my own voice

Tonight is open mic at Mornin' Sunshine Coffee Shop. Last month this event was packed with people of all ages, standing room only! We shared a table with high schoolers, a few pre-schoolers ran off their sugar highs between parents in the front to friends in the back. It was a true community event, brought together by a love of live, in person music. Small towns like ours offer so many opportunities to do what you love with like-minded people. Sooner or later, those with shared interests find each other and create community events from book clubs to writing groups to quilters and knitters, to political action to dance troupes, to yoga and meditation practices, to hikers and bikers. The quantity of opportunities and events can be surprising and refreshing. For me, sometimes, the challenge is to find the balance between doing and just being, from becoming involved and invigorated to being over-extended and depleted. Especially since retirement, the satisfaction of just being usually outweighs the intrigue of too much doing. I crave solitude and time for my own creative development even as I enjoy savoring the unique offerings of others in this busy little town. A walk in the park, philosphic conversations with a friend, a pause at the coffee shop are ways to connect without a lot of pressure and fanfare. I'm loving this phase of my life, living in my own way, speaking in my own voice. How about you? I wrote the poem "speak now" on my birthday, reflecting upon what has been and what is still to come.

​speak now
 
I am speaking in my own tongue
my native language
the Ancestors have well prepared me
loved all my heartaches and stumbles
my victories
the insights gained
questions pursued
 
they took all those other dialects and dogmas
detours, hill climbs and wandering roads
preserved them all in strong trees,
roots, blossoms and songs of midnight
the blessings of rain, 
a time of gestation
 
for my resting, they led me gently
to the confluence
of many waters flowing 
​back to the sea 
 choosing right timing 
the Ancestors tell me I am ready now
to speak
  
   ©2016 pab