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Thursdays are the new Saturday

embroidered mittens process UFOLately I am drawn to Julia Cameron‘s facebook posts, single-line emissions  dense with wisdom, as if they hold the The Ultimate Solution. Of course, every single one is fodder for reflection, a catalyst for assessing and reframing, but it was Wendy Thomas’s post about a recent Writers’ Retreat at a Buddhist center that really rocked me out of my rut. My takeaway from Wendy’s weekend of silence is the incredibly simple but profound, “when I stopped hearing other people’s voices, I started hearing my own.” As someone who has a long history of getting into trouble for chatting in school and on the job, this struck home.

I could whine about the time-hogging aspects that are my very own jumble of responsibilities, I could tell you all about how they leave me feeling drained and perfectly uninspired, but who doesn’t have those, right? Boring. A waste of good energy, frankly.

So what to do with this new-found notion of taking time out for silence? Hello, Thursday! Saturdays have always felt bright and full of possibility, so a reframe of an ordinary weekday into a Saturday feels fresh.

I have spent the morning with yarn and thread, embroidering these mittens, and feel ever so energized. It meant staying put and not running out to the gym. That’s a trade-off, for sure. It would be so much easier to stay in motion on my day off; sitting still takes effort. But if being uncomfortable is the gateway to discovery, I’m willing. No one to talk to here, except for the pets, so the lid on chatter has been easy. But, should this cone of silence include answering messages on facebook? Probably. There’s always room for refinement, isn’t there?!

On the idea of staying quiet, there’s a young man from Nashua, NH, who has committed to a year of silence and walking as a form of performance art! This video interview explains Greg Hindy’s story behind his endeavor. If you want to know more, his father has set up a group facebook page that follows Greg’s trek as he walks cross-country. Greg is journaling the experience with black-and-white film photography; a post-performance reveal promises to be fascinating.

Corabelle crochet studio afghan UFO

 

I’ll leave you with a quick snap of Corabelle, getting cozy with the as-yet-unfinished African Flower crochet afghan.

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • Carl Hindy October 27, 2013, 3:13 am

    Thank you so much for your mentioning — and conveying your personal appreciation — for my son Greg Hindy’s project. That phrases about hearing one’s own inner voice once quieting the din of noise that surrounds us, and the potential in every day which results from this greater self-awareness, have me pause and think.

    Yes, we follow Greg’s silent photographic walk on a Facebook page to which I which I want to invite you and your readers. He’s now reached Florida … and we look forward to hearing all that filled his mind in the 365 x 24 hours of not speaking, and finally to see the large format film photography … Our Facebook Group can be found here:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/565214103539066/

    Thank-you very much,

    Carl Hindy
    New Hampshire

  • jenna sievers October 17, 2013, 3:45 pm

    First, Julia Cameron is MINE. You can’t have her! (okay, not true)
    Secondly, Cora, Cora, Cora. Such a beauty and so lucky to have all that wool 🙂
    Your knitting is fantastic!
    Your blog looks great, too!
    Happy Thursday.
    Jenna

  • Fran Mues October 17, 2013, 2:43 pm

    Lisa, I’m SO GLAD you took time for creativity this morning! Thank you, too, for sharing Wendy Thomas’s post about the Buddhist retreat. YES to the quote about hearing one’s own voice when other voices are silent. I went to a TM retreat this past weekend–not totally silent, but silence much of the time (5 meditations a day). Very restorative.