So I went clew-searching again.
And every time I do this, I wonder why I don’t do it a hundred times a day. It’s crazy-helpful and always surprising.
These are the clews that I decided were clews. The ones that caught my eye as I was perched on my teaching stage yesterday at the Playground:
- a pink flower
- happy purple elephant (on my sock!)
- magic wand
- tiny wooden door
- General Ignorance (on the title of the Book of General Ignorance).
I said: Hey clews, whaddya got?
And this is what they gave me.
The flower:
Grow. Expand. Trust. Breathe. Be patient. Be as flamboyant as you want when you’re there because why not.
The elephant:
Silliness is not just for bringing joy to you — it reminds you about the joy that is brought into the world through that process. Feet feet feet!
The wand:
Be intentional. Point, draw, declare, ask, show up, know, proclaim, fill up on fullness and possibility.
Want what you want. Be a scepter. Have a scepter. Visit the corners.
The door:
Uh, come on. Door! Door! More door. Entry, exit, movement, transition. Hidden passages. Make doors where you need them. Find them. Close them. Walk through when you’re ready.
General Ignorance:
Just call me General. *snickers*
Be willing to be wrong. Don’t assume. Invoke the principle of People Vary. The people who come into your world will get what they need, and you don’t know what that is — and that is as it should be.
Detach detach release release trust trust patience patience.
And then?
Then I changed my place to change my luck.
I visited the corners. I asked more questions. I wore a giant blue feather boa and a crazy, impossibly tall pink hat with a peacock feather.
There were noticings and pretzel sticks.
There were Remarkable Discoveries that had nothing to do with the clews at all. Until they did again.
Playing and the communal comment blanket fort.
You can explore, find clews, examine clews, interview clews.
Or do what you need to do.
We remember that our stuff is probably going to show up because that’s what it does. We care for ourselves as best we can.
We play. We don’t give unsolicited advice. We pay attention to what we need in any given moment, and try to meet that need in a way that feels safe and comfortable.
And I am blowing kisses from the Playground where it is currently the second full day of Crossing the Line (secret word: haulaway) and where we are having marvelous adventures. Wishing you all the best surprises today.
Follow
Hmmm. I started looking around for 5 clews and immediately got overwhelmed. So, I’ll just go with the first one that popped out at me: a picture of a polar bear in an insanely cute sleepy pose with his butt in the air.
What this tells me: just being you is enough. You can improve someone’s day, make them smile, by doing nothing more than hanging out in a pose that makes you comfortable.
My “must accomplish stuff” monsters are highly sceptical, but I like it. 🙂
Oh, what inspiring games you play here Havi! Love, love, love!!
1. 3 tin cookie jars filled with art goodies
(there are lots of sweet things in life)
2. a pierced tin fake-bamboo candle holder
(and lots of Light available)
3. a huge Hello Kitty coloring book page
(and sweet silliness)
4. ceiling fan w/loads of dust on the blades
(the world does not end because I am not tidy – and dust makes cool designs)
5. a container of water
(I want to refresh and roll in self-care WAY more often – and I can, it’s available – always!)
Definitely inspiring.
Ok I’ll play:
1. Wooden candlesticks shaped like feet
(Silly,happy feet, two feet on the ground, I’m standing my ground with a smile – ooh I like that!)
2. Stripy socks drying in the corner
(feet again! Warm, smiley, stripy,cared for, fun, I can have fun and still take care of myself. It’s not a choice. I can do both.)
3. The big clock on the wall with the nice clear black font
(Clear, open, safe, knowledge. I can know things, look around and see exactly what ‘time’ it is, see what needs to be done next)
4. Maps, lots of them on the shelf
(Maps, travel, territory, paper, freedom, dreams. Again I cans see where I need to go. I can consult plans. I can ask the slightly future me to draw me a map! Oh OK, never thought of that but it makes sense.)
