Our prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “cam.” Find a word that contains “cam” or use it as is. Enjoy!
Camera. I use my phone. There’s a camera in my closet that is frozen as in stuck. I am so not mechanical. Maybe one day, I’ll get it fixed or looked at. But my phone takes good enough photos for me – just for fun, for now. Cameras are amazing when you stop and think about it. So much of our culture depends on them, for better or for worse. Let’s keep the most beautiful, life enhancing pictures and videos.
Camping. It’s been a long time since I went camping. I miss the camp fire and the smell it leaves on my clothes. But I don’t miss the sleeping on the ground. If I ever go camping again, I’ll be sleeping on a THICK foam pad, or in a bed in a camper, or a cabin. Maybe I’ll have a camp fire in the back yard this winter.
Camel. I’d walk a mile for one in my twenties if it was the only cigarette available. Thank God I don’t smoke anymore! The camel is a symbol of sobriety, since camels can go a long time without drinking. But they can’t go forever, and they’d want water. Water is the best thing to drink as long as it’s not contaminated. We finally got a reverse osmosis filter for drinking water at our kitchen sink, because our city water is too risky. Some people call city water Gen X water which is one of the contaminants. Camels got the wise men to baby Jesus. I hope they had enough water.
Camelot! It was a song and a movie. So romantic. At least when I first saw the movie and the play. Seems like it was in high school. Now, I’m irritated at Guinevere for cheating on Arthur. But I don’t know if that really happened. But I still like the music in musicals.
I was going to try to capture the romance of the movie I watched in my youth, or the play, but alas, there is no use. Monty Python figured that out.
I trust that no animals were hurt in this silliness.
Writing this Friday evening, who knows how I’ll feel in the morning after getting my covid booster this afternoon. There’s going to be some movie watching for sure. It’s nice not to have any other plans.
Update: The nurse said effects, if any, from my 1/2 dose of vaccine which is what the booster is, would kick in after about 12 hours. It was more like 8. My immune system cranked up at 10pm last night and has been going strong since. Maybe I shouldn’t have picked staying with moderna for consistency, but at least I know I’m building immunity, or so I tell myself – chanting in my head: Immunity! Immunity! Immunity! Even if it’s not 100%. It’s a good thing. Now, I’m going back to bed.
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For more streams of consciousness, rules, and more, visit out host, Linda Hill by clicking here.
Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “above/below.” Use one, use both, use ’em however they inspire you. Bonus points if you use them both. Enjoy!
The first thing I thought of was being under water. I love swimming under water in a pool with a mask so I can see the wavy lines of light. Swimming gave me great comfort in rough times. Last summer, remember when it was warm, I tried to teach my grand daughter to swim. She got really good at swimming UNDER the water, but has yet to trust the water to hold her up to swim above the water for more than a couple of strokes. She’ll get it though.
Once upon a time, I had a dream that I could swim under water and breathe under water, too. It was as natural as breathing above the water. Did you ever see the movie, The Shape of Water ? It’s one of my favorites. It’s a love story, AND it has a happy ending. It’s a strange movie. Intriguing. Some hard parts where I had to remind myself, “Its just a MOVIE.” But the ending is fascinating. Here’s the trailer:
The water creature is played by the same guy who plays the alien Saru in Star Trek Discovery, Doug Jones who is an actor, contortionist, and mime. Also staring in The Shape of Water, is Olivia Spencer who is in a lot of my favorite movies, like Hidden Figures, The Help, and she played God in The Shack. Sally Hawkins plays the main character who is mute. She did a good job.
Earlier in the stream, I thought of an old song by Donovan called “Atlantis,” because there’s the part that goes, “Way down below the ocean, where I wanna be, she may be….” or something like that.
I miss the beach and swimming. I was going to join the YMCA for the pool, but instead, joined a small, cozy gym and have been going to a personal trainer for the first time in my life. There’s a restorative yoga class there Saturday at 10 am which is why I’m going to maybe publish this post early. I am not a morning person. Maybe with the personal trainer and yoga and other classes which are part of “Silver Sneakers,” I’ll be ready to swim well by the time it gets warm enough to go in the ocean.
