Immersion

Musing...

One of my favorite titles is A Field Guide to Getting Lost (by Rebecca Solnit).  You can imagine a field guide to almost anything – birds, plants, minerals -- but a guide to getting lost is the antithesis of a guide. Getting lost you can do by yourself. But the stories in the book talk about what you may find when you wander, the subtle side of survival, and resilience. Another aspect of getting lost is getting immersed.

Charise’s turn:

When I was six, I got lost at the Worlds Fair in New York.  We were there as a family, it was the evening, and we walked by a fountain that was suddenly lit up in the descending darkness.  I stopped and stared and that’s when I got lost. Lost in the view, how fascinating the water and the light looked. When I turned away from the view, none of my family was there. They had moved on, apparently unaware that I had not.

Titles

Musing...

A title is what? An invitation? A description?  Gift wrap (?) -- as in, how a book is suggested but not revealed by its title – the title wraps the contents.  

How many times have you picked up a book to browse because of the title? Or become intrigued by a film due to the name? Or wondered more about a painting as you find out what the artist calls it? Your imagination has been sparked.  You are going toward the object of the title as well as into your imagination. 

Get Fired Up:

Peruse titles (of books, films, poems, works of art) and when you find one that intrigues you, close your eyes for a moment and see what surfaces. Visit your imagination and take it for a ride.  

Begin at the End

Musing…

This sounds like a contradiction!   But any successful endeavor begins with a vision, a clear picture of where you are headed.  Continuing with our theme of story, and more specifically, your life story:  What do you wish people to remember you for when you pass?  What is the nature of your life time achievement award?  What is your vision of a life well-lived?

Kate's turn:

I have been musing on these questions lately, as my life seems to be one of more input than output at the moment.  I’m studying on 3 different fronts, not feeling accomplished in any of them.  Hence, my days are not primarily scheduled with service to others, which I’m used to.  But, I’m spending time learning and practicing, not yet confident or able to see results.

What You See is What You Get

Musing…

A glimpse…a snapshot…a sound byte:  experienced from your perspective. Did you know that the brain searches and finds according to your bias, your filter?  Quantum physics tells us that each moment holds infinite options, but our limiting “search” finds essentially what we’re looking for.  Dr. Richard Bartlett, Matrix Energetics, says you must never look where you don’t want to go.  Choose your intention by the outcome you desire.

Get Fired Up:

Your story unfolds moment by moment…continuous opportunities to choose, to CREATE your  life.  

Don’t like that contracting feeling when you get stuck in traffic?  Choose another response - that is one thing you DO have control over.  Let go….smile….keep your heart open.  SEE ….and step into your life design… moment by moment…step by step.

Change your story.  Look and see where it is you are choosing to go.  (This is where that consciousness, being in the moment, the now, pays off!)

Hand Me a Story

Musing...
Where did your glimpses take you?  Could it be that a glimpse tells the whole story, or opens the view to the whole of the story? And maybe stories want to be told, and human nature lends itself to storytelling, in one form or another. The whole story can show up in the singular space of a poem, painting, monologue, skit, dance, or musical performance.  Here’s where it gets more interesting. The whole of the story happens because there is an interaction between the storyteller and the listener that completes the experience of the story. It’s shared.

Charise’s turn:

Just before getting on stage, I suddenly feel vacant, like everything I know has vanished. I have no idea what will happen even though I’ve rehearsed plenty. Once on stage, I find it remarkable that something takes shape; that it is, in fact, what I learned.  But it feels completely unrehearsed like a burst of inspiration, a sudden idea displayed.  It’s the oddest thing and do all performers feel this way?

The pianist who lifts his hands to begin to play – does he know his fingers will find their way in full concert with his intention and his memory? Or is there that moment where he is amazed to find his fingers producing such incredible sound for the rapt attention of those listening? Is this just about practice, practice, practice or is something else happening in performance?