It reminded him of a NOVA he’d seen with his father about the Amazon and the Atlantic. The waters join in eddies and turbulence and tides, whorls the colors of coffee and of jade meeting and greeting a new arrangement that, miles from shore, seems natural—inevitable even—but in the swirl of first impressions is confused at best and, at worst, a betrayal of the character of the river that has flowed so far and the ocean that has waited so long. So then: old life, meet new life; new life, old life. You two have a lot to talk about.
the writing life
Secret writing
art, writingHere’s the inimitable Leslie Leyland Fields on writing even when we’re not writing—what my friend Katie Boone calls “secret writing”:
I was alone, my boots sliding on the gravel trail. But it was not long before I thought of the book I was working on, on forgiving our fathers and mothers. I thought of the article I was trying to end, the final sentence telling the truth about keeping faith with the world. I thought of this space here and the words I would write.
And they are with me, words, ideas, the ones I try to herd into meaning find me even here, in the forest. I write them down on paper in my pocket. I record them on my voice memo. I speak the words I am writing now. They find me no matter where I go. This is the burden of writing. (read more)
Do you feel that burden? Do you write when you’re not writing?
…you come with empty hands…
art, Christianity, music, writingHere’s singer-songwriter Bill Mallonee on the artistic process:
now look if you’re gonna come around here
and say those sort of things
you gotta take a few on the chin
yeah you’re talking about sin and redemption
well you better wear your thickest skin
sometimes you can’t please everyone
sometimes you can’t please anyone at all
sew your heart onto your sleeve
If you’re an artist you know what comes next:
and you wait for the ax to fall
Jacobsen Writing 