There is a community of the spirit.
Join it, and feel the delight
of walking in the noisy street,
and being the noise.
–Rumi, A Community of The Spirit
Each year at Write-By-The-Lake I work with 15 other writers to help them bring their world into word. I understand my main role is to help them translate their meaningful experiences into captivating stories that become meaningful to their readers. Fortunately, there are many points of success for us writers (or we would give up too soon). Success comes in getting our ideas and stories down in our journals. Success comes in working through an idea, completing several drafts, reading a poem to a friend, and finding something we’ve written years ago and thinking, “Hey, that’s pretty decent!” (To name a few.)
In all cases success takes perseverance.
In all areas of our life as well: success is wholly dependent on showing up. (Life follows our gaze).
Finally, success comes in joining the noise by putting our words out their in a book, article, letter or blog. This takes courage (and a bit of folly too!) We have to put ourselves out there, join the noise!
Join the noise. Plant your lotuses in the noise and fire of your daily life. Give up the questing for and become. As meaning makers we create and manifest meaning as we walk, where we live. We discover who or what we are within our families and communities, within the “noisy street” of our lives. –from The Zero Point Agreement
I met Mary at the Write-By-The-Lake in 2015. I have had the great joy of hearing and reading Mary Hall’s many stories and scenes from her life. For the past year she has had the goal of putting out a blog of her stories. As her Writing Sherpa I encouraged her. Her stories are such gems. I started feeling greedy being one of the few who heard them. So, today Mary joins the noise and offers up a story here for you and (BRAVO MARY), a link to her blog, where you will find one of my favorite stories of hers. Below she muses about writing a blog . . .
The Infinite Loop
By Mary Hall
Thoughts in circles
Cycle
Over and over and
over and over
and
over
No resolution
One foot on the brink
Will I step forward?
The force of the spin sucks me back.
How do I escape the infinite loop?
I’ve attempted to start a blog for nearly a year, but worries circled around in my head in an endless loop. At each turn questions arose and got swept in a vortex. “What if people don’t like what I write? What if I go through the trouble of writing a blog and nobody even cares?” Once a thought is sucked into that cyclone it is nearly impossible to push it aside where it becomes an imaginary barrier of my own creation.
This is not the first time that I have experienced a loop. One summer when my sisters and I decided to ride our bikes around in a circle in the back yard we rode until it turned into a game of racecar drivers.
Like actual race car drivers we had pit stops that consisted of Cheetos, Jif peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches, and individually wrapped Kraft American cheese slices. Today the meal would likely be updated with one of the dozen brands of Cheetos and premade peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from Costco with the crusts already cut off. Before we would resume the race we would be careful to use our teeth to scrape the fluorescent orange film of Cheetos cheesy goodness from our fingers. Our back yard faced east, so our only concept of time was the slow creep of the shadow of our house on the yard.
When we got too hot we put on swimsuits and would hop off our bikes and jump into icy cold water in the little plastic wading pool in our yard. At one point my mom poked out her head.
“You guys are getting sunburned. Put on a t-shirt.”
“Aw! No fun to swim with a t-shirt on!” But we complied.
Once the line of shade reached the edge of the race rack we took off the dreaded t-shirts and rode free again. No desire to stop and no thought as to when the race would be finished. We were completely in the moment and committed to our task. When the shade met the end of our lot line dad came home from work.
“Jesus H. Christ! Look at the grass!”
We looked. There was a big brown donut shape of dead grass that outlined the track where we biked all day and in the center of the circle was a patch of lush green grass.
We played in a circle, but it was so different from the cycle of worry that goes over and over in my head. In the bike circle there were no negative thoughts, only the desire to ride. With worry nothing gets done and there is no joy. I am awakened to the groove of worry that is rubbed in my head. Worry is a habit and gives the illusion that it is important and it keeps me from what I am supposed to do.
“Jesus H. Christ,” dad’s voice breaks through my thoughts. I wake up and post my first blog piece.”
Here is a link to Mary’s Blog, MARY’S CORRIDOR: Navigating life’s corridors through story. Her first story is Battered Fondue.
To Mary P. Hall:
Wonderful. Tears in my eyes. Am so very proud of you! All this creativity just waiting to blossom. You Go Girl! Remember the “force of the spin” also propels you forward. Happy you are getting a chance to share with others.
Love you lots.
Mom
Thank you Julie Tallard Johnson for recognizing this new talent.
I know that circle of worry well! I love the story and discussion. I remember that summer being really dry and all of the grass dying anyway, so I am glad there was the bike race of joy!
What a wonderful and refreshing post! Thanks Julie Tallard Johnson for sharing 🙂 And thank you Mary Hall for sharing your perspective and insight by recreating a world we all remember and relate to. After reading this I woke up and realized I’ve been trudging along for weeks in that “groove of worry” path. Time to step off the path and get back my desire to ride!