I took a scuba diving course in my twenties but didn’t follow up with it. Swimming under water with Scuba gear was the most wonderful feeling – like being on another planet. We ever saw a school of barracuda. I had to be in the water a lot because I get seasick on a rocking boat…. Maybe some day, I’ll go scuba diving again.
Before you watch this video of “Atlantis,” the song, imagine it’s warm.
Enjoy the mermaids!
Happy Valentines Day!
For more about Stream of Consciousness Saturday and takes on the prompt, visit Linda Hill at:
We did not want to see beyond the swell, wanting it to last forever.
But finally, we reached the crest
On the other side a bridge
led back to “civilization.”
We swam that way because we knew it was our destination.
A soft beach rose to meet my feet.
I must have been dawdling
Because my friends were way ahead.
I followed their trail into a building
But didn’t see them.
I desperately wanted to talk about our experience in the water,
To hold on to it, and know that it had really happened.
Then I realized I was in a hospital
walking down a hallway.
Confused, I thought I saw a room with a pool.
but when I looked in I didn’t see a pool,
Just a couch.
It was like a waiting room.
Children with light brown skin
Sat in the corner.
I wanted to tell them a story about a big blue wave
That lifted us up in the air and held us
For a moment when time slowed
And gave us a glimpse of something deeper.
But that’s when my dream ended.
….
There have been many times in my life when I dreamed about giant waves that were frightening. This dream was very different. This giant, mysterious wave was patient and peaceful. I enjoyed seeing my friend Dorothy in my dream. The hound dog was Doodle who we lost several months ago. For a beautiful underwater video of Christ in the Abyss, click here.
I created the top photo by turning this bottle upside down and cropping the photo. Colored glass bottles are some of my favorite things. I collect mostly blue bottles, but also amber, green, yellow, and a couple red and purple ones.
I’m making an exception on this Pass it Along Getting to Know You questionnaire, because
I only have to tag two people (I don’t want to impose) and
The questions are interesting
There are only 7 questions
When M. Oniker tagged me, I first thought I’d decline as usual. But after reading her answers and thinking of some of my own, I started to reconsider. If you’ve tagged me on this same questionnaire already, I apologize. I still don’t do awards or anything where you’re supposed to tag a bunch of people, or if I just feel overwhelmed…. Why do I feel like I have to explain? Anyway here goes!
1. Name a moment in your life when you felt you were most courageous.
There were many moments of courage in the 30 something years I worked as a substance abuse counselor. It’s amazing to me now that I even did that job for so long, especially since I’ve retired and my inner introvert has come out of the closet. I don’t recall one specific moment, but I often had to assert my truth and confront the voice of addiction coming from clients who were angry and rude because deep down they hurt like hell. Sometimes I faced the monster with gentleness. Other times, I had to be firm and practice boundary setting. But I could not run and hide. I must’ve gotten better with practice, but it was never easy. Thank God for the moments of rejoicing and the privilege of witnessing recovery. It took courage to leave that job, to say, enough, to the growing bureaucracy and red tape and trust that I’d be taken care of – just like it took courage ten years earlier to say enough after the post-divorce rebounds and trust that God had a plan for my life.
2. If you had to choose only one breakfast cereal for the rest of your life, which one would it be?
Oh good. Now we get a light and easy question. Every morning, I eat oatmeal with apples, bananas and walnuts (plus pomegranate, blueberries or peaches when in season) The every morning part might sound boring, but it’s really good and my husband makes breakfast, so I’m okay sticking with that. Occasionally we go to IHOP for dinner and order pancakes and omelettes.
