Writing Practices

6th Annual Photo Alphabet – An Exploration of 2013 – Arizona to Dreams

December 26, 2013 by Bo Mackison 14 Comments

Welcome to my Holiday Tradition – my Annual Photo Alphabet.

Today I begin posting my photo alphabet in six parts, culminating on December 31st — just in time to welcome the New Year 2014!

Please join me during the next 6 days as I explore adventures, travel, learning, and change in 2013.

~~~

A is for Arizona and Arroyos.

Hello, Arizona. My adopted state.

When I first visited Arizona, I stayed a week. It only took seven days for me to fall madly in love with the desert. The second year I rented a condo for 8 weeks — my “Bo goes Solo” experience — the first time I’d lived on my own since my college days. The third year I joined the Snowbird Migration, and Sherpa and I made Quail Condo our very own.

There are dozens of reasons I love our casita in Arizona.

The sunshine is a major factor. I have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and now I enjoy the winter months instead of braving my way through cloudy winters and even cloudier moods. I love the arroyo in my backyard – wild and thick with cacti, mesquite, and acacias.

There are always birds in the trees and at the feeders – several kinds of hummingbirds, orioles, tanagers, vermillion flycatchers, woodpeckers. Gambel’s quails scramble on the ground, rushing from one bit of cover to the next. Occasionally a road runner struts past.

Coyote and bobcats prowl in the early morning hours. I’ve even had a javelina – a kind of wild pig – poke its nose onto my porch, sniffing for a handout, although I let him know he was not invited to dinner!

And most of all, I love hiking in the nearby Sonoran Desert, camera and journal in hand. Exploring, Listening. Connecting.

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B is for Bridge.

Bridges are connections.

Some days they are shrouded in fog. The iron trusses may be slick with ice. Some of the wooden planks may be missing, or weakened. But when the goal you want to reach is on the opposite shore, it’s time to assess the risk associated with crossing the bridge.

Life stories are bridges, too.

They connect the past with the present and affect the future. I can choose to let my past affect my choices, the risks I am willing to take, the work I accept. Or I can test the bridge, take each step with caution, but maintain forward movement.

My favorite message from this particular bridge photograph is this — even if you can see land on other side, there are no guarantees that what you think you see is what you see. The fog is a reminder that, clear or foggy, we travel across many bridges, and life does not adhere to rigid plans, no matter how well scheduled or executed.

Surprises – such as fog on the bridge – add an element of wonder, challenge, and plenty of opportunity for serendipity!

~~~

C is for Changes, Choices, and Celebration

Don’t you love this vintage seismograph station?

It is located in the heart of Lassen Volcanic National Park in northern California. Although this 90-year-old station has been replaced by a more modern facility, the building stands, testimony to those who monitored the volcanic activity in the park around the clock.

The building is tiny, only space enough for the delicate equipment that measured tiny changes in the movement of the earth.

I once had my own internal seismograph equipment.

It was very sensitive, able to detect change in a millisecond. My change detector was a warning system for me. Change! Alarm! Beware!

But change is a constant – there is always change. I now make a conscious choice to embrace change.

I no longer need my own seismograph recorder.

And that is something to celebrate.

Celebrate the present while looking forward to the possibilities of tomorrow. This photo, a close up of autumn’s orange sumac leaves, reminds me of prayer flags, gently waving in the breeze, celebrating the changing of the season.

~~~

D is for Dreams, Details, and Decisions.

I dream in technicolor.

Dreaming is one of my favorite activities, be it night dreaming, lucid dreaming, or day dreaming. Dreaming lets me explore many options, turn them over in my mind, fiddle with the details. Visualize.

When autumn arrives in Wisconsin, it adds new colors to the gardens. I spend mornings walking garden paths, admiring the yellows and oranges. As an added bonus, I always delight in seeing the movable garden art.

I work in the garden surrounded by art and nature.

How inspiring to sit on one of the benches tucked in a quiet space, and journal or photograph the botanicals in the changing season.

I work in the desert surrounded by art and nature, too.

The colors may be different. The desert’s greens and browns still inspire. And often I bring my work and settle in one of the covered shelters scattered throughout Saguaro National Park. These remarkable buildings, built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), provide a shady place for me to set up a temporary desert office.

What a dream come true – taking photographs, writing, and working in the desert.

