7:52pm.. never meant to stop..That's all there in the heading. Occasionally, I still want and need to write a nice long post to check in and take note of where I am and where I think I'm headed. One of the really great benefits of writing daily before had been along the lines of complaining I was going nowhere at the start, then realizing by the end that I was both further along than I thought I was and also realizing that I am in the middle of a journey. I'm just fine, I would conclude, and the next day or even the rest of that day would flow freely again with energy and purpose. This is sort of what happened yesterday. The cycle is a part of me now and this paragraph did the same thing.
I did a little speech the other day about calling myself a wanderer, listener, and storyteller. It's been helping me feel organized in this chaotic place we're all in. We each make sense of all this stuff we experience differently. Even people in supposedly set organizations like religions or political parties experience those groups differently. I finally laid out my own take on life and who I am by calling myself a wanderer, listener, and storyteller. Over the last few years of writing daily, I have many entries where I clarified and defined those terms and built up a system of practices around being a wanderer, listener, and storyteller.
Wandering has become mostly about how I am in the physical world. The broad practices there are to sustain, explore, and play. I sustain by keeping things going. My health, my car, my laundry, my eating and exercise practices are all things I do to stay well and thrive in the physical sense. I explore as everyone always has, by being curious and trying new things and new ways of doing old things, and finding new places and new ways of getting to old places. I play like we all do. I play more than most people consider appropriate.. that is.. I get told to stop playing more than I get told to loosen up.
Listening is about my connections to others around me. The broad practices there are to learn, connect, and renew. I learn like we all do, through reading and study and watching others do things I want to do. I connect with others by being a friend and helping those around me even by just sitting and listening at times. I renew by taking time to connect and listen to myself. I play good music and watch touching movies and read books and let myself really rest.
Storytelling is about giving back to the universe. It's telling stories, sure, and it's playing music and dancing and being with others doing the same.. creating things for the joy of other people. The broad practices there are to practice my art, build up a portfolio, and participate with other artists. Those are self explained, mostly. Many of my activities are doing all three at once. Open mics are that way if I record my set, and stick around to support the other folks. I can also practice on my own. If I record those sessions, I can build up a portfolio here in this blog and eventually other more profitable places. Networking and keeping in touch with my artist friends and attending their events are all ways I participate and build up the arts generally.
These all intermix and are never quite their own activity. Going out to eat is a great time to explore, connect, and practice while simply trying to sustain my physical body. When I participate with others online, I often explore, and learn at the same time. Dancing, in particular, is a way for me to be all of the three at once.. wanderer, listener, and storyteller.. practicing all nine practices.
Writing this tonight wasn't exactly meant to endorse or preach. I said at first that this is my way of facing the chaotic place we're all in. These are just words. I hold my own self accountable to keep my focus broad and balanced. Writing this tonight was my way of reminding myself that I do know who I am and what I am trying to do and be in this little bit of time I'll be here.
