“Rest”
One-Word Wednesday: 2/2/22
Author: Neal Saye
The View from Behind #1: “Youngest Grandchild Isabelle”
For some reason, I have always appreciated, even revered, “the view from behind.” As a child, on the first day of each new school year, I was a nervous wreck waiting for the teacher to announce our seating arrangement. Front of the class? 😢 Too much exposure! Too revealing! Too out there! Far too much responsibility to “be.” A nice, comfy seat toward the back? 😁 Perfect. I get to observe, to “see.” To calmly breathe.
In this blog category, “The View from Behind,” I invite you to join me, somewhere in the back.
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Here’s youngest grandchild, sweet Isabelle Grace, a while back.
The inquisitiveness, the liveliness, the awakening joy in her eyes.
A new leaf on life. Green.
And I saw it/I see it. All from behind.
Old. Young.
“Lo Lo” — Location Love — #1
Introducing a new blog category which pauses for a moment to take a quick look at what is love-worthy about my (and maybe your) current location.
I love getting up in the morning, opening the blinds and looking out our second-story bedroom window at the old Savannah street below. Robert and I live in the Trustees Garden district, one of Savannah’s oldest neighborhoods …
Good morning! Looky there, just outside my window! It’s my old friend, 39. The 39 East Broad Street Live Oak! Isn’t he something?!
Wait, what do you mean he looks kind of past his prime? That he’s seen his better days? That’s he’s all gray-brown? That he seems shriveled? (Let me get this straight, are you talking about the tree or me?)
Well hold on. First of all, he’s over a hundred years old. Are you? Give him a break. Second, he’s taken his share of knocks and blows. Just a few years ago, a tractor-trailer came barreling down East Broad and slammed into 39, damaging one of his larger branches (look to the left in the first photo), requiring the city to amputate. I cried a bit. It forever altered my morning view.
But I adjusted. And grew to love 39 even more.
A quick question: Do you know about the resurrection fern? No?
Well, “Pleopeltis polypodioides, also known as the resurrection fern, is a species of creeping, coarse-textured fern native to the Americas and Africa.” Wikipedia
“This remarkable plant can lose about 75 percent of its water content during a typical dry period and possibly up to 97 percent in an extreme drought. During this time, it shrivels up to a grayish brown clump of leaves. When it is exposed to water again, it will ‘come back to life’ and look green and healthy. The plant
gets its name from this supposed ‘resurrection’ but it never actually dies during the process.”
Here’s what I saw another morn, after a little rain during the night …
Life. Green life.
And 39 shouldered, supported that life. Even (especially?) when all seemed dead.
Looks can definitely be deceiving. What seems past its prime may not be. Who gets to define “prime” anyway?
Monday Moaning or Monday Marveling?
Moaning, I fear …
Shhh … Silent Sunday 1/30/22
My Saturday Evening Post: 1/29/22 “The Mirrored Target”
Recently Robert and I were walking around at Target, looking for a “screen protector” for my new iPhone 13.
$49 to protect my phone’s screen?! Seriously? What do I get? A special agent? And protection from what exactly? (TIB—Truth in Blogging—I have dropped cell phones with great damage too many times to remember.)
Anyway, after I begrudgingly paid for the special agent, we headed out, passing by the home goods section. I was minding my own business, not looking for any trouble. Out of the blue, Robert called out, in his in-store, raspy, yell-whispering voice, “Neal, stop! Grab that macramé mirror right there!”
Not having any more sense than to obey, I did as I was told.
“Now, look into the mirror. No, not that way, sideways!”
I finally realized, all nervous jumpy and macraméd, that Robert was simply chasing a photo op.
Later: “I don’t like that photo! My hair is so gray. And thin! Look at that baldy spot. My skin is sagging. My glasses are Coke bottle glasses! My sweater’s crooked. And my ears look exactly like Dumbo’s. Delete it!”
The Universe had had enough. And interrupted my ranting. “Look in the mirror.”
Like with Robert’s request, I obeyed.
“Even though it’s not at all really important, you have hair.”
“But,” I began.
“And pause for a second, Neal. You have skin that can sag.”
“Yes, but .…”
“And you have glasses in front of eyes to help you see.”
“You have a sweater to keep you warm.”
“I know, but ….”
“You have ears to hear what the world tells you each moment.”
I ran out of “buts.”
“Look a little closer in that mirror, Neal.”
“You have consciousness and focus. You have understanding and appreciation. You have breath. And warmth. And life.”
“You. Are. Alive!”
I looked again.
And finally saw beautiful.
“Robert and …” #9
A blog category of pics I’ve taken of Hubby Robert and … well, just about anything.
Robert and … our two evening drinks.
Five Friday Happy Bringers: 1/28/22
1. The ability to breathe. Deeply and fully. Take a deep inhale and enjoy the gift. (But don’t forget to exhale.)
2. My Morning Wall. Okay, that needs explanation. I usually get up before Robert each morning. This is what greets me above our breakfast table. I sit on the couch and stare up at it. It brings me joy.
3. My love of Georgia State Parks.
4. My husband.
5. My connection with you blog folks.
Blessings to you all!
What is a Happy Bringer for you today?
Neal’s Post from the Past: “The Smile — and Happiness Shared”
Here’s a post from back in 2014 about the power of a simple smile.
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The students in my English 123 (Freshman Composition) classes at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) are doing what I call Visual Essays in this, their next-to-the-last week of Fall Quarter 2014. We read two books this term, Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist and Tal Ben-Shahar’s Happier, both relating to our course theme of “Happiness and the Exploration of Joy.” The Visual Essay project invites the students to MAKE, rather than write, their papers. Traditional essay requirements are still required: a focus and thesis, structure, detail and support, etc. But this essay morphs into a drawing or painting, a sculpture, a collage, a video, a food, etc. Basically this project is a visual representation of one topic narrowed into a clear thesis/perspective/idea. The challenge: how to “show” their thesis.
Debora Jacob (from Brazil) went to Forsyth Park here in Savannah last Saturday. Here’s her Visual Essay titled “Happiness Shared” on the topic of the smile and its significance.
Thanks for the encouragement, Debora.
Let’s all SMILE more often.
NealEnJoy 