Star at Sunrise © 2015 Bo Mackison
There’s always a story. It’s all stories, really. The sun coming up every day is a story. Everything’s got a story in it. Change the story, change the world.”
~ Terry Pratchett
Winter Star at Sunrise – Everyday a Story
February 20, 2015 by 1 Comment
A Tree in Strength and Stillness – A Winter Scene
February 19, 2015 by 3 Comments
Winter Scene in Wisconsin © 2015 Bo Mackison
What do the trees know?
Buds can weather ice and snow.
Dark gives way to sunlight’s glow.
Strength and stillness help us grow.”
~ Joyce Sidman
Annual Alphabet Tribute to 2014 – Q is for Quests, Questions, and More
January 20, 2015 by 1 Comment
Quest in the Desert © 2014 Bo Mackison
Q is for QUEST
There are some alluring words that begin with the letter Q.
QUEST is one of my favorites. A QUEST is a long, sometimes arduous search for something, often requiring overcoming great challenges.
I’ve been on my own QUEST these last months, trying to recover from a month of challenges that occurred last May. Since the triggers were an unfortunate string of travel delays, I downplayed the stress and assumed that as soon as I reached the familiarity of home all would be well. But all did not go well.
Instead I struggled, day after day, and QUESTIONED why I was having such a difficult summer. No matter how hard I worked using the tools — meditation, art, writing, nature — that had provided me with much relief over the last seven years, I couldn’t QUIET the constant panic, the periods of difficulty leaving my house, even the need to return to my home when I was in a familiar and pleasurable place. Then there were the times I wanted to just QUIT, so frustrated was I with the situation.
In the last weeks, I’ve been able to put the pieces of the puzzle together with the help of a dedicated medical team. But the effort has cost me time and energy. And so I am calling it QUITS on the alphabet posts so that I can conserve energy and move on to new projects that are currently percolating.
The lesson learned? Never be afraid to ask for help when necessary. Never, ever!
~~~~~~~~~~
The alphabet series will (quite probably) return for its 9th annual appearance towards the end of 2015.
Annual Alphabet Tribute to 2014 – Part IV — MUSEUMS (OF THE SMALL SORT) through PARKS (OF THE NATIONAL SORT)
January 9, 2015 by 4 Comments
M IS FOR MUSEUMS
Tower at Grand Canyon © 2014 Bo Mackison
I love museums. Natural history museums, science museums, art museums… And often the tiniest of museums provide the most surprising discoveries and treasures!
A museum often overlooked — the Watch Tower interior at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
From the National Park website, a description the Watch Tower: “the walls are covered with murals. The most distinct images, painted by Hopi artist Fred Kabotie depict various aspects of Hopi mythology and religious ceremonies…The tiny windows of the tower let in a minimal amount of light which adds to the cave- like, mystical atmosphere of the space…circular balconies and the hundreds of prehistoric images inundates the viewer with an overwhelming sense of the southwest.
It’s a mystical place to experience architecture, art, and culture on the very rim of one of nature’s glories — the Grand Canyon.
N IS FOR NEW YORK, NEW YORK
Orange Lights at Times Warner © 2014 Bo Mackison
There was a time, not all that many years ago, when I would never have penned “NYC” on my to-visit list. Being a small town girl who spent a couple of nerve-wracking years in a BIG city (Chicago) before moving to a smaller big city (Milwaukee) and then to a smaller university city (Madison), I was never naturally drawn to bright lights, big crowds, tall buildings, lots of action.
On the Sidewalks of New York © 2014 Bo Mackison
Until my daughter moved to The City for a two-year teaching fellowship. And then attended a New York law school. And then got a New York job. And then married a New Yorker and bought a home in New York. And then had a New York baby!
So in the last decade I have found many good reasons for repeat visits to New York, all parts. And I have grown to really love my visits, always taking advantages that a metropolitan city offers. And I admit that I am glad my trips to NYC are visits, just enough goodness to fill my big-city yearnings!
Broadway’s Matilda © 2014 Bo Mackison
We usually don’t visit New York City in winter, but went in for one planned special occasion — a baby shower for my daughter. And then we returned two weeks later for an unplanned occasion — the early arrival of baby Whitaker!
Oh my! How often can I sneak in a visit to New York, and one of its newest inhabitants, now…
O IS FOR OFFICE IN THE DESERT
Office in the Desert at Tucson Mountain Park © 2014 Bo Mackison
“When I look in the mirror, I see a woman with secrets. When we don’t listen to our intuition, we abandon our souls. And we abandon our souls because we are afraid if we don’t, others will abandon us.” ~ Terry Tempest Williams
When in Arizona, I go to the desert to work. I settle into a place of sunshine, heat and silence, spaciousness and solitude. It’s not the place most people would choose as prime office space, but it suits me fine.
I experience a boost in my mood. My imagination switches to on, and I find my work projects more captivating. Perhaps it is simply a change in scenery. Some find a quiet niche in their local library, head to a busy coffee shop to write with companions, set up a sewing table in the midst of their garden, or paint in a park.
But me? I head to the desert. I bring my backpack filled with writing materials and my camera, and settle in one of the covered shelters scattered throughout Saguaro National Park. These stone and “cactus-wood” shelters were built in the 1930s and still provide a shady place for me to set up a day desert-scape office.
P IS FOR PARKS (OF THE NATIONAL KIND)
Grand Canyon – Kaibab Plateau © 2014 Bo Mackison
When my three children were of family vacation age (and surprisingly, even beyond) we would take off across the country in our SUV pulling a pop up trailer and stop at any National Park or Monument within reasonable driving distance. (Sometimes this reasonable driving distance was several hundred miles, but what the heck — we gawked and admired our way through hundreds of parks!)