~~~

Tomorrow’s post: Elephants to Highways.

Filed Under: Creativity, Photography, Writing Practices Tagged With: annual photography alphabet, Arizona, arroyo, bridge, casita, CCC, celebration, change, details, dreams, making decisions, metaphors, Olbrich Gardens, Saguaro National Park

Writing Your Life Story, Part 12: Capturing Holiday Memories

December 20, 2013 by Bo Mackison 1 Comment

When holidays approach, it can be a hectic time of year, crammed with to do lists, people to see, places to visit. And for all but the most stalwart of writers, composing anything beyond the grocery list gets lost in a haze of “I should write this down, but there’s no time.”

No worries.

Writing about the holidays is not a writing project that needs to be done in the midst of celebration. It’s a small project, best done after the holidays. And it’s a quick project, best done when the celebrations are winding down or over, but family and friends are still near. It’s a project that will reap big rewards when you are trying to recall a Holiday memory from the near or distant past.

This project can be done with any holiday. Although I discuss Christmas holidays, the writing prompts can easily be adapted to birthdays, summer holidays, Thanksgiving — any time there is a celebration.

I’ve been doing a holiday writing project since my mother gave me a small book 38 years ago. It was the first Christmas I was married and the title of the book was Holiday Memories. Filled with blank pages — four pages per year for 20 years — there were writing prompts to record each year’s memories.

Though my first book of Christmas memories was a commercially made product, I created a second one when I completed the first twenty years. It is simple to duplicate this idea in a blank book or journal. (You can pick up a holiday themed book – any holiday – when they are available.)

This Holiday Memoir Project is for the Christmas season. Each year, I adapt the questions to fit the situation of my family. You can adapt the questions to fit any holiday celebrations.

Write a few sentences to complete each prompt:

Decking the Halls. What favorites decorate your home – greenery? candles? stockings? indoor and outdoor lights?

Trimming the Tree. What does the tree look like? If it is fresh, what kind was it, how tall, how did you get the tree home? Who trimmed the tree? Are there new ornaments, hand crafted ornaments, heirloom ornaments?

Celebrating the Season. What special events are a part of the holiday season? Children’s activities? A play or concert? A dinner or caroling party? Get-togethers with friends and family? Traveling?

The Big Day. Where do you celebrate? Who are there? Meaningful gifts? Special menu? Religious or cultural traditions? Favorite moments to treasure?

Just for the Children. Copies of letters to Santa? A photograph or two? A holiday drawing or story from each child?

Memory Tuck-ins. Is there memorabilia to be gathered? A photo holiday card? Special cards or letters you received? Programs from concerts or shows?

A List of Gratitudes. What are you most thankful for? Take a moment to add this to your holiday writing. It helps keep the whole reason for celebration in focus.

One of our family’s holiday traditions includes reading the holiday memory book. Every Christmas night, when the celebrating is winding down, we read entries from past years. Then we fill in the events from the current season. This is one of our beloved family traditions.

We remember the Christmas Eve, thirty years ago, when Uncle Conrad came bearing gifts in a Santa Claus suit? We read about his Santa outfit, so filled with newspapers that he crunched as he walked, and that midway through his “Ho Ho Ho” greetings his Santa pants took a downward slide. A long downward slide! We laugh like Santa each time we re-read that story.

Our family looks at the drawings and re-reads stories our children wrote when they first put pencil to paper. Here’s an example from my son when he was five:

A little green ball is on the Christmas tree. The angel on the top has heart wings. And a cone that holds her up that high. The lights are blue and red and yellow and hot. There are boats and bears and angels hiding in the tree. I see them. I think the tree is pretty fine.

