Pursue
Vitality
“The
best way to deal with loneliness is to pursue vitality even in small things.
This means keeping alive your curiosity, wonder, spirit of adventure, love of
learning, creative character, interest in people, eccentricity, and contemplative
lifestyle.”
Thomas
Moore (Ageless Soul, p.215-216)
I
wanted to follow up yesterday’s post with some optimism. Yes, we have been
forced for a year to curb our wanderlust, and to refrain from touching one
another, since even handshakes carry a risk. Rather than languishing in our
aloneness, we can make it “grow corn for us,” as our Native American brothers
and sisters say. I know you are tired of inventing ways to entertain yourself; but
for now, we must carry on. Since we cannot depend upon other people to fill our
need for closeness, let’s make the most of being alone. At least we have hope
of seeing the end of this nasty pandemic with the roll-out of vaccines. In the
meantime, here’s my mountain-Daddy’s advice: “Buck up, Bucko.”
When I
run dry with my art, when everything begins to look the same, or is just plain
boring, I change my focus. Thomas Moore, in this quote from Ageless Soul,
gives us a list of ways to do that. I have noticed on Facebook that many folks
are posting music videos and nostalgic dance moves to entertain themselves.
There is a swing “Lindy” video right now that is fun to watch. Even better, is
to put on some big band music and dance the Lindy yourself. I use a door frame as
partner, or just dance freestyle. (Can you say, eccentric?) It’s good exercise
and kind of like poking up a fire when it comes to energy and optimism. It’s
almost impossible to “dance funky” and continue to feel sad.
It helps
to call upon activities that are tried and true—in my case, cooking. Looking up
recipes and getting to work on them breaks the boredom, even if I don’t end up
eating what I cook. In winter, I am a soup maker, and I have no trouble giving
soup away to friends. Who doesn’t like hot soup on cold days? I write new
stories or revise old ones. I read and nap and walk the dog and talk with
friends on the phone. I take a zoom writing class with Ethel Smith and a small group
of local writers. I research things that interest me and look at other people’s
art on-line. Life does not have to be lived in the fast lane to be interesting.
In fact, establishing a routine is conducive to feelings of contentment. Keeping
the same hours every day, even on weekends, is the best thing we can do to improve
sleep. And sleep is absolutely necessary to overall health—both physical and
mental.
We privileged
humans want our cake and eat it too. We burn the candle at both ends and then
wonder why we’re so tired. We watch hours upon hours of violence on television
and then wonder why we’re so anxious. We eat pizza and beer and ice cream and
then lament our expanding waistlines. We are funny, sometimes ridiculous,
creatures. These days of aloneness can be filled with compensatory behaviors
like eating and drinking, or they can be filled with creative endeavors. They
can be filled with pessimism and anger, or with hope and expectation. This post
is a lecture to myself, and an invitation for you to pursue your vitality. Get
up, Bucko, and dance.
In the
Spirit,
Jane
No comments:
Post a Comment