The habit has not died. I still plot my driving itinerary to include National Parks and Monuments and more. And many more parks are destinations.
The year 2014 included these highlights — the North Rim (the hidden, off the main track) of the Grand Canyon. Oooh. Aaah! Glorious place. Must.go.back!!!
Grand Canyon National Park – North Rim in the Morning © 2014 Bo Mackison
More North Rim. It is just such a magical place. And not crowded – compared to the Canyon’s South Rim. Worth every extra mile and extra minute to see the beauty, experience the place.
Painted Desert © 2014 Bo Mackison
I traveled through the other main parks in Arizona during last winter and spring, including a visit to Painted Desert/ Petrified Forest National Park in northern Arizona as I was heading out of the state on my way to summer in the Midwest. It was a cool day in May, with great cloud formations rolling across the desert, a few thunderstorms, and the spaciousness of scenery that thrills my heart.
King Canyon, Saguaro National Park © 2014 Bo Mackison
Living only a few miles from Saguaro National Park when I am in the Southwest for the early part of the year, I traipse through this desert scape several times a week. Climbing Kings Canyon and picnicking at the CCC site located high in the mountains — a picnic area built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s — is a favorite way to spend a day!
Ajo Mountain Road in Organ Pipe Cactus NM © 2014 Bo Mackison
And of course I have to travel west to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument a few times for overnight camping explorations. Feels like wilderness.
White Sands in Southern New Mexico © 2014 Bo Mackison
And finally, a park I visited at the beginning of 2014, as I was traveling to Arizona. White Sands National Monument in southern New Mexico is another new favorite. Sparse. Quiet. And always surprises to delight and amaze.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Next alphabet recap of 2014 starts with Q (QUESTIONS) and ends with T (TUCSON). Stay tuned…
Annual Alphabet Tribute to 2014 – Part III — JOURNEY through LIFE IS A VERB CAMP
January 6, 2015 by 2 Comments
J IS FOR JOURNEY
Most of the month of May I spent trying to get from Point A to Point B. From Arizona to Wisconsin. The trip that was supposed to take a week took a month, and culminated with me finally calling in reinforcements to get me home the last 800 miles.
Not what I had planned. Not what I had hoped for. Not what I expected.
And? I survived it. I actually had fun the first week, when the promise of a repaired car by the next weekend was still a possibility.
The second week? Not so much fun.
In fact, even reflecting on the trip and its endless postponements and broken promises…well, it makes me not want to write about it again. Don’t misunderstand me. There were parts of the month that were great. There were soooo many lessons learned. But much of the trip called on deep reserves of energy, and I think I may still be a bit trip-lagged after all these months.
So I’ll just say, I went on a trip last May. It took longer than expected and there were many adventures. For more details, check out the month of May blog posts. It’s all there…
K IS FOR KAREN
Labyrinth Connection © 2013 Bo Mackison
“Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.”
from an Irish headstone” ~ Richard Puz
On July 14 of this past year, my dear cousin and friend died unexpectedly.
Karen was the girl cousin closest to my age; we were fast friends from the time we were young children.
She loved her solitude in a way few people truly understand, yet she was one of the most generous, kind people I have known.
Although she worked in a bank in the days of the first computers — when computers were so delicate they required special air controlled rooms, were often “down” for unknown reasons, and when working did little compared to the smart phone we now routinely accept as a part of our lives — and she worked with computers when employed, she never owned her own computer.
She didn’t have a Facebook account, she didn’t write emails, she didn’t have internet accounts. Her phone was just advanced enough to transmit photographs and send text, but she only did so on special occasions. But she sent cards for every imaginable occasion and wrote letters, long newsy letters.
In the past month, as I’ve been organizing my studio, readying it for a partial move to Arizona, I’ve come across over a dozen cards and letters from Karen — a congratulations grandmother card celebrating the arrival of my first grandchild, several thank you notes, Christmas, birthday, and several “hello, thinking of you” cards.
As I write my summary of 2014, again I am reminded how much I miss my cousin, once again I’m “thinking of you,” Karen. Missing you so much!
L IS FOR LIFE IS A VERB CAMP 2014
I had the great honor and privilege to attend Patti Digh’s Life is a Verb Camp 2014 in November. There, a hundred wonderful people gathered for the second annual camp near Asheville, North Carolina.
We danced by the lake at the sun rose over the tree line and the fog hovered upon Lake Kanuga, crying and laughing and hugging and offering deep support and love.We struggled though yoga moves before coffee(!!!) and breakfast while the kindest of kind instructors gently, so gently, encouraged.
I listened to the key-note presentations of two of my poet heroes – Amy Shihab Nye and Ellen Bass. And decided I could call myself a poet again!
We collected camp badges for doing things like showing up (which can be amazingly hard), speaking out, being ourselves, making strong offers, claiming our birthright as poets.
And I presented my workshop on Desert Wisdom and the Gifts of the Desert – what a thrill for me. I so loved sitting in our circle and connecting with each other through our precious gifts of self! (Though I find it almost impossible to comprehend that I did not remember to take a single photograph during either of my workshops. I’ll just have to hold them tightly in my memory — easily done!)
Patti Digh’s Life is a Verb Camp 2015 will be held in California at Asilomar on the Monterey Peninsula. Serving up loaded scoops of . . . Community. Courage. Creativity. And Compassion. (Wouldn’t it be a fine thing if you were there?)
