I begin this last day of writing a month in a minivan in a state of art-pray, thinking about snakes. As a young girl, I often caught garter snakes to play with for short times. Other than foul-smelling pee, they were harmless. You could find them under hay bales at harvest time, and every old … Continue reading Day 31: Arriving Alive (the final instalment)
Category: transitions
Day 27: Portals
I’ve been fascinated by doorways since I was a child, so finding myself in a placed called “Portal” doesn’t come as any surprise. I was the kid that wanted to fall into Alice in Wonderland’s Rabbit Hole, climb behind the dresser in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and was first in line to … Continue reading Day 27: Portals
Day 25: A Foot.
There are times I’m prepared to pay $52 for the luxury of having 24 hours to take two baths, a hot shower, do three loads of laundry, update my iPad and phone, take a swim, buy water, make important phone calls, clean the inside of the van, wash out my fridge, download music and be … Continue reading Day 25: A Foot.
Day 24: Pippa’s Ride
Meet Pippa; the sassy Italian Greyhound who is my constant companion and best friend. She is now two and a half years old, and has been with me since she was eight weeks. She has now spent almost half of her life on the road with me. Baby PippaCrate Training: harder for ME than for … Continue reading Day 24: Pippa’s Ride
Day 16: Simple. Not Simple.
Some things are simple pleasures. For instance, the world let me in on a coffee secret and I’ll never be the same. Apparently a New York City favourite from way back, at 7 coppers a cup it’s the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had. Ah, pure simple pleasure. This morning, my friend identified at … Continue reading Day 16: Simple. Not Simple.
Day 13: Higher Ground
It’s a bit of a paradox; how sinking into something can transport you to a higher place. I spent the afternoon at the Arboretum, with my macro lens. It seemed fitting, given my recent focus on going deeper. Aren’t the patterns incredible? The balance. The contrast. Light and dark. Lines and Circles. Spirals. Being among … Continue reading Day 13: Higher Ground
Falling in Step
As soon as I knew I was moving to Cape Breton, I did the obvious and joined a week-long step-dancing program. OK, maybe it wasn’t the most obvious thing to do, but it felt like the most important. So much so, I didn’t even take time to consult my brain or hip, who both had … Continue reading Falling in Step
A Month in a Minivan: Final Installment
The writer, Anais Nin wrote, “I write to live life twice.” I imagine she meant she had the pleasure of experiencing all the good stuff twice - once in real-time and again through writing and remembering. This may be quite true, but I love this quote for my own quirky and slightly ironic reasons. Writing … Continue reading A Month in a Minivan: Final Installment
A Month in a Minivan: Day 26
I woke up this morning feeling like I had an actual hangover. Is that a thing? A phantom hangover from merely fighting the idea of a drink? Given my mental fogginess, I gave myself permission to process less today. Today, I didn’t need to understand anything in particular. I declared it “sensory day” - just … Continue reading A Month in a Minivan: Day 26
A Month in a Minivan: Day 25
I almost stayed in a hotel tonight. All day long I toyed with the idea, like a hungry cat first toys with a death-row mouse. There is a certain adrenaline that comes with the hunt; a rush that accompanies chasing something down and eventually eating it. The seed was planted early in the day, … Continue reading A Month in a Minivan: Day 25