilette

But three times now

She has interrupted herself

To bounce after bumblebees

A joyful intent fluffy flash of white launching herself at and

(Thankfully) missing the fuzzy yellow-black bullets laden with pollen.

She reminds me

Of little kids who, while searching for the grail of Successful Potty Training

Become distracted in the deep pool of Play.

Ooops.

And not so different from me, either, really,

Distracted by a million things

From the work I need to do.

I drove home from one of my last days at work licking my wounds, my young canine companion Zoe by my side (I smuggled her in to the office today for morale support). Halfway home through the legendary south-of-Boston traffic, I got a phone call from my friend Stacey in Texas.

I’ve known Stacey for years now, but I’ve only seen her in person once, over a margarita and some good tex-mex where she charmed me with her energy, bravery and style. She’s a “helper” teacher- a master teacher who guides other teachers. Single mom. Fashion diva. Makes jewelry and is completely organized. She’s been one of my closest virtual friends for oh, six years. She and I have “talked” each other through some very tough times (including each of our divorces, another one of those life stressors).

Well, Stacey has cancer. Uterine and cervical. It’s bad enough that when the involved organs are removed, there will be a pathologist on hand to sample the others. Scary stuff.

So I had thought I might work on a painting tonight, but when someone you’ve corresponded with for years calls with news like that, the ole creative juices brake hard and go in reverse. Feeling Mopeful because one has lost a job seems kind of silly. Know what Stacey is excited about? The fact that she will have 50 paid sick days.

Yep, 50.

In my office at work, I have the word “Imagine” in metal on top of a very high bookcase. Well, it’s soon to be my OLD office, but I will take my decoration with me. My position is a victim of The Economy, and I suppose, a lack of Salesperson Tendencies.

Involuntary job losses they say are highly stressful, ranked with deaths of loved ones and divorces. Well, I’ve lived through divorce and the deaths of loved ones, and Job Loss is a distant third, though it feels pretty bad at the moment.

Transitions are times when we assess ourselves, and I have done that in spades. One of the conclusions I have come to is that I need to exercise my creative side more regularly, and I’d like to be accountable for that. Hence, I will blog it. And if I figure out this wordpress thing, take pictures of the visual art pieces I create.

I call this endeavour “50 Pieces”- making something, one object a week. A poem, a painting, something complete. They probably won’t be good in the larger sense but they will be expressions, and they will be mine, and well, I guess they will be public.

My coach MaryEllen and I have set up a time to start. Tomorrow. But with this blog I am starting, or perhaps restarting today.

In a way I’ve been really creative lately as I have used visual and written arts to roadmap my future, so I hope that counts, but I will also embark on making the simple, pleasurable things that make ME happy, whether or not they are of General Artistic Merit… each one will be a step on a journey to a more creative and healthy self.