Epictetus and Seeking

Epictetus - Greek Stoic philosopher (c. 50–c. 138)

Seeking that tranquil way of life is difficult for me. I consistently sign up, enroll, add another experience to my life.....consistently and without shame.

I am trying to calm down, to breathe before I commit, to spend 

part of each day in pure relaxation with a book and my feet up.

Sometimes I do just that.....and the day is going, going, gone, and my feet are still up!

For example, I want to sign up for the following:

Home - Carla Sonheim Presents

I am curious as to the possibilities because it is a totally foreign genre to me. Like I don't even paint except following a video, step 1, step 2, step 3....turn off the computer, and then rerun. 

What makes me think I can do this?

And so I shall ponder a bit more and see what develops as I overreact to online classes. In the meantime I want to promote Epictetus. What an amazing philosopher from so very long ago. Makes me turn to Ecclesiates in the Bible.

Dandelion Discourse

Inspired by Anne Schneider's Alphabet Soup, I have written the following short poem. Yesterday at memoir class I used Anne's poem as a prompt. The ladies wrote stunning short poems and how I wish I had copies of each to reread.

This came about during our seven minute write and then I rewrote it this morning. I am sharing it with my Story Circle poetry group as a submission for October. 

Dandelion Discourse

Taraxacum Officinalis, Greek

Scientific Name for Dandelion

Means disorder, remedy

i eat dandelion greens, no,

i don’t but

i’d like to try and capture

the blowball

from the dandy 

spit them off the end of my

tongue as the fuzziness

makes words

stumble upon each other

spitting with pphhtt and thutt 

my tongue pushes the tickles 

out about, then sucking through

the stems, hollow as a straw 

we kids pieced them together-

worn as necklaces

never sipping anything through them.

10/14/2022

Memoir Class at Dietert Senior Center

 

Today was the first of five memoir writing classes I am facilitating at Dietert Senior Center, Kerrville, Texas. I taught my first memoir class there last spring 2022.

The five-week structure is perfect for implementing Story Circle Network's curriculum, "Older Women's Legacy Circle Memoirs: Piecing Together The Patterns of Our Lives." The commitment of five weeks is pleasing for me, not too long, not too short. I am absolutely thrilled with the seven ladies who are taking the class this fall term 2022

We write at the ninety minute meeting and I also send them home with an assignment. I follow the assignment with an email and additional prompts/explanation.

One of my favorite activities is the chair poem which I learned in AWA, Amherst Writers and Artists.  One poem is placed on the chairs each week, read aloud and then prompts utilizing the poem are given. We write for approximately ten minutes and share our writing as desired. No one is ever called upon to read what they have written. Sharing is always optional!

Today I used George Ella Lyon's "Where I'm From" as the chair poem. I love this poem and I love the results that emerge from the writers, beautiful words and poetry evolve as they did today.

Where I'm From, a poem by George Ella Lyon, writer and teacher

Check out her marvelous website. I just signed up for her e-letter. You will be hearing more from me about Ms. Lyon.......and about the memoir class. I am going to be learning how to be a better writer just by listening to these seven participants!