Category: Purple

Reclaiming April | Letting Go the Good

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Ugh! That was how I woke up yesterday. Why? Because I woke up to the realization that I completely forgot to upload my 52Frames photo for the week. The deadline is 11 pm (central) every Sunday, and with just a few winks of sleep, my 64-week streak ended! What made matters worse was I downloaded the photo selections from my camera moments before I drifted into La-la Land. 

I was sick over it. 

An hour or two later, I wondered why I was so annoyed over losing my streak. As I thought about it more, I realized the streak means nothing to me. 

I joined 52Frames to make sure I was engaged in something creative every week; I figured even if I were so embroiled in work that I was too drained for creative play, at least I’d have one photograph [per week] as evidence of creative fun. 

But there was a problem. 

For the sake of the streak, I usually found myself scrambling at the last minute to fulfill a prompt, and that often involved simply snapping a shot rather than crafting a story or even creating art. That was okay initially, but not long-term.

I find value in the principles of the Framer community, but completing the weekly assignments just for the sake of it no longer serves me.

I am proud that I consistently participated for a whole year (and a quarter) without missing, but as I fretted over forgetting to post, I acknowledged I didn’t have time to hone my craft through the prompts or interact with the community of photographers. That’s a problem because the point of 52Frames is to grow in the art form through the challenges and community engagement. 

Will I still participate? Yes. But only when I have time to devote to the challenges and only when the challenges serve my creative purposes. 

This is just one tiny way I am reclaiming April. 

What about you? Is there anything you’re doing out of habit or pseudo-obligation that is no longer serving you and is no longer truly benefitting you or anyone else? Maybe, it’s time to drop it and reclaim your time.

About the Image: Kathi G, one of my Wildflowers friends, sent the colorful artwork above for International Women’s Day/Women’s History Month. It features the art of Jaymee Laws. Kathi always sends supercool women’s empowerment postcards!

Reclaiming April | Me Too

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Thanks to T.S. Eliot’s “The Wasteland,” many of us are acutely aware “April is the cruelest month.” In fact, I began to panic about April a week ago because an event or line was added to my calendar and to-do list every time I read an email, answered a call, or left my office for a tiny break.

It is difficult for an academic to not encounter the cruelty of April. There is clearly a lot to do as the school year is winding down and we are preparing for board meetings, graduation, and all the other year-end activities.

Busy is not my favorite state of being. Some people thrive on having too much to do or on jumping from one thing into another. “Resting” is my natural state–not as in doing nothing, but as in taking long breaks from the grind and doing the things I want to do, the things that fuel my soul. And it has been far too long since I picked up a paintbrush, cut paper, made cards, quietly listened to music, or read a novel for pure pleasure.

As I fretted over how I would survive next week with zero time to “rest” (let alone April), my hubby reminded me to give it to God, that only He could ease the anxiety, so I did immediately. [Then, I began to write this post]. 🙂

I am determined to take a moment this weekend to plan the month carefully and build in time to breathe and take care of my soul. I figure–and I truly believe–even during the so-called cruelest month, the work always gets done.

My artsy Wildflower sister, Lori-Anne C, created [and sent] the absolutely stunning art that leads this post in celebration of women and friendship [purple tulips and a sunflower!]. She included a beautiful quote, which is both blessing and instruction. I hope that you will heed the words, take care of you, and reclaim April from the cruel grip of busyness.

May you have the courage this month to break patterns in your life that no longer serve you. Give yourself permission during this time to pause and reflect. And always remember, taking care of yourself doesn’t mean “me first.” It means “me too.” —Becoming Unbusy

Happy April!

Flower Power | Tears

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You should never let tears prevent you from doing what is right.
Aung San Suukyi

Today’s pretty purple bouquet and quote came from one of my newer pen friends, Anne Lene of Norway. I would love to unpack that quote and write a little about Aung San Suukyi, but I’ve had a long day of meetings and the business of academia, and my brain has been switched to rest. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for more “flower power.”

Such Is Life…

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Fractal Deep Purple and Black

I woke up a week or so ago and typed the following note in my e-journal. I’d intended to flesh it out and clean it up, but sometimes, we need it straight. Even though it takes the shape of a poem, it is not a poem. Then again, maybe, it is. It is sad (perhaps?) and hopeful at the same time, but eh, such is life and the paradoxical state in which we all operate.

Life is hard.

Like really, really hard.

Achingly so at times.
Crippling even.

We must understand that.
We must get it through our thick skulls no one has it easy,
no matter how it looks on the outside.

There is no “life should not be this way.”
It is all life.

