The Art of Losing

I have been in the process of saying farewell to a people and a place that I love, and I sense that more loss is fast approaching. All that to say, Elizabeth Bishop's poem "One Art" (one of my favorites) keeps coming to mind. The parenthetical thoughts add authenticity to the speaker's voice:

The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.


--Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

Elizabeth Bishop, The Complete Poems 1927-1979

Feelin' sad today.
Dwelling on this Scripture, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28

You guessed it--More Pictures!

Friends!




Baby Birds. Chirp.




My first piece of Mickie Winters' art work!

Revisiting

Before I left Africa, my supervisor called Ethiopia a trunk that I could open and revisit from time to time as a reminder of the year I had spent there. He warned against living in that trunk. I did ask if it were okay to hide inside that trunk on occasion. "Of course," he said. Well, today is one of those times. I want to forget all about America and all the decisions I'm supposed to be making. Opening the lid. Crawling inside.

Some pictures that make me happy.

I'm a stranger in two countries. :(

A Long-Awaited Return

I haven't been able to access this blog, or any blog for that matter, for over a year and I'm finally back! It feels good.

Currently, my family and I are vacationing along the West Coast of California. We started out a bit inland at beautiful Lake Tahoe, stayed a night in Yosemite National Park, moved on to Monterey where I fell in love with the care-free seals, and have finally landed in the diverse city of San Francisco. Oh, and I almost forgot a small one hour stop at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, a place where many of my friends have worked through the years. Tomorrow's our last day of exploring before we head back to good old Kentucky, and I'm hoping to run across some fun antique or book stores while we traverse Chinatown and other parts of the city. I could comment more extensively on the views and landscapes that we've encountered along the way, but I think the following pictures will say quite enough. Enjoy. Many posts to follow!