A Pin is Worth a Thousand Words: Finding the Narrative

But there's a story behind everything. How a picture got on a wall. How a scar got on your face. Sometimes the stories are simple, and sometimes they are hard and heartbreaking.

~ Mitch Albom, For One More Day

In December, I am continuing (barely) to participate in the Two Pages-a-Day writing challenge.  And trying desperately to get in a holiday mood.

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arratives can be found anywhere.

The other night I had a dream that was literally a narrative.  There were two characters walking towards me as if towards a camera, and narrating away like my dream was a Nat Geo docudrama.

Those are the days I wish I slept hooked up to a sci-fi machine that could transcribe your dreams as they’re happening.  On the other hand, this also might be rather terrifying for the people reading them.  Or titillating.  Depends on what I read, ate, or watched before going to bed.

But not all stories come from dreams.  Sometimes, they come from Pinterest.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words…Literally

Or to be more specific, a picture I saw on Pinterest.

Because let’s be honest, all of us who have been sucked into the black hole that is Pinterest know we spend way too much time drooling over Dream Homes, Dream Vacations, Ideal Bathrooms, and Healthy Recipes to Reach Our  Ideal Weight.

All while munching on a carbalicious cupcake in a dimly lit, 1980s creeptastic kitchen, in a ratty bathrobe.

And that’s when the real magic happens.

Image credit: Pinterest

Take this picture.

Normal people see a beautiful scene and think, “Ahhh, I would love to travel to Portugal some day….”

Not me.  Nooooo.  I saw it and thought:

Enjoy your stay in a romantic bed and breakfast, with a breathtaking view.  What you don’t know is that the room is so cramped, that only a small cot fits in there along with the romantically placed table and chairs.  Said chairs turn your butt into a numb pile of ricotta cheese, and one chair leg bent in half the first time you sat on it.  And then there is smog and car fumes drifting in through the window.  Which causes you to choke on the hard roll and tar-like coffee that passes for breakfast in Europe.

See?  Narrative.  Snarky, MST3K narrative, but narrative nonetheless.

Now, I could have chosen to take this narrative in a completely different direction.  Perhaps this is the hotel room of a potential murder victim.  Or of a woman trying to get over heartbreak or trauma. You are only limited by your imagination.

And possibly the amount of snark brought on by what you dreamed about or just ate.

Oremus pro invicem,

~ Mikaela

What narratives do you see around you right now?  Keep a watch out ~ they’re happening all the time!

Are You a Failure if You Let Go?

When I fully enter time’s swift current, enter into the current moment with the weight of all my attention, I slow the torrent with the weight of me all here.

~ Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are

In December, I am continuing (barely) to participate in the Two Pages-a-Day writing challenge.  And trying desperately to get in a holiday mood.

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his morning, I discovered how easy it is to be accidentally hit by a train.

Obviously, I didn’t discover this by actually getting smushed, as I am well and sane enough to be writing to you now.

It was morning.  And I was awake. Barely.

I didn’t have time for coffee.  I never have time for coffee.  This is because I hold on to sleep and cozy warmth like a grizzly hold on to a big, fat salmon. 

Enough said.

It had a good fifteen minutes before my train showed up.  And it was past 7am ~ the time that the Amtrak usually passes by.  As I waited, mentally running through blog post ideas, my To Dos, and my Christmas gift list, a freight train went by on the opposite tracks.  They don’t travel very fast, but they are loud and long.

I love watching trains.  Their power and sheer size thrill me on a visceral level.  I like to feel the platform shake from the rumbles of their clickety-clacks.

Image credit: Pinterest

This freight train was particularly long.  I kept my head turned toward the right, to try and catch a glimpse of the end.

And never heard the super fast Amtrak commuter train rushing down the track closest to the platform.

If I had been any closer to the yellow line, I would have been whooshed off my feet and under the tracks.  Or my head would have been taken off.

Letting Go≠ Failure

As it was, only my vintage wine hat blew off.  But as I caught my breath and waited out the adrenaline rush, I wondered: what else am I so focused on, so reluctant to let go, that life and other opportunities rush right by me?

So often we hold on to beliefs, habits, ways of thinking, even people and relationships that we should have let go of a long time ago.

Letting go is not synonymous with failing.

Letting go means you have the room for a new habit.

It means you have more time to devote to keeping healthy relationships in repair.

It means you have your attention focused on life.   On the here and now.

Otherwise, we miss the train that’s coming down our side of the tracks.

Oremus pro invicem,

~ Mikaela

What are you holding on to?  Is it distracting you from the here and now?