5. Bright yellow leaves on the walnut tree outside the window.
(colour, light, warmth in the cold, It doesn’t stay dark or cold for ever. I can wait and the light will come back.)
Wow thanks for that. Quite surprising. I need to do this more often.
Clews!! dynamic relationship with my space! Endlessly helpful.
1. red neck tie
transformation, play, dress up, recycling, unconventional uses. There is an unfolding universe of possibility whenever I wish to turn towards it.
2. dolphins
flow, laughter, connection. Water supports and conducts. I have a pod.
3. blue toenails
change, interaction, surprise, reminders. I am on a journey. Planting the seeds for the me who is coming.
4. sweet bears on the long trail Harvest beer bottle
hibernate. harvest, and rest.
5. shiva
dance it up. trust, infinity, radiance, complexity. There is a universe of intricacy that folds into itself. I can dive into its depths.
And now, five yawns!
xo
Looooove it.I wanna join the game! (Iwanna Iwanna)
1. The trees outside, in their fall outfit, in the dusk
There is a season for everything under the heavens (from that text in the book Preacher). Now is a time for hiding, recovery, shedding a layer and letting go of some control.
2. Alicia Keys songs
Express yourself. Use/exercize your Voice. Find the beauty. Write out the sorrow.
3.Web Therapy
(the lovely sarcastic series by Lisa Kudrow)
Don’t accept nonsense. Cut it short when necessary. You might be better at setting up boundaries then you think you are.
4. Richard Florida’s “Creativity in Regions” book
There are places of growth and places of exploitation. Even if you are not in a growth place, you can move at one point or another.
5. A stata (statistics) manual
You learnt all that stuff step by step. And you are not stopping there. You will learn more – one way or the other.
Searching for clues to find my way through the stress of this day!
1. Purple Fisher Space Pen: Find the moments of beauty amid the stress and rush.
2. Havi’s blue wig: Play! Lighten up! It is possible, completely possible, to do things lightly and playfully. If you want to! Any time you want to!
3. Pendant my daughter gave me: You are so very much loved, and your love is also a gift.
4. Clock. There is time. [I was rather scared when this clue popped up, but it turned out that the clock’s message was very simple.]
5. Computer keyboard. Work can be pleasurable, can feel good, can sound good. Clickety-clack!
1 – Rocking chair: Be more laid back.
2 – Computer: Plan and execute. All problems have solutions. No exceptions.
3 – Toy: Put the pieces where they fit. They fit.
4 – Daughter: Also, you’re perfect! That’s what people are!
5 – Laundry bag: No worries. Dirt comes off, then stuff smells nice again and colors are shiny again.
Awesome! Thank you!
This reminded me of the Animal Spirit cards that a friend gave me. I pulled one: the Otter.
Never mind what it says at the bottom of the card, or the interpretations in the book. To me it says Play!
I had physical therapy today and it was definitely a play experience: goosestepping and waltzing and walking sideways with bent knees down a hallway. So much fun!
Looking around the room, I see a couple of Troll dolls, some colored pencils and bright colored paper, stacks of books, and some family pictures in striped frames. They all say Play! Have Fun! Do things because you WANT to.
I’m in the middle of the dreaded packing and moving, oh my! I’m wondering what clues could possibly be here, in the down and dirty mess.
– pink, floppy sun hat — this will be over soon and i will be somewhere warm and sunny (?) also, yay! pink!
– “energy of prayer gift box” — oh so much here, someone cares about me and gave me a box of prayers/meditations/chants by thich nhat hanh, it’s sweet and little and i can pack it and take it with me, and it’s a reminder to stay in touch with me.
– heating pad — comfort in the hard, soft, warmth
– pictures of my son and I — no matter where I go, I am grounded and loved.
whew! there WERE some clews!
xoxo
kim
Clews from today:
1. A teensy weensy parking space that was just the right size for my teensy weensy rental car, and just a half block from my appointment in the city.
