Monday, March 27, 2023

Slice of an Idea

Did you ever wake up and feel disoriented?  Today, a series of images rushed through my sleep. They were disturbing so my mind shifted to pleasant thoughts. All of a sudden, I felt the morning open with clarity. 

Waking up with an idea is fascinating so I opened my digital notebook and began writing. Then, I read the introduction to today's Slice of Life by Morgan Davis which linked me to first-time slicer, Schuyler Becker's blog. Morgan's question piqued my interest in mining my story and Schuyler noted "maybe it's okay to not know what I'll write or what I should write". I did not plant a seed of an idea for today's writing. It serendipitously appeared. The beauty of writing is to go with the flow, explore our surroundings, and just be present for ideas to appear.

Maybe a gray day feels gloomy, seemingly unable to find
a bright spot until I fling open the shades and stare at 
my sole weeping cherry tree. I notice several
buds dropping to the ground. Why?
A tiny bird feasts on my buds,
pecking away.
Spring's 
delight! 
©CVarsalona, 2023

My Slice of Life
16th Annual March SOLSC! #SOL23

14 comments:

  1. This is wonderful! I so agree that writing is beautiful when we are “present for ideas to appear.” Just settled into the moment. I also love your description of the cherry tree and the birds’ feast! It takes me right to that moment, even without the photo!:)

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    1. Schuyler, I am glad that I included you in my slice. There are several slicers that enjoy poetry. I would suggest reading my friend Bob's slices (a.k.a. arjeha). His slices are funny, inspirational, and interesting.

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  2. Carol, sometimes the seeds we don't plant provide the loveliest of surprises. Any gray day is brightened by a flowering tree, a blooming shrub, or a blossoming flower.

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    1. Bob, thanks for another inspirational comment. It is amazing how the weeping cherry looks so bright upon a gray background. The little bird flitted away but its friend visited my neighbors' feeder. I never saw a bird pecking away at my cherry tree before. When I observe life, something is bound to catch my interest. I encouraged new slicer, Schuyler, to visit your slices.

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  3. A lovely poem and photo. I love to put the two together, too. You have a lot of inspiration to look forward to with that tree.

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    1. Yes, you are right, Diane. I certainly hope it blooms for 2 weeks.

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  4. I love this! I love that you were open to whatever came your way. I love that you took inspiration from other slicers. I love that you wrote about your weeping cherry. Thank you!

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    1. It is a wonderful opportunity to be in the presence of other educator writers, Kate. Inspiration is all around us in our TWT community.

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  5. Carol,
    It is perfectly fine to await inspiration as you have this morning. It comes in so many forms, and we need to be open to it. I have a whole list of blogging topics I did not write about this month because other ideas popped up. Love the photo and the joy of birds enjoying those blossoms.

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    1. Glenda, I am so glad that you saw the birds that I placed in the image. I wanted it to look similar to what I witnessed.

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  6. Your openness to inspiration is an inspiration in and of itself. And I love the way the form of your poem is a mirror of the form of the tree - not sure that's a clear description, but they feel like inverted images of each other.

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    1. Yes, Amanda. I did try to make the shape of the poem like the bending limbs of my miniature weeping cherry tree. So many times, I have heard "Be observant and find beauty in nature".

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  7. Your weeping cherry tree added color and joy to your day. It's true that those few moments of observing become the best little stories.

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    1. I looked out my window today and notice that the recent March winds blew away most of my cherry blossom petals. Sigh! AND the cherry blossoms in the Washington D.C. Tidal Basin will be whisked away soon. I will continue to pause and notice nature, Debbie Lynn.

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