Hello, Poetry Friday friends! It has been a while since I've managed to post anything for Poetry Friday. The last time was in July, and I just counted and discovered I've only posted twenty Poetry Friday posts in all of 2022.
When I chose "Beginner" as my OLW for the year, little did I know I'd be drowning in beginnings again in the second half of 2022. My husband and I moved to another new country in August, and we're now living and working in the beautiful city of Kampala, Uganda. If you're thinking there must be a story there, you'd be right, and maybe some day I can tell it to you over a cup of tea. In the meantime, here I am, learning all the things, a Beginner again.
Counterintuitively, I have often found that an answer to being overwhelmed is to add something creative to the mix. So I'm going to try that, and see if it works this time. October will be starting on Saturday, and I think I'm going to attempt Birdtober again. It was one of the most fun things I did last year, and October 2021 was wilder than this year's is likely to get (I hope). Below you'll see the list of prompts I'm planning to use - there are several floating around, but this is from the same person whose list I used last year (you can see her site here), and I really like it. Birdtober is an offshoot from Inktober, and it's supposed to be for visual artists, but I wrote poems last year, and that's my intention this year also.
As always when I embark on one of these projects, I'm not committing to every day, but I hope to post quite a few of the days in October. And in the meantime, here's a link to all my Birdtober poems from 2021.
16 comments:
Ruth! I've been missing you. It's so good to see this post and know you've landed someplace you can post to PF. My goodness, sign me up for the story. But, all in good time. For now, be that wonderful beginner you are -- especially with your powers of observation that show in your photography and poem-ing. I really look forward to seeing what you find in Uganda. There is a charity that works there that I used to work with years ago. I'll send you a separate e-mail about that. Hugs! So good to hear from you.
"October 2022 was wilder than this year's is likely to get (I hope)."-- I think you mean October 2021! I can barely bear to look back at October 2021 myself. Looking forward to your Birdtober poems!
Ruth, it's so good to hear your voice in the roundup! I love that you are doing Birdtober again...and that creativity can be an antidote to overwhelmedness. I do find that to be true, I think because it keeps me from being "in my head" so much. Who has time to worry when one is creating joy?? Sending so much love to you in your beautiful new home. xo
Yes, Tabatha, you're right! Editing...
I've been thinking about your line about creativity being a tonic to feeling overwhelmed. That seems right. I love the project and that it will never exhaust the number of species on the planet. I hope you are happy in your new home. :)
Glad you're back!! Didn't realize you had moved AGAIN. Sounds stressful. You are wise to add something creative to offset all those beginner blues. Looking forward to your Birdtober posts again.
Stay safe, Ruth. I have a dear friend who lived in Uganda for years with JRS. He wrote a book: They Come Back Singing by Gary Smith, SJ. It's only through his words that I can imagine the colors, the sounds, the smells, the joy that lives there. Good luck with Birdtober.
Wow, Uganda! What a change! I love that your blog title stays the same. Happy Birdtober to you -- may you find some new ones for your list in your new home.
Ruth, hello, dear adventurous friend. Kampala! Good to see you here and very interested to see how being in this new beginning of a place will influence your bird poems. Be well!
Ruth, so happy to see you. I hope Kampala is a wonderful new beginning. Looking forward to reading your bird poems.
I did see on FB about your move & now with this "new" place & "new" list for Birdtober, it will be delightful to see what you share that you will find. I think of you often, Ruth, & wish you a lovely home building!
So thrilled to see you here, Ruth! I love that you're diving into something creative--but ALSO that you're giving yourself grace to just do it as you're able. Sending good thoughts for all your new beginnings this year. I hope ease will settle in soon. xox
So happy to see you here, Ruth! I loved your Birdtober posts last year and look forward to more this year. It's interesting that October has a plethora of prompts--Inktober, Birdtober, and I also found a Photo-A-Day one. Lots to play with! Hoping that creativity adds positively to your mix. I hope to listen to the stories of your many recent beginnings some day.
Happy Birdtober! May creativity give you the anchor you're looking for!
Birdtober! What a lot of wonder to look forward to !!!
Oh, I would love that cup of tea with you, Ruth. So many beginnings indeed this year! Birdtober is a beautiful idea. I agree that adding a creative element to the "busy-ness mix" is often a welcome relief rather than a strain. Here's to beginnings!
Post a Comment