The sooner we get there in our thinking,
the sooner we will get to the part where we accept
“life” is always happening
and learn to find joy in spite of our circumstances.

The sooner we climb out of the oppressive pits of self-pity and despair
the sooner we begin to live,
and the sooner we will get to the part where we dance in the rain
and stand tall when everything around is crumbling.

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.  —John 16:33

Wildflowers in the Mail | Heavenly Spots

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from Lisa

Are you okay? Really okay?

The world can be chaotic and exhausting. When we think things can’t get any crazier, they do. When we think we will work together to find solutions for the world’s ills, we create more problems. When we think we can’t get any wearier, there’s always something that proves otherwise.

Sometimes things are a little too much, so we vacillate between a strong desire to set the world on fire and a simple wish to spend our remaining days in our beds contemplating color. It is during these maddening, tiresome moments that we must “find the heavenly spots” and “show [our] neighbors where they are.”

The poem below by Cleo Wade provides a formula for dealing with the world’s ills. She reminds us that we choose our responses, and there’s a whole lot between setting the world on fire and giving up.

“Tired”
Cleo Wade

I was tired of worrying
so I gave myself my peace back
I was tired of feeling intimidated by what I should do
so I pulled up my sleeves
and
got to work on what I could do
I was tired of not knowing
so I found out—about myself, my family, my
ancestors, my government, and the struggles of others
I was tired of seeing evil everywhere
so I found the heavenly spots and showed my
neighbors where they
were
I was tired
of looking at the world as one big mess
so I decided to
start cleaning it up
and when people ask me if I am exhausted
I tell them no
because
more than anything
what I got the most tired of
was being tired

About the Image: This week’s posts will feature postcards from my Wildflowers: Blooming in Community friends. We are a group of women who (mostly) met each other through Love Notes, but who decided to form our own group and continue sending encouraging mail to each other [when Love Notes transitioned from Facebook to another platform]. Our group name comes from “Wildflowers,” a poem by Morgan Harper Nichols. Today’s image features a photo from Lisa C. It was taken at her favorite park, a heavenly retreat from the craziness of the world.

National Photography Month | May Flowers | The Iris Challenge

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Iris-1 2022

I have had more than half a century of such happiness. A great deal of worry and sorrow, too, but never a worry or a sorrow that was not offset by a purple iris, a lark, a bluebird, or a dewy morning glory. –either Mary McLeod Bethune or The Adventures of The Woman Homesteader: The Life and Letters of Elinore Pruitt Stewart

Kudos to those of you who manage to capture irises beautifully. They are a bit of a challenge for me. A few days ago, I shot some with my iPhone and my Canon. I love the rich colors of the Canon shots, the composition of the phone shots. Which do you prefer?

iPhone:

iPhone Irises

Canon:

Canon Irises

*For some reason everywhere I look on the “innerwebs,” the quote above is attributed to Mary McLeod-Bethune. However, no site pointed me to when or where she spoke or wrote these words. I did find the quote in The Adventures of The Woman Homesteader: The Life and Letters of Elinore Pruitt Stewart in a letter dated May 16, 1933 to Josephine Harrison. Hopefully, I’ll have time to investigate soon.

Purple | To be a flower…

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Purple Tulip 04.01.22

This National Poetry Month I decided to write [or work on] a poem every day. Unfortunately, April began yesterday–a Friday, the day of the week when I have so little energy and brain-power left that it’s probably best I sleep the day away. Thanks to the assistance of NaPoWriMo: 30 Poems in 30 Days, I was able to scrape up a few brain cells for the short poem below.

The blog provides inspiration and daily prompts throughout the month. I chose one of four or five Emily Dickinson lines offered as prompts for the day. [Note: NaPoWriMo is short for National Poetry Writing Month].

The line I chose, “To be a flower is profound responsibility” comes from Emily Dickinson’s Poem 1058. I quickly scribbled the poem during a “screen break” and then took a short walk to the tulips where I captured the purple one above. Both provide the perfect close to our undeclared “purple flower week” on the blog.

Here’s my poem. I consider it a “work-in-progress,” so your feedback is welcome.

To Be a Flower | Chandra Lynn

To be a flower is profound responsibility–
Planted firmly against the wind
dressed and made up
beautifully
on its worst days
forever in oxymoron:
expected to simultaneously
cheer the wounded and broken
and celebrate the joyous, victorious, the proud.

To be a flower is profound responsibility–
trained to bear the weight of a brief elegance
with unaffected majesty.   –CTM 04.01.22

In case you’re interested, here’s Dickinson’s poem. Thanks to my friend Cy for finding it for me today.

