It's really true, isn't it? Like when someone is looking for a relationship, everyone says, "When you stop looking, you'll find someone." And I discovered it's true with yoga too - my secret shame as a yoga teacher is that I have a hard time kicking up into handstand. I love being IN handstand, I just have trouble getting myself up there. It's totally a "letting go" thing. But I find that when I stop kicking so hard, suddenly, up I go.My last post was a week ago. Like some of you, I'd gone like gangbusters with the daily A to Z challenge in April. Great things came from that - by "Z," I had amassed a small army of 30 new followers and had found some delightful bloggers to follow too. Then an interesting thing happened. My blog just sat there for a week, as though it had gone on a silent retreat. Yet, new people kept coming! By the end of the week, my blog had, without fuss or fanfare, or any effort on my part, meandered past the 100 follower mark. Let me say once again how pleased I am to meet you all.
On other fronts, I am trying to get my book published. Well, my wonderful agent, Kate Epstein, is trying to get my book published. That's a real letting go thing too - placing your faith in another to present you and your work in the best possible light. And, we are trying to sell our house. Last week, we had a sudden burst of activity, with cash buyers here and 21-day closings there. For a few days, we were crazed with offers and counter-offers and high hopes and dashed hopes. In the end there was no deal, but we were encouraged by the interest and the activity.
With those two things - the book and the house - it's hard to wait. It's hard to keep from wanting to do something to make something happen. But there is nothing to be done - everything that I could do has already been done. I've written the book. I've found a great agent. We've loved and taken care of our home. We've cleaned the bathrooms and planted the gardens. It's out of our hands. It's out of our control.
Today we are taking a drive up the mountain here in beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico. It's Mother's Day, so I want to do some kind of little ritual up there for my mom. And, perhaps one to thank Santa Fe for having sheltered us and shown us such a good time, and to ask it to give us its blessing to move on. Maybe that all sounds WooWoo weird to you, but I just feel this need to do it. It's a gorgeous day and supposed to be warm, so it should be lovely up there. Just being surrounded by tall pines and budding aspens, with the skies what we call "Sedona blue," and the sun warming our faces, always manages to re-set my inner workings, like a kind of spiritual tune-up.
The photo is of the view of the Sangre de Christo mountains from our house. The aspens form a perfect heart that seems to be looking right at us. I don't think things like happen just by chance, I always think they are a sign - of something!
Good luck with your book and your house sale - I hope there are pleasing developments soon on both fronts:-)
ReplyDeleteThanks jabblog- I'm really enjoying your blog.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful mountains! That's one thing we really don't have in Florida. Good luck with the waiting. Sometimes it's so much easier to DO than to wait!
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting on my blog. Congrats on getting out that query. Sorry your house hasn't sold yet. Are you moving from New Mexico or just to another house? Maybe you said in an earlier post before I met you.
ReplyDeleteAll those stories, poems, essays you've written and published. That's awesome. And also ones about aging and caregiving. I'd say in all of this we're soul mates.
I can see why you've gotten so many new followers. You're an interesting woman with a lot of experience to share.
Ann Best, Memoir Author
Juliana, I am a water sign, so I love the ocean and miss it. But the mountains here are spectacular and somehow, even though this is "high desert," I don't feel parched like I did in Arizona. They say this was once an inland sea - so maybe that is why I've been content here.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with book and house!
ReplyDeleteI heaved a sigh of satisfaction when I completed the A-Z but, after the first few days of not blogging each day, I felt something was missing from my life. Not yet decided on a new blogging schedule - maybe every OTHER day?
Wow, what a beautiful view towards the mountains! I find little ceremonies always helpful to focus my wants and then letting it go... Keeping my fingers crossed!
ReplyDeleteBest of luck "letting go". It's hard to do - especiallly forpeople like me with OCD tendencies! ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone, letting go is VERY hard! But I am doing better after our trip up the mountain. Beautiful day, warm sun, nobody else around. I talked to my mom and cried a little, then we ate the Ceremonial Cheese Danish, and felt much much better!
ReplyDeleteSo happy to meet you! Yes, indeed, things go on without you, and sometimes better because of your absence! Funny concept, but so important for writers and artists in general.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on both fronts, btw. Where are you moving to?
Rosaria,
ReplyDeleteOur plan is to buy an RV and travel all over. That would be a year or more! Then, we are likely to settle somewhere warm by the ocean. I guess that means Florida! But we do LOVE Santa Fe - it is absolutely wonderful. It's just that my husband is not a fan of winter in any way shape or form!
This post was so interesting to me. Each paragraph stands on its own, yet they all flow together. I suppose listing to Enya encourages this perception, but what I really wanted to say is I like your blog. Mine is still waiting for me to visit it as I haven't posted since april but that is another story. Today is about reconnecting with others.
ReplyDeleteHello there Melissa Ann -- I'm coming over from MK's place (through a glass darkly), where I saw your comment on Ivanhoe. Nice to meet you here. I have to say, I totally covet your New Mexico existence -- it's my dream to "grow up" and become a writer living in New Mexico (like Julia Cameron -- have you read her?).
ReplyDeleteAnyway, lovely to meet you here...
It looks like things are turning out well on the publishing front and on the home front, so that is great news.
ReplyDeleteThat view provides you with a nice selling point for your house but I'm sure you and the real estate agent already know that :)
It's so hard to stop trying sometimes but you're so right.....when we've done all that we can do and it's out of our hands, especially when other people are involved, then I guess all that's left for us to do is keep on moving along until something happens. I wish I could apply that principle more but I always thing that there is something that could be done to get from point A to point B. It's funny that you mentioned the dating subject because I've read that in books and magazines and heard people say that so many times but I'm so impatient that I think that if I stop looking, then too much time will go by and in all of that time, I could've been looking, lol.
I tried Yoga on a DVD a while back and it was challenging to get into so I had to give it up. I'm sticking with Cardio for now.
The Mother's Day ritual is perfectly fine and thoughtful and kind. It is a nice extension of a celebration on earth while your parents spend the day with each other in spirit. I hope that it was a peaceful day for all of you and that this activity helps to keep you closer to them and their memory.
The Madlab Post