I should be walking

When life becomes a blur, about the only thing to do is buckle your seatbelt and wait for the ride to stop. That’s when you stagger away, slightly dizzy, searching for a focus point.

Since my last post I visited Shanghai, North Dakota, Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Virginia, Florida, Connecticut and various points in OH.

I met great kids, poet of all ages — pre-school and up, up, up.

wrote with them,

celebrated their images, words, and performances,

had a new puppy born into the family, (video starring Lili, cameo by Suzi, videography and production by Michael) made new friends, tested the limits of old friends, and finished the page proofs on two new books. The third set of page proofs is arriving by mail next week. I argued strenuously but self-consciously about cover art and what would print to fit in the books. The struggle to balance what I feel is right and remain likable thrashes within me like those submerged plumes of oil in the Gulf, immeasurable, deep, and not easily dispersed.

This past week was my Sunday. I rested. I biked a little. Gardened a little. Walked a little. Started a rag rug out of old T shirts and didn’t think much at all.

I did not drive a car (grocery, bank, post office all easily accessed by my bike) and spent too much time listening in horror to news about the oil volcano in the Gulf.

I’m so far behind in this blog, I don’t even know where to start with catching it up. My lap top was stolen a couple of weeks ago and there went most of my pictures from Korea and Shanghai along with all of my teacher presentations and one picture book in process. Sigh.

I sit here trying to reconnect with my writing, blog, friends and think, I should be walking since I eat too much when I’m stressed. Which means that this past spring cost me four pounds.

The grandkids are screaming next door, birds are grousing about it, and puppy Lili is growling in her sleep under my desk, Michael is in his biking gear. Enough with the resting. Time for that walk.