New is necessary

Butterfly eggs on kitchen window

One thing the death of Hindi illuminated for me is that there are things, people, situations and ways of being which, even though current, can actually be considered dead.

Often, we habitually hold on to these 'dead' things without realising their time has passed. Comfort zones. Hiding places. A dead job, a dead relationship, a dead place, a dead habit . . . things we do, places we frequent and people with whom we associate who no longer serve us or contribute to our development.

Why do we hold on?

When Hindi died, I was holding her against me. I felt when the prana (life force) left her body.  Once prana leaves the body, we are no longer alive. Even if I'd wanted to, nothing I did could not have stopped or reversed the dying process. Likewise, there are things in life that we cannot resuscitate once their time has passed . . . even though we may try to.

In that experience I had no choice but to see letting go as necessity, unavoidability, opportunity.

The time is here. Let go of whoever and whatever no longer serves us.

Renew.

Be new.


For Sunday Scribblings (first time I'm doing it in ages)

Event

I haven't done Sunday Scribblings in a while, but the topic of the current one is very applicable for this week. The topic is "event".

I can't believe the week has flown so swiftly. In two day's time it will be Friday 7th May, the day of the Daisy Chain launch. Things are shaping up well. It got some good representation in the daily press and many people are either asking about it, saying they want to read the book, that they want both the e-version and the hard copy version when it comes out and/or saying they will be coming to the launch.

Those who have been receiving the daily extracts have been enjoying them. Daily, they send lovely comments and feedback via e-mail. Generally, Daisy Chain has a spontaneous energy to it and a life of its own.

If you are in Trinidad and Tobago, you are invited to attend the launch.




THE LAUNCH OF DAISY CHAIN
Where: AV Room of NALIS, Abercromby Street, POS
When: 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (a little tip here: I don't operate on Trini time)

Six women will be reading extracts from the novel:
Carolyn Harnanan
Carol Hosein
Patti-Anne Ali
Vanessa Duncan
Jo Ann Ali-Nandalal
Jamela Khan

There will be light refreshments after and I will hand out cards containing information on how to access the link to the e-book. Those of you in blogland who live abroad or for some reason cannot attend the launch will be able to read about it (and e-book details) right here at Now is Wow Too. Stay tuned.


Admission: Free

Any Questions?

Source of image

It's been a long time since I've done Sunday Scribblings.

This week the theme is Interview.

I invite you to interview me in the comments section.

Ecoutez, s'il vous plaît. Je vais lire de mon roman Français.

Une bouteille de lucioles

*

Mes amis ...

This is a short audio file (5 mins exactement) of me reading the first few paragraphs of the (first draft) introduction to my French novel: Une Bouteille de Lucioles (A Bottle of Fireflies) ... which I've mentioned plusieurs fois on this blog.

For those who don't know, I'm currently learning French in evening classes at UWI. One day late last year I was inspired to start writing this novel. I felt it would be a more interesting way of practising, learning and remembering French ... rather than just going along with what was in the text book used in the class. At first I was compelled by it and couldn't stop writing. Then other aspects of life gradually took over and I slowed down ... and haven't been that consistent lately. In fact I've not written anything in ages. As a result, I've only reached Chapter 2. Maybe doing this will stir me to continue.

Please keep in mind (especially those who are French or who speak it fluently :) ... the written words and my delivery of them here are not an exercise in 'perfection'. For now they are what they are and it is a 'casual' reading. My intention is simply to share a first draft snippet of mon roman with you. Peut-être il y aura des fautes ... and I admit that my French pronunciation/reading isn't that hot ... mais anyone who speaks French will understand, which is the important part.

Peut-être this will be an encouragement to anyone out there who thinks they need to be 'perfect' before doing something and sharing it with others. Please don't think so. We all start somewhere, growing as we go and, hopefully, feeling comfortable enough to share something of ourselves along the path of our evolution.

Ecoutez.