3. When have you felt the most scared?
I’m sure it was when one of my kids was in trouble, like when the police called about my son when he was 15 or when my daughter was going through something scary. Nothing grabs hold of my heart like when one of my kids (or dogs) is in trouble. It was worse when they were young. I’ll never forget that feeling of being in a public place and losing sight of my child even for a few seconds. They’re grown now, but I still get a gut/heart blip when they’re going through something hard.
4. If you could sing like any musical artist, who would you choose?
I love to sing, especially when I can experiment with harmonies. Not to brag, but I used to have a good range. Now it takes more work to keep the old vocal chords in shape. The high notes are harder to reach these days. I love listening to Celtic music and wonder if I could’ve been a Celtic Woman. But other paths called. When I read this question, Sarah McLachlan came to mind. I also like Pink. And then there’s Loreena Mckennitt. Take your pick!
5. Do you collect anything?
Yes. Too many things, so I’m de-cluttering. The things I collect that give me joy are snow globes. Plus, I’ve inherited my mother’s angel collection and will keep many of them. Oh, and blue and amber glass bottles. But that’s it. And rabbits. And candles for hurricanes. That’s it.
6. If you could live inside a TV show or movie, what would it be?
If you’ve been reading my posts lately, you might think I’m going to say Star Trek. If it was the 60s, I would definitely say that cause of my old crush, Mr. Spock. But now I know I get motion sickness too easily, and beaming any where would probably make me faint. Plus I love old mother earth, so I’m going to go with Northern Exposure – as long as I can fly south for the winter after I’ve seen the Northern Lights. There’s something about that quirky little town and being close to nature. But I have a feeling I’d get tired of it about mid-winter. This video gives the best overview of the show, though I wish Ed and Marilyn could have made it.
7. Have you ever had a reoccurring dream? If so, what was it?
Water has been the most common element in dreams I remember. In my twenties, I had a lot of dreams about tidal waves – trying to get out of the way, and OMG Where did we park the car? Then there were the dreams about going over steep, high bridges. Later things calmed down, and I dreamed about water covering the path ahead of me. My favorite water dreams are about stepping out in faith as a stepping stone rises to meet my foot and the dreams where I was able to breathe under water. I love to swim, so those were the best. I could stay under water as long a I wanted to. But I’ll never forget the dream where I was flying low and fast over the marshy intra-coastal canals just inches from the sparkling water.
There. I did it. That’s all the questions. The hardest part is tagging two people. There is absolutely no obligation of course.
Joey at https://jolenemottern.com/ does these things sometimes, so maybe I could tag her. Joey has some hilarious real life posts. I like how she makes up her own version of words that flow naturally.
I’ll be cutting back on my blogging over the next couple of weeks to give more time to family, household projects, and writing. But I still plan to drop in for Stream of Consciousness Saturday and Good News Tuesday.
Here are some photos I took this month at the inlet.
Happy Summer!
Yeah, I might have enhanced this color just a little.
I always wanted long legs. Ta da!
I believe that’s an osprey up in the clouds.
A Black Skimmer Coming back to the Sanctuary
Sea Oats Waving in the Breeze
Yes, I really like sea oats.
I like how the lines in the water and sky compliment each other.
This cloud reminds me of a tornado. But it’s not.
I did not enhance these last two. This is how the sky looked!
You never know what God’s going to paint in the sky to say, “I love you.”
I’m thankful for a nice visit with my son and his girlfriend who came down from the mountains Tuesday. After a swim in the ocean, we walked around the south end of the island to relax in the intracoastal waterway and watch the sunset. My son who’s in his 30s, and my daughter, who’s in her 20s, played in the water like when they were kids fascinated by the tiny clams they found in the wet sand.
You can let go of worries and
open your heart
when you immerse yourself in a natural body of water
I took this photo with my phone last night. The words came to me later as I moved closer, stood in the water, and felt the aliveness of the ocean. The photo does not quite capture her power. An hour earlier, she had knocked me down twice, but I had to laugh and say, “Okay, you win. Tonight is not the night for swimming.” But it was a night for gazing.
