My Sister/My Teacher Taos Nov. 2014

I have just returned from an extraordinary writing workshop at The Mable Dodge Luhan House in Taos, New Mexico. It was my sister's gig: "The Writing Life". It was fabulous! Here is a taste.

It’s cold and clear, 

the sun

about a half hour from setting.

Ebony oak trees and adobe silhouettes

flatten under a fiery sky. 

Rusty barbed wire 

separates me from Indian land 

as I walk the well-worn path to the cross. 

Tiny alters 

mark where pilgrims have come before me. 

The air is pregnant with the smells

of sage and juniper smoke 

and earth kicked up by a well needed downpour.

Taos, New Mexico. November 9, 2014

Mable Dodge Luhan House
Writing Life Retreat

We arrived a day early so we would have time to settle in

and enjoy this very special place so rich in history

and stories. We were fortunate to have Mable's room.

The food, made in this kitchen, was amazing!

Kitchen Window

As she eats in silence, our teacher gets ready.

First Lesson: What is Writing Practice? 

taken from Barbara's teachings

Writing practice

Anchors the mind

Like scales of the piano,

Like shooting hoops,

It’s practice.

Showing up is 95% of everything

Be here

Be still for writing.

Keep your pen moving across the page.

Writing deepens.

Details evolve.

Breathe.

You’re always coming back

To the beginning.

Trust first thoughts.

The discursive mind interrupts.

Let go of control.

You are the only one

Who can write your stories.

Listen,

Give in to what is here.

Relax your shoulders

Don’t think too much

Let’s write.

She is ready.

We are too:

Dog...three minutes

Mable Watches

Horse...three minutes

The river...three minutes

Jell-O

Remember detail

Not tree...Oak

She just wants...

Why I write...ten minutes

Go.

I lean in.

Pen to paper

And run with her...

Mining memories.

I write to dream

To stay alert and aware

To notice what’s in front of me.

I write to discover specifics

And enliven my mind

To stretch

To honor

To grieve

And to burn that which is finished.

I write to remember what I saw

At the edge of the Rio Grand

When leaf shadows whirled on the white page

And the dancing wind scooped up the parched seedpods

Shaking them like gourd rattles

And spinning dust devils down canyon walls.

I write to remember

The late autumn sun sprinkling gold nuggets

On the bend in the river.

I write

To have fun

And to acknowledge

What’s in front of me

At this moment

In time.

She’s a taskmaster, this Barbara!

Another prompt spills into my waiting mind:  “These are big topics. Sink in

Go slow. And Keep your pen moving. The prompt is 'She Just Wants...' and I sling my ink over the white page.

She just wants

To nourish her aptitudes

And curiosities and relationships

In the calm of an untethered life.

She just wants to trust her gut,

And accept what she cannot change.

She just wants a simple life

That holds loved ones close

And operates from

Authenticity

Compassion

And grace

She just wants

Time with her daughter!

And Here she is!

  

It was great sitting across the circle from two of my very favorite people: Gretchen and Barb! And their stories were precious gifts to me.

(I was asked not to take photos in the classroom...totally get that!)

The Sacred Mountain on the Taos Reservation

On the last morning, Barb played a great song called "Company of Friends" by Danny Schmidt. It was the inspiration for her prompt and my writing:  "I Believe....."  6 minutes! Go!

I believe in growing friendships

I believe in making pies

I believe in having babies

 I’ll care for till I die

I believe in all the youngsters

I’ve nurtured in my day

I believe in being honest

And meaning what I say.

I believe a heart once broken

Is stronger when it mends

I believe that growing gardens

Heals the ones who tend.

I believe in misty rainbows

And lightening strikes as well

I believe in ink on paper

And the Buddhist singing bell

I believe in intuition

And watching what I buy

I believe in aging’s wisdom

And taking time to sigh.

I believe in walking slowly

And looking for the best.

I believe in peace and goodness

And settling now for less.

I believe in tears and torment

And love’s strong healing power

I believe that all’s forgiven

When we reach our final hour.

The final hour of the retreat....

and off we went....to Santa Fe for a celebration dinner.....

And then on to airport fun....

Plane Selfie

and home to wilted flowers and fond memories.

"Time it was, oh what a time it was....I have a photograph...."

Many thanks to Barbara, our teacher, and to Gretchen, my great friend.