Hug the Day

During this morning's swim, I thought about Big Pictures, connecting dots, and noticing opportunities. The trite expression, carpe diem, came to mind and brought to life one of my pet peeves, which concerns tendencies to dominate instead of harmonize. Why seize the day instead of simply embracing it, giving thanks for it--engaging in one great, big circadian hug?

Something about Inspiration

Earlier this week, a friend who is a painter wrote about being inspired by an exhibit of Picasso's work. Immediately, I gave thanks that I can recognize moments of artistic inspiration, some of which have translated into novels and short stories.

Just this morning, another painter who is a mentor and friend wrote, "When I am in the studio, all is well with the work."

In my experience, there is something about inspiration that cannot be denied.

Clouds and Change

Winds of change is a familiar metaphor.

Wind, as a noun, relates to speed applied to the movement of air. As a verb, it has a connotation of turning or spinning.

Change, as a verb and noun, indicates difference and transformation. As a noun only, change can represent coins left over after dollars have been broken.

During this morning's early, outdoor swim, I witnessed darkness giving way to light in a sky dominated by gray clouds promising a storm. Wind rearranged clouds as if they were puzzle pieces, implying that there might be some order or plan to all this obvious shifting. By the time it was fair to say that it was light outside, the clouds had all but disappeared and imminence of rain seemed to pause, perhaps at the mercy of second thoughts. The rain has arrived, gentle and sporadic at this moment. I cannot help but think of flipping coins, taking chances, and believing that good will prevail over its formidable opponent.

InneRhythms

I've worked in the publishing industry as a development editor, managing editor, and am still employed as a freelance indexer. When I was working in house at a company in Emeryville, I remember how a copy editor who I supervised hated intercaps. Up until that time, I had been neutral about the practice of imposing capital letters in the midst of lowercase. In coining the term, InneRhythms, I invoke the privilege of doing something in moderation to make a point.

The idea of inner rhythms came to me while exercising on my mini stair stepper earlier this week. I played a mystery CD and was thrilled by being in perfect sync with the first two tunes--Across the River by Vasquez and All One by Oscar Castor Nieves. Esperanto by Kurt Elling proved to be a perfect finale. That workout was a tremendous moment of clicking.

If there are InneRhythms, there must be a counterpart, right?