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Thursday, January 27, 2011

It's Just Words

It's just words
shaping all our thoughts
just words
over which wars are fought

It's just words
when I cry out in the night
just words
describing dark and light

It's just words
tumbling around and through
just words
that make me think of you

It's your words
when you open your imagination
your words
that are my fascination

Sunday, January 23, 2011

The Date

The date
on the calender
doesn't matter
so long as you
are in my life.


I am Stronger Today

I am stronger today
then I was yesterday
and I will be stronger tomorrow
and every tomorrow
that follows.


Saturday, January 22, 2011

Cold Air and Sunshine

Cold air and sunshine
blue skies banish loneliness
peace and strength are mine.



Monday, January 10, 2011

Sparks

What is it about creativity? The spark of an idea? The thrill of something new coming from you? Growing in you? Much like a pregnancy of an idea. Birthing a project. Your Baby. The NEED to share some part of yourself, your soul, with the rest of the world. Maybe a need for acknowledgement or appreciation as well.

Most of our lives seem to be spent learning about the world around us. Naming things. Discovering how things work. Exploring the vast unknown.   Then finally, hopefully, finding our place in that world. That we can "see" something that doesn't yet exist in the physical world in our imagination and then turn it into a reality astounds me.

To create with words is no less amazing to me. Writers and poets create characters, other people, out of nothing more than thin air and ideas. People we end up caring about; loving and hating. People with complex lives; families, histories, stories of their own to tell.

I have found recently that as thrilling as it is to have the spark of a creative idea burning brightly in your brain, it is almost equally as fantastic to be able to help that spark exist in someone else. To get an idea that relates to another artist's work and pass it off to them; watching it take root is wondrous. To see that flame in their eyes and know you helped put it there is a special gift.

I am fortunate in so many ways. I create things physically in the form of color and yarn. I dye yarn and allow the colors to speak for me. They convey emotions, attitudes, stories of people and places. I also knit and transform that yarn once again into a thing of beauty and purpose. I am also gifted--and I mean this literally as in having been given a gift that I am fortunate to possess--with the ability to create little poems. Taking an idea and expressing it in such a way as to have other people feel something or understand something they might not have otherwise.

Beyond my personal abilities to create I have found another joy. That ability to help a fellow artist create. To see someone else's work clearly enough; to understand the characters they have created, to see the next step for their work and be able to share this vision of their work with them in a coherent manner is a new experience for me. Watching that spark that first spontaneously combusted somewhere in my mind's eye flash and burn even more brightly in their eyes is truly magical.

Now, I get to fan the flames and encourage them along in their progress, happy to have been a part of the magic they create.

Thursday, January 06, 2011

The Quest to Find Happiness and Other Things

I'm on a quest. A holy grail sort of thing. I'm searching for happiness. But not a simple little moment of happiness. That I can find--on a regular basis. But, for me, those moments of happiness are punctuated by a number of decidedly un-happy moments and emotions. And, as if that wasn't enough to be looking for, along with never-ending happiness, I want to discover those habits, tendencies, rituals of folks who seem to be perpetually well-rested, productive, effective (in addition to happy) members of society. 

I am by nature an optimist. I am also a procrastinator who is prone to laziness and depression. I am an idea person who sucks on the follow-through. I lack focus and commitment. At home. In my personal life. The funny thing is that when I was working I was the complete opposite at work. Highly organized. Tightly focused. Able to multi-task easily. All the while, I was much happier at work than I was at home. 

I guess I need to figure out what I did (and probably even more important) why I did what I did when I was at work. Hmmm....

So, while I ponder work life versus home life, if you have any thing in particular that you do that helps you achieve happiness or be more productive or effective in your life, I'd love to hear about it. 

Saturday, January 01, 2011

Words

Words litter my brain
little syllables scattered
cluttering my thoughts.

Knitting a Community

Patiently I knit
one stitch
at a time
together they form
the fabric of my life.


Friends
like stitches
are added
one at a time
knitting a community.

So Many People

So many people
strangers this time last year
opened their arms and hearts to me
took me in and became my friends
I am truly blessed.

Simple Shrimp and Broccoli Curry

Happy New Year.

I'm not sure when I became Martha freakin' Whatshername but I'm about to put another recipe up on my blog.

I made this tonight for the second time and it was just as easy and yummy as the first time. I cheat all the way through. So, if you are a real chef (or fancy yourself to be one) you probably don't want to read any further.  This takes about 20 minutes (maybe a little bit less) to make so is great in a pinch or while also trying to wrangle kids, do the laundry, and/or all the other things we all have to do at exactly the same time we need to prepare food.

I am listing the ingredients as I find them. Substitute any and all with what you can find at your local store.

2--12 oz boxes of Seapak frozen shrimp scampi (or other frozen shrimp)
1--12 oz jar Seeds of Change Madras simmer sauce (or other curry sauce)
1--12 oz steamer bag frozen broccoli florets 
cooked rice (again, I cheated and used Minute Rice ready to serve cups)
1 or 2 packages fresh Naan bread

In large skillet cook frozen shrimp scampi according to package directions. At the same time, cook the bag of broccoli according to package directions (5 min on high). Pre-heat the oven to 400 if you want to warm the bread. Once the butter sauce that was coating the shrimp has all melted, pour off most of it (about 3/4). Dump the whole jar of curry sauce in with the shrimp. Stir. If you are heating the bread, place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with a little water. Watch the shrimp curl up into little circles of white goodness. Stir occasionally or in whatever manner makes you happy. Being mindful of the steam and it's ability to burn the crap out of you, open and pour the bag of broccoli in with the shrimp and sauce. Stir. Microwave the rice according to package directions (1 min ea on high). Turn everything off. Take the bread out of the oven. Serve. Particularly good with a cold beer.

It really is that simple.

Hope you enjoy.