Poem 1058 | Emily Dickinson

Bloom—is Result—to meet a Flower
And casually glance
Would scarcely cause one to suspect
The minor Circumstance

Assisting in the Bright Affair
So intricately done
Then offered as a Butterfly
To the Meridian—

To pack the Bud—oppose the Worm—
Obtain its right of Dew—
Adjust the Heat—elude the Wind—
Escape the prowling Bee

Great Nature not to disappoint
Awaiting Her that Day—
To be a Flower, is profound
Responsibility—

Poetry is good for the soul, so I hope you take some time to write or read a poem every day this month. If you don’t know where to begin, you can find lots of ideas and resources here: National Poetry Month.

Purple | Women and Inspiration

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“Women’s History Month.” Designed by SunsetGal55 on Zazzle. From Kathi G.

I’m back today with more purple!

Since purple is the color associated with women’s movements and social justice for women and since we are at the end of Women’s History Month, I am sharing the purple postcards and inspiration I received from pen friends this month in celebration of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month.

From Lori Ann W:

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Behind every great woman, I pray will be another great woman, whispering “you’ve got this” in her ear.

From Rae L:

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Stay smart!
Stay strong!
Stay beautiful!

From Christine B:

Fight for things you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.  —Ruth Bader Ginsburg

From Suzette R:

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To tell a woman everything she cannot do is to tell her what she can.—Spanish Proverb

Finally, from Gerda H, a new friend from the Netherlands:

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When the power of love overcomes the lover of power, the world will know peace. —Jimi Hendrix

These beautiful souls filled my mailbox with purple love and flowers galore. Lori Ann and Rae even included seeds so I can sow my own purple flowers–columbines, morning glories, and wildflowers! Of course, they’ll find their way to the Pics and Posts when they bloom!

Until till next time…

Purple | “Bump Up the Color”

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Purple 8

I read the few words [below] by poet Yrsa Daley-Ward a week ago, and they have been an answer to the chaos and noise of the world, noise I do not want to be a part of.

Life is beautiful. Live it. Bump up the colour of the moment. Bright things can be found everywhere – in the undergrowth, in the unexpected, in the calm following something significant, in the pure thought inside a meditation.

There are things that I will hold forever. I have to turn over the soil each day. There is beauty everywhere. Often, I miss it.  –Yrsa Daley-Ward, the utter

I’m convinced it was her words that led me to all the purple this weekend.

Purple 1
Purple 11
Purple 2
Purple 3
Purple 5
Purple 10

Love Notes | There is beauty…

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Suzette Purple Wildflower

“There Is Beauty,” Photo by Suzette R.

At night the watchmen of the city say,
“Beauty shall rise with the dawn from the
east.”
     And at noontide the toilers and the way-
farers say, “We have seen her leaning over
the earth from the windows of the sunset.”
 
     In winter say the snow-bound, “She shall
come with the spring leaping upon the hills.”
     And in the summer heat the reapers say,
“We have seen her dancing with the autumn
leaves, and we saw a drift of snow in her
hair.”  –Kahlil Gibran, from The Prophet
 

Sadly, we’ve reached the final Love Notes 38 post. This round was a little of what my soul needed. I am in a tough place (emotionally), and Suzette’s well-prepared packages offered a bit of respite.

Love Notes 38, Prompt 3: There is beauty…

For this prompt, Suzette shared an excerpt of “On Beauty” [above] by Kahlil Gibran, one of my favorite poets.

She, then, shared her own insights on the prompt:
 
There is beauty in every facet of our day-to-day lives. The trick is to be watchful and ready to see it and embrace it when it happens.  –Suzette R.
 
and 
 
There’s beauty in folding a freshly washed load of laundry. There’s beauty in shadows cast by the setting sun. There’s beauty in holding a favorite book. There’s beauty in loving. There’s beauty in aging skin. There’s beauty in every landscape and vista. There is beauty all around when there’s love at home.  –Suzette R.
 
Such healing words!
 
The three posts this week have focused on Suzette’s responses to the prompts, but I did not mention the experience of receiving her elegant packages. You have seen her gorgeous artwork, but you have not seen the little touches–butterfly stamped envelopes, butterfly notecards and washi tape, additional notes of encouragement and poetry tucked inside glassine envelopes. The responses to the prompts were printed on nice card stock and cut/edged exquisitely–almost as if she prepared them to go into my journals. The care she took with each package warmed and soothed my aching heart.
 
Thank you, Suzette, for your friendship and for taking the time to craft beautiful mail that I am honored to share with the world.