"No wind favors him who has no destined port." --Montaigne

"Clarity is essential: clarity regarding values, observations, intentions, assumptions, request and next actions. We move toward that which we are clearest about." --Dennis Sparks

The Letter Project

Friday Five: Can't Live Without

This week's questions are brought to you courtesy of an anonymous reader, the letter F, and the number 5...

What is the one most important thing by your side right now?

The Connecticut Writing Project's Summer Invitational Institute application.

Why is it so important?

This could be a WONDERFUL program for me to participate in--not only for me as a teacher, but as a writer, too!

Can you live without it?

Probably. I have so far. But I think that would be a silly settlement, to just do what I've always done, the way I've always done it. What excitement or growth is there in that?

What is the one thing you can't live without?

Materialistic thing--my wheels.

Non-materialistic thing--truth, beauty, and love. Ok, so it's three things. But I would argue they are intrinsically linked.

Who is the one person you can't live without?

I'd like to have this ONE person in my life that makes me or breaks me, but to be honest there are far too many people that are irreplaceable to me. I suppose if I were to narrow it down to JUST ONE, it would have to be me. If I lose the reflection of me in that shifty mirror of self, my life goes into flux. I've seen it happen more than once. But I am slowly becoming more and more self-aware, the outlines of my reflection are becoming more solid, and as a result, my life is starting to make sense. So...that girl, that woman, that person...it is SHE that I can't live without.

My first blog profile...

...during my lowercase letter phase. Let it be noted that I still enjoy this concept of the lowercase writer--one who does not assume mastery, who knows well the struggle entwined in the writer's experience.

I consider myself a writer, with a lowercase "w."

I have worlds to explore, worlds to learn, but I am finally ready and willing to put myself out there. For better or worse.
__________________________________________________________

i laugh. loudly. i giggle. i squeal. i squirm. i scream.

i skip. i spin. i dance. i play. i trip and fall and tumble down hills. i like to be barefoot. i like to swing. i like to drive fast letting all the wind in.

i create. i collaborate. i question, challenge, meditate. i teach and i learn. and i hope and i dream for a place someday free of hatred and greed.

i have incredible friends and family i adore.

and i have this beautiful ideal. of sparks and chills. of truth and thrills. and i hold out for magic i know is real.

...As if through the black and white flicker of his old film projector splashing the past across the walls, showing footage of my father and uncle when they were babies, toddlers, and teenagers, I saw my grandfather's very own life mythology flash before my eyes...

My first blog description...

We are all so much more than the image we see in the mirror, yet so much of our self-concept comes from that illusive reflection. My challenge is to physically manifest the stuff of my mind and soul, whether through movement, words, or teaching. This is my personal goal, and I hope others will join me.