(Sometimes an unplanned extra expenditure opens the way for exactly what you need, exactly when and where you need it.)
2. Traffic at a standstill in the opposite lanes of the highway.
(Stop and go, Yin and Yang. Hungry and full. Well and ailing. Fried and steamed. Balance. It all comes out in the wash.)
3. A library patron with a teal shoulder bag and purple raincoat.
(Notice! Pause! (Paws!) The colors you love are everywhere. Be open to accidental beauty. Things and people you may love can be found in unexpected places.)
1. My Romantic Poetry Anthology:
Money does not have to define everything. Not having it does not make you dirty/unworthy/less. There are ways to live a productive life that are different, like Blake. Do what is important to you and the rest will fall into place.
2. My white sweater:
Sometimes the most useful things are the simplest. Look for something simple to keep yourself alive, so you can direct the rest of your energies to where they are most needed.
3. The Jack Bush print (a gift):
There is kindness where you least expect it, and more of it than you know. If things fall apart, there is someone who will be there anyways. Live the possibility that he teaches, as a gift to yourself and to him.
4. Deep red tank-top:
Colour. Rich, deep, calm colour. Powerful but not violent. Be that way – sublime.
5. Pink pencil:
Baby sister’s – the only thing of her’s that I have. I’ve raised a child at fifteen. I have more strength in me than I know of. And courage. And love. These three things are knitted together in me. There is nothing else I need.
1. Neutrogena Norwegian formula hand cream (“just a dab heals dry skin.”)
What are tiny little things that give me disproportionate nourishment, that I always forget about? 10 minutes of stretching. 10 minutes of heart-breathing. Children’s books. I really need to keep a shelf of children’s books next to my bed!
2. Empty can of diet coke.
Less shiny disposable things in my life please, literal and metaphorical.
3. Flax seed oil capsules.
They are always here on my desk because I brought them once and I never take them. Notice the good things in my life that I always ignore. And take them.
4. Double computer monitors.
Make things easier for yourself when you can. The more you can see, the better you can work.
5. owl-shaped tea pot.
Tea pot makes me think of ritual and ceremonies. And how I abandon them when I get tired/restless. The deliberate act of brewing loose tea in a pot, then pouring into a cup involves so much more mindfulness than tossing a tea bag into a mug filled with hot water. So I’ve been ignoring this tea pot for a long time because I’ve been running away from myself.
Overarching, repeating lessons? Go back to the little things. Go back to ritual and ceremony. Go back to hanging out with myself. There’s a reason I ran away, so take it easy. Ease back in.
As soon as I started reading this post, I opened up my digital Book of Me and copied and pasted the prompts from a previous post into a fresh journal page, and did these up before reading the rest of the post or any of the comments.
*** Five clues to help me understand why I am not yet working on the task at hand right now. ***
1. pencil sharpener
2. rocks
3. force field button (it plays the Star Wars Imperial March, but it was the words on it that caught my attention)
4. vitamins
5. yellow leaves
*** What do they know about whatever needs to happen next? ***
1. I must prepare, by sharpening my axe (not literally, but I don’t need pencils either). Hey! I could sharpen my mind with Shiva Nata!!
2. I must seek the fascinating parts within the mundane, trace patterns in the randomness, see colours in the greys. And remember there can be fun in anything!
3. I must remain protected from the dismay and worry that lurks around me when I am doing this task. (Maybe I can press the button as I begin, to activate my shields, to remind me that I have powers that keep me safe even from the evil empire…)
4. I must continue to nourish myself, and remember: completing the tasks themselves is nourishing! (Oh yeah! I keep forgetting this when I am dwelling on the hard part of doing the tasks!)
5. I must acknowledge that time is passing, that everything changes, that the next Now is on its way and it is important to ready myself by clearing out things from the past. Let the leaves fall when they are finished adorning the trees, let them make delicious crunching noises underfoot instead.
Huh. Wow. Interesting. Thanks again, Havi! 🙂