Wednesday, May 15, 2013

LUKA DAY

It's a Luka day today.  He spends each Wednesday with us, when we're in town--and he's a full-time occupation for the day.  This little guy never stops!  I'm looking forward to the time when he's old enough to snuggle down for a few minutes with a book, but he doesn't yet have the attention span for reading.  But his vocabulary grows apace.  Amazing how quickly he'll seize onto a word and store it in the memory bank.  His comprehension is much greater than his ability to actually say the words he knows, but he's clearly learning to communicate with the ones he has.  Miraculous to watch!

I have been looking forward to getting back to some writing, but that's not going to happen before tomorrow.  Meantime, my head is so filled with ideas and images for my new project, I have a hard time keeping focused during meditation.  Words for me--as for Luka--are quite insistent.  Whole phrases and sentences present themselves in my mind while I'm trying to maintain my concentration, and won't leave for fear of being forgotten.  And very often, they are.  When I sit down to write and try to recall the exact wording of the brilliantly-phrased insights I received free and clear in meditation, I find myself struggling to replicate them.  The best thing, I've found, is to consciously let go of them and start anew.

The word "adventure" came to me last night, as we sat with our artists' group and talked about art and writing.  If writing isn't an adventure, it's hardly worth the trouble.  If I know where I'm going, half the fun is gone.  Better to be lost in the woods than following the highway.  Again, little Luka is an inspiration.  Everything for him is an adventure, even words.  "Fish" is an adventure.  "Pocket," an adventure.  "Tree" and "grass," adventures--just to make the sound and feel the power of naming.  So even though there will be no writing time today, it will be more than compensated by the learning time for me.

3 comments:

Faith said...

I wonder if it would be useful to keep a small recorder or notebook next to you while you're meditating? When one of these brilliant ideas comes up, pause, record it or write it down, and then go back to your meditation. Sort of another way of releasing the thoughts during meditation? The ideas are captured, and aren't sitting there tapping you on the shoulder while you're trying to empty your mind.

Just a thought, from someone who keeps a notebook with me at all times!

Peter Clothier said...

Thanks for the thought, Faith. I try to keep the two things separate. If I start to make notes during meditation, I'll never get to actually meditate. The teaching I've received in the matter tells me, when writing thoughts arise during meditation, to say "Not now"! I try to put that into practice. But I appreciate the thoughtful suggestion...

Anonymous said...

It is so interesting how little ones can also teach us about seeing the adventurous world.