So it’s that time of year for me – winter – and
that time of winter – middle-ish –
when I really begin feeling anxious, antsy, cooped-up and just plain "poopy" overall. I
know, I know – the die hard New Englanders are scoffing at my wimpy-ness – it hasn’t
been a “bad” winter at all so far…but it’s still
winter. And winter, in my un-hardy ohh-pin-yon, sucks. I can hear the rebuttals – it hasn’t been very cold (yah, for New England), we've had almost no snowfall… but it
certainly hasn’t been “warm” and the wind can kick your butt, no matter what
the temperature. S-oooo, not exactly frolicking-fun beach weather is what I’m
sayin’.
And to make
this winter even lovelier, I’m under-employed, having a rough time with the
bills, and feeling creatively smushed as a result of it all. Yes, smushed. Meaning,
all the other crap is smushing out the creativity. I guess I could say my brain
is feeling quite smushy, too. (Ick.)
So as I was
trudging through the grocery store today (not
one of my favorite activities – it’s just one of those “things.” Some people
hate doing laundry; I don’t mind doing laundry. But I hate grocery shopping.)
Anyway, (see
– my mind is smushy) I was trudging (moping) through the grocery store today
when I bumped into Linda. (Well, she nearly bumped into me, actually, as she turned the corner whilst looking for a
particular something or other.) Thank you, thank you Universe, for putting me
in the exact space (produce department) and the exact time (afternoon, I think)
– when all the old people and unemployed are out shopping (l-o-o-o-ong sigh) that
Linda was also meandering through the grocery store. She was appearing a bit bewildered herself,
after trips visiting her kids in San Diego and Delray Beach, Florida. Yah…sucks
coming back to winter in New England, no matter how “nice” the winter up here
has been!)
My friend
Linda is a beautiful poet and storyteller; a grandmother; a writer I very much
admire – and a fellow creative mind – exactly the mind I needed to meld with
today! It feels so…so affirming, and even comforting, to hear another
artist/writer lament the same kinds of crap-ola that I struggle with creatively
– as an artist trying to get around in this world, this lifetime. We talked
about lifetimes (in the plural) and how we would probably need many of them to
“get answers,” if there was ever going to be any answers to these questions
that torture us.
But we talked
about the “good stuff,” too…goings-on in the arts around town, who is doing
what/where; good stuff to go out and see or hear. I listened to Linda talk
about all of the writing she did while away and felt inspired by her energy.
Just a brief artistic exchange among the citrus and sweet potatoes infused me
with a little light, a little hope. How wonderful it can be when you feel like
someone “gets you” or simply “gets it.”
After check-out, I bounced out of the store, and even hummed a tune out loud
(which is like mania, for me)!
God, thank
you for the artists!...the writers!...the poets!...the musicians! Thank you for
these kindred spirits, both known and unknown to me. Thank you for “chance”
meetings and happenings that always seem to occur when we need them most. Thank
God I’m an artist, too, so I can pass
all of this good stuff along in my own way…
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