Today’s Song Lyric Sunday prompt was about magic, and while I thought of a few good songs, I decided to share this poem instead. The ocean in moonlight has always held a special magic for me.
My weekend was intense, busy, and very social. I knew it would be outside my comfort zone, but I was asked to be on the music team, and I wanted to give back for all the blessings I’ve received. Leaning heavily toward introversion, I’m more comfortable finding my spiritual moments alone in quiet places, but thankfully, I found God in many varied moments during my four days serving at “EC 95” (The 95th Cursillo weekend of the East Carolina Episcopal Diocese.)
Cursillo is a three day adventure for 20 pilgrims who are there to learn about Christian leadership and to be loved and served by the team. One of the common experiences shared by pilgrims was a deeper relationship with Jesus and one another. As a team member serving the pilgrims, I felt this deepening, too. Even with the lack of sleep from late nights and early mornings, even with my occasional discomfort from being around many people who I didn’t know well, I felt the deepening. I felt the love for people who became family.
It helped that our Cursillo weekend was held at Trinity Center, a place close to nature and close to my heart, where they build around the trees.
Trinity is an Episcopal retreat center nestled on the North Carolina coast between Bogue Sound and the Atlantic Ocean.
One of my favorite places at Trinity Center, besides the beach…. and the sound….. and the pond….
Trinity Center pond
…is the tunnel that runs under the main road and leads to the beach.
The tunnel is a great place to sing. Imagine the echo. Or is it called reverb?
…
On Friday afternoon, as I walked the wooded road to my room during a short break, I stopped to admire the light shining through the leaves ahead.
It was here that I felt the powerful and undeniable presence of my parents. They “told” me (in feelings more than words) of their joy that I was there serving with my husband, and that they are proud of us both. My parents had a long history of ministry in soup kitchens and working with veterans. This is the first time I’ve felt them both together since my father died in January. The confirmation that they are together still makes my heart sing.
I finally got me a Djembe!
And I did a lot of singing at Cursillo. As part of the music team, I sang, played my guitar, and got to experiment with the new drum I bought for this occasion.
Cursillo music is mostly folksy with some contemporary praise songs. When somebody requested “Wade In the Water,” we had to hunt for the music because it wasn’t on our song list. But it turned out to be such a big hit, we sang this powerful spiritual three times during the weekend. This article explains that “Harriet Tubman used the song “Wade in the Water” to tell escaping slaves to get off the trail and into the water to make sure the dogs slavecatchers used couldn’t sniff out their trail.”
The following arrangement, while different than the simple version we sang, gives a feeling close to what I felt during our closing service singing with about 50 people and three guitars as I kept a strong, steady beat on my drum.
…
In spite of the intensity, I’m thankful to have served at EC 95. But some day, I want to go to Trinity Center just to relax. I bet I’ll do some singing and wading, too.
Today’s Stream of Consciousness prompt is, “accumulate.”
I’m spending the weekend in the mountains of North Carolina with my friend. It was just a coincidence that it’s the weekend of a tropical storm on the coast where I live. Water sure did accumulate there last night. My husband informed me we have some leaks in the house. Such is life. I hope the storm weakens and goes out to see and all are safe.
Here in the mountains, it’s much cooler than where I was yesterday. The clouds accumulated over the mountains last night so that I could not see the tops of the pinnacles. They just disappeared into pale grey mist.
I’m not a morning person, but this morning nature woke me early.Was it only because water had accumulated in my body and needed to be released?
Or was it for the sunrise?
The Saturday Stream of Consciousness is brought to you by Linda who has accumulated an abundance of writing streams at her place. Check them out at the link below:
1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing, (typos can be fixed) and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.
2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.
3. There will be a prompt every week. I will post the prompt here on my blog on Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The’,” or simply a single word to get your started.
4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours. Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.
5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read everyone’s! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later, or go to the previous week, by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find right below the “Like” button on my post.
6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!
7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.
Anything is Possible! 