Change

January 4, 2023.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Life as Art Form

November 2, 2022.Reading time 1 minute.

Art is an act of intentional attention. The poet invites the senses, observes the flow and twist of words, injects emotion and insight. The painter studies colours, the nuance of shadows, looks for focus and textures, creates a tone. The musician listens, attends to harmonies, gathers rhythms and composes. The photographer selects details, alters the […]

Adjusting Focus

October 28, 2022.Reading time 2 minutes.

Sometimes my focus is off. Like in the photo above – I thought I was capturing the body of water beyond, but in reality I only managed to get the fronds and a bit of fence. I’m still sick. I’ve stopped counting the days, but two bouts of antibiotics and many weeks later, I am […]

Brief Update

August 5, 2022.Reading time 1 minute.

Five bikes – powered by two adults and three children – carried balloons, flowers, and packages across town, voices raised on repeat: ‘Happy birthday to you.” When townsfolk stopped to shout out: “Whose birthday?”, they replied: “VJ’s!” Our family of five Ukrainians have been settled in their own home since June 22, and remain a […]

Are hopes and dreams stored together?

June 27, 2022.Reading time 1 minute.

Funny thing about this house we purchased on a whim two years ago was that the basement haunted me even before we moved in. The entrance is a wide-open descent from the main foyer – in reverse of the upward rising staircases of dream homes. I would wake at night, in a sweat, fearing that […]

Life Story

June 8, 2022.Reading time less than 1 minute.

I can’t focus on what I’ll be remembered for; I am too busy living my best self today.

Robin, Robin What Do You See

May 30, 2022.Reading time 1 minute.

I haven’t been to the river for a while, time no longer a commodity. Ric and laugh at quickly our routines were toppled, and how sedate our life was by comparison. Life before 7 in our household, that is. “So that’s what the dining table is for,” he chuckles, since we never used it as […]

After the fear…

May 25, 2022.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Not Everything is Defined by Age

May 4, 2022.Reading time less than 1 minute.

As a child, I knew no limits, setting out on adventures with never a fear for how I’d find my way back home. Now, nestled in my home, I limit myself to certainties, fearful of risks. Some days, I wonder about that child, and how it would feel to wander freely, and it makes me […]

Reminder for a rough day

April 20, 2022.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Life is transition. Be open to the process. There is peace to be had. (Art mine)

Lessons From a Newborn

Rest. Nap as often as you need;life can be exhausting – store up. Cry. Let your feelings be known –your voice is your saving grace. Joy is a whole body experience;immerse yourself in total delight. Hold on to those who love you;your survival depends on them. See the world through new ideas;you never know what […]

Ocean-gazing

Blue expandingcrisp whiteof tiny sails –horizon The lull is gentlelucidity swellingserenity present How safe it isto imagine limitlessnesswhen I am groundedbreast to railinganchored ashore. (Image my own)

Tugging

Is it selfishthis chosen solitude?How I treasure silence,stillness baiting my muse And is it my calmthat attracts chaos?The sorrow of otherslanding on my doorstep What if I rejected pleas,locked out the troubles?How long can I sustainpeace until need answers? (Tuesdays, I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson. Image my own)