I encourage you to enjoy your holidays, celebrate in your special way, and when the holidays have passed, take time to capture the memories — in drawings, photos, and especially in your words and the words of your family and friends.

It will be worthwhile, years from now, when you read and remember these special times.

Filed Under: Writing Practices Tagged With: capturing holiday memories, memoir writing, write your life story, writing memoirs

Plans, Changes – and a Discussion with My Inner Gremlin

December 13, 2013 by Bo Mackison 6 Comments

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. ~ Lao Tzu

Recently I’ve been working with change.

This season is already a bit too hectic for a hardcore introvert, with the approaching holidays and much anticipated visits from relatives traveling to the Midwest from “sea to shining sea.” After the holidays, there will be whirlwind packing, cross-country travel, and then a transition from snowy Wisconsin to sunny Arizona. (Yes, though I am looking forward to Arizona, it is still change, and even a much wanted change requires time for adaptation.)

And if this wasn’t enough for a busy December, I also chose to take big steps in my business. I launched my new website, one that feels in sync with who I am, and what I want to offer. I announced my intentions for the coming year – Focus Sessions, workshops, and a Desert Wisdom Retreat.

And then I heard my inner gremlin say, “Just what the heck do you think you are doing?”

It was a perfectly understandable question from my gremlin. (Her name is Miss Patsy, by the way, and she is a re-incarnation of my third grade teacher who had very high standards, never to be met in this world or the next.) Yes, this was a typical response to lots of changes, to stepping up my game, but it caught me off guard and threw me far off-balance. I felt as if I were staggering everywhere I walked.

Eventually I stopped and took a great many deep breaths. Then I invited my inner gremlin to join me at a local coffee shop, pen and paper in hand, and I began to free write, letting Miss Patsy take turns when she had something to say. While Miss Patsy kept flinging words at the paper, like “imposter” and “too big for your britches”, I explored my present, where I have been, and where I want to go. And finally, my inner gremlin quieted. And so did I.

I re-affirmed that I am on the right path. This is indeed my journey. I will journey on my own timetable, but I will journey.

And as I squirmed in my seat and got myself comfortable, I settled into the changes. It felt just right.

I discovered new energy and creative determination, and yes, a lot of excitement and grand anticipation, as I take my next steps, one baby step at a time. Hope you will be joining me!

Filed Under: Photography, Solopreneurship, Writing Practices Tagged With: change, freewriting, inner critic, inner gremlin, workshops

Memoir in Six Words

December 1, 2013 by Bo Mackison Leave a Comment

Today is the first day of Cigdem Kobu’s Winter Joy Retreat. This year’s theme is homecoming — as in coming home to yourself. One of today’s prompts was to create a 6 word memoir.

These six words were my first thought:

Wandering the desert, I found myself.

Filed Under: Creativity, Writing Practices Tagged With: 6 word memoir, agave plant in bloom, desert, Winter Joy Retreat

Twilight Gifts of Autumn

October 22, 2013 by Bo Mackison 3 Comments

“Every day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbon.’ ~ Ruth Ann Schabacker

A walk through gardens in an autumn evening is a gentling walk. The colors are muted, less brilliant than in full summer sunlight, yet they take on a preciousness of their own. Nuances of colors, the mark of changing seasons. A few late season flowers bloom in full glory, surrounded by dropped petals and browning blossoms of flowers past their prime.

The reflection pool, at rest in the evening pause, takes on the autumn colors of yellows, oranges. The last water lilies are in bloom. The grasses, seeded, shimmer in gold and silver. Leaves fall, catch the slightest of breezes, and quiver through the air.

It is a peaceful time, this transition time from sunset to twilight.

Filed Under: Nature Explorations, Photography, Writing Practices Tagged With: autumn, changing colors, garden art, Madison Wisconsin, maple trees in autumn, Olbrich Botanical Garden, reflection pool, twilight