I love this story Mary. I can actually picture your back yard. I lived just east of you. You really brought me back to my childhood through this story. All the time that we as kids spent outside waiting for the street lights to come on. No digital devices keeping us inside. We were really able to use our imagination when we played with our friends or siblings. Thank you so much for sharing 😉
La disfunción eréctil o impotencia sexual es la incapacidad persistente de conseguir una erección o mantenerla con la suficiente firmeza con el fin de tener una relación sexual.
Some people prefer to let their hair loss run its course untreated and unhidden. Androgenic Alopecia as a Cause of Hair Loss
Efectos psicológicos que el tratamiento contra el cáncer tiene sobre la capacidad de erección.
A pesar de que factores como la disminución en la sensibilidad del pene y en el nivel de testosterona influyen en el declive del deseo y actividad sexual en hombres mayores, existen grandes diferencias individuales en función de las expectativas y creencias (Segraves y Segraves, 1992).
fed ex overnight delivery cialis cialis
stromectol price ivermectin brand name
anti fungal pills without prescription buy prescription drugs without doctor
how does cialis work hvtsgeahdmerveBtjowenoj tadalafil 20mg
how does cialis work hvtsgeahdmerveBtjowenoj tadalafil 20mg best price
buy viagra online usa viagra
ciprofloxacin ciprofloxacin mail online
comfortis for dogs without vet prescription prescription meds without the prescriptions
neurontin prices generic 32 neurontin
buy prescription drugs online legally legal to buy prescription drugs without prescription
https://gabapentin.icu/# neurontin generic brand
erectile dysfunction drug ed medications list
https://diflucan.icu/# diflucan capsule 150mg
https://doxycyclineonline.store/# doxycycline for sale
[url=https://edpills.best/#]ed pills gnc[/url] best ed medication
https://drugsonline.store/# erectile dysfunction treatments
https://edpills.best/# treatments for ed
[url=https://edpills.best/#]best ed pills non prescription[/url] best ed drugs
stromectol 12 mg tablets order stromectol over the counter
https://stromectoltrust.com/# stromectol for humans for sale
ivermectin 1 stromectol 3 mg tablets price
https://pharmacyizi.com/# ed trial pack
https://pharmacyizi.com/# website
https://pharmacyizi.com/# foods for ed
https://pharmacyizi.com/# medication drugs
spell prednisone [url=https://prednisone.world/#]prednisone for sale without a prescription [/url] prednisone and benadryl for allergic reaction where to buy prednisone
https://pharmacyizi.com/# erectyle dysfunction
normal prednisone dose prednisone generic brand name can prednisone cause weight gain how long does it take for prednisone to take effect
[url=https://allpharm.store/#]Priligy[/url] arthritis
https://canadiandrugs.best/# canadian medications
[url=https://canadiandrugs.best/#]prescription without a doctor’s prescription[/url] discount prescription drugs
[url=https://allpharm.store/#]canadapharmacy[/url] Imodium
plaquenil for fibromyalgia quineprox 750 sjogren’s syndrome swollen salivary gland plaquenil what other medications can cause this plaquenil pigmentation
synthroid uses [url=https://synthroidus.com/#]synthroid 0.137 mg [/url] does synthroid cause weight loss how to get off synthroid
[url=https://erectionpills.shop/#]best erection pills[/url] best medication for ed
viagra cream price of viagra in usa viagra substitute over the counter what is levitra used to treat
https://stromectolbestprice.com/# ivermectin paste for ear mites in horses
http://stromectolbestprice.com/# ivermectin shampoo
synthroid weight loss [url=https://synthroidus.com/#]synthroid 175 cost [/url] rare side effects of levothyroxine how to take levothyroxine
buy erection pills ed natural treatment
https://drugsbestprice.com/# do i have ed
https://drugsbestprice.com/# prescription drugs online without doctor
viagra buy melbourne [url=http://canadaviagra.com/#]viagra dick [/url] what happens if a female takes cialis how many cialis can i take
plaquenil stock plaquenil 200mg cost is plaquenil a biologic drug comment from people who take plaquenil for sjogren
https://medrxfast.com/# canadian drugs online
https://medrxfast.com/# non prescription ed pills
buy female viagra [url=https://cialisamerica.com/#]buy cialis usa onlne pharmacy [/url] how long does kamagra last who should not take viagra
buy prescription drugs from india ed drugs online from canada
no prescription amoxil amoxil 500mg is amoxil cave good for sinus infection amoxil spn 400mg/5ml dosage
https://medrxfast.com/# canadian online drugs
https://medrxfast.com/# best ed pills non prescription
1000 mg valacyclovir [url=https://valtrexus.com/#]valtrex without a prescription [/url] does valtrex affect birth control how long is shingles contagious after valtrex
liquid nolvadex pct order tamoxifen online should i take nolvadex with lgd? how much nolvadex with deca
https://medrxfast.com/# ed meds online without prescription or membership
https://medrxfast.com/# buy prescription drugs from canada cheap
https://medrxfast.com/# canadian drug
https://medrxfast.com/# best canadian pharmacy online
https://medrxfast.com/# prescription drugs online
https://medrxfast.com/# prescription drugs without prior prescription
https://valtrex.icu/# how much is valtrex in canada