We’re at the start of a brand new month, and I’m excited for the possibilities that it holds. I also realized that somewhere in the last couple of months, Pockets of Stillness crossed a milestone - one year in existence. Happy birthday! I came across this poem today.
The Clearing Do not try to save the whole world or do anything grandiose. Instead, create a clearing in the dense forest of your life and wait there patiently, until the song that is your life falls into your own cupped hands and you recognize and greet it. Only then will you know how to give yourself to this world so worthy of rescue. - Martha Postlethwaite All too often, while we are running around like headless chickens, simply getting quiet brings the answers. ‘A clearing in the dense forest of your life sounds like just the thing I need right now.
Tell me, how have you been, ? How is your internal weather, as artist Wendy Mac so eloquently puts it? (Oh, speaking of Wendy Mac, have you seen her delightful DrawTogether videos? If you have kids (or not), these videos are just so fun to watch and draw along with.)
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a mini-blog post in my Instagram post caption. After a visit to a favorite park, I was mulling over how my relationship with public parks has changed and evolved over the years, especially the ones in Bangalore, the city where I live. Do read it, and let me know if you can relate.
Do you enjoy being outdoors in large open spaces? What do you most enjoy about them? If you’d like to, treat this as a journal prompt. Draw a little bit of your favorite outdoor space. Write down what it means to you. What does what it feels like when you’re in that space?
A quick painting of poppies that I made yesterday. I hope the month ahead is a beautiful one for you. I hope it is filled with laughter, music, beauty, art, love, and all the things that bring you great joy.