This week's Sunday Scribbling's topic is 'Language'

(Re)connecting with You

Our Spirits ... connected
Our Bodies ... ready

Soon!

Trusting Time
Trusting Place
Trusting Self
Trusting Grace

Sunday Scribblings

Art

Last night I looked up
And saw your face glowing.

The stars were connecting to draw you
For me.

Look up tonight.
I am drawn too.

*

Sunday Scribblings

Dear February ...

Rainbow Crystal, bedroom window, early morning, last day January

*

Thank you for coming and bringing all of the wonder-full gifts which you are so generously stretching before me for my enjoyment and advancement. I look forward to savouring each one immensely as your days unfold.

I said goodbye to January without regret. I can only be thank-full for such an enriching month, where the experience of each day made me keenly aware of Life's newness and increasing lustre.

Now you are here ... like Sun through the crystal in the window of my Soul.

One of the rainbows cast by the crystal

The answers stretch back to childhood ...

It's been ages since I've done Sunday Scribblings. I happened to look at it last night and ironically the topic is something I had been thinking about a lot yesterday: TRADITION (in light of Christmas in particular).

The Christmas traditions I know were created by my parents and, as their children, we accepted them as ours and grew into/grew up with them. After all, that's essentially what the word tradition means: an inherited pattern of thought or action. Traditions are passed down from one generation to the next.

Sometimes they are outgrown. Sometimes they fizzle out, change/evolve or are lost in time. Sometimes they are consciously broken and new ones created ... or not.

Christmas Eve is still the part of Christmas I like best (I'm not keen on Christmas Day itself). When I think about why, the answers stretch back to childhood. The excitement of what Christmas Eve meant to me then lingers in my blood, even though those traditions are no longer with us.

On Christmas Eve my parents, my two sisters and I would drive around all afternoon into early night delivering gifts to friends (ours and theirs). This was an exciting highlight for me and my sisters. Not only did we love going for drives, but at every stop we would visit a while, enjoy Christmassy eats and drinks, receive a gift (or gifts) ... before moving on again merrily to the next stop. Often we would all be singing Christmas carols in the car.

Christmas Eve was also the day we used to put up our Christmas tree. In those days it was a fresh tree (Latin name: podocarpus) which Daddy would cut. It had a sweet, piney smell and lasted until the 6th of January when we would take it down.

On Christmas Eve night we would go over to Auntie Pat's house for her traditional Christmas Eve dinner. While grown ups chatted and consumed the fare, we children would be out in the garden with sparklers, playing various games and munching on Christmas snacks before going in for a plate of 'real' food.

Christmas Eve also held the anticipation of Santa's arrival ... something my sisters and I pretended we still believed in (just to get the extra gifts) even after we found out that 'Santa' was our parents.

I was never too fond of Christmas Day however, because it involved waking up very early to go to church. Waking up early wasn't the problem because as children we were up early anyway to see what Santa had brought. It was the going to church part that we didn't like ... sitting through a long drawn out Christmas service when there were gifts at home waiting to be ripped open. We would then come home and have breakfast (pastelles, etc.) ... before opening gifts! This too was difficult ... the prolonged suspense of waiting. Then finally we would gather around the tree and take turns opening the presents. When that was done, we would play with whatever toys we got, read whatever books, etc ... until lunch time, which was usually a big family lunch. Either the cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. would come over to our house or we would all gather at one of theirs. Then after all the eating and playing, back home ...

Every year that was the way it unfolded ...
Yesterday as I thought about 'traditions' it struck me for the first time (believe it or not) that I don't have any Christmas traditions of my own. What is something that I really enjoy doing, sharing, getting excited about and looking forward to about Christmas now ... in the way that I looked forward to Santa, gifts, sparklers, freshly cut trees and going for gift-giving drives as a child? This year in particular I'm feeling that it's time to create/experience/celebrate/share something different and special of my own ... a new tradition.

Maybe raw.