[My Life as Spiral Notebooks; My Journals]
This summer, I am pretending to be the Jane Goodall of swallows. I sit on my deck sipping iced coffee and watch their silver underbellies dart and circle above me. I note swallows’ different altitudes on different mornings and hypothesize why. I note clouds, weather, what’s in bloom in my back yard. I plan to make meaning of what I watch.
But, you say, why don’t you simply go online, go to the library? You could read what the real Jane Goodalls of swallows have already observed; everything you don’t understand, all swallows’ peculiarities and behaviors will be nicely explained for you!
Yes, I know. Not seeking others’ info is the whole idea! Imbedded in that “I plan to make meaning” statement are a whole bunch of adverbs. Like “Haphazardly.” Like “Randomly.” Like “Sketchily.” Like “definitely not Type A-ishly.” And, most important, “Reverently.” (And let me just note how indulgent it was to write out that string of adverbs—which I tend to avoid because they are considered the sign of a second-rate writer.)
What liberation to let my own eyes and ears—and heart—be my primary source!
Dear Patricia,
Hi, there, Patricia, my so, so very For Always dearly special and dearly precious For Always sisterfriend of mine!!!!!! Wow, what an interesting and a fascinating blog post article of yours here, my so, so very dearest friend! The title of this very fine and excellent blog post article is just perfect here, absolutely perfect, and adds to and very finely complements the great theme of your astounding article, my so, so very dear sister! The picture which you have featured here of your awesome notebooks and journals as you very graciously and generously share in “My Life as Spiral Notebooks; My Journals,” are such a visual delight to behold, Patricia!!!!!! Sister, I’m like you, Patricia! I have lots and lots of spiral notebooks and journals around my apartment with my notebooks, journals, and writings going way back in the day in the 1980s when I was a lot younger and in my twenties, my precious sisterfriend!!!!!!! I so, so very much love, like and appreciate this magnificent link which you have very marvelously and sweetly included with this brilliant writing of yours here. The information about Jane Goodall is just very interesting, fascinating, and delightfully informative here, Patricia! I thank-you so, so very much, so, so very profusely, kindly, dearly, and deeply for how you very often provide informative links with your very cool articles, and for all you do so, so very well in such very fine and excellent fashion, Patricia!!!!!! Yay!!!!!!!
Sister, I think that it is such greatly immense fun how you plan to make meaning of what you watch, Patricia. What a great activity here with all of your vividly detailed observations, Patricia! Sisterfriend, I’m the very same way. I like to investigate and explore on my own and to not just rely upon experts’ sources and info. I want to find out all of the very facts myself! :)!!!!!! I, too, think that it is such very liberation for me to let my own eyes and ears-and heart- be my primary source, Patricia! :)!!!!! Plus it’s so, so very more fun. Sister, it still takes getting used to for me if I need info that I can actually google for the answers or otherwise do some sort of search engine for the information. I forget sometimes that I can do that! :)!!!!! I am still amazed and in such awe at the very speed and immediacy of the Internet with the wealth of information available that can be accessed in mere moments, Patricia. I just so, so very much love and like your grand idea that not seeking others’ info is the whole idea! :)!!!!!! Sister, I am such an avid coffee lover as well. I’m such a heavy coffee drinker and even drink hot mugs of coffee in the very hot and humid summers here in my Iowa City, Iowa!
Sister, I love to have hard copies of things the old school, old-fashioned way. I love books in print the old way so enjoying the aromas of books with their very different scents. New books have so sweetly fragrant aromas but old books, too, have such very enticing, comforting, soothing, and pleasant aromas. I so, so very much love, like, and enjoy the varied cool fonts of the printed words on the pages of books that are just so beautiful, lovely, and graceful that the very words with all of their fonts remind me of melodious musical notes gracing the very pages of books, Patricia. I just can’t seem to get used to and to get into Kindle and similar to Kindle. I have to just experience the very feel of books in my hands with the sheer joy in my hands and fingers turning the delightful pages of the books, sister! Also, I so, so very much love and like to print off info from the Internet, sisterfriend of mine, Patricia! Sister, it’s not as fun for me to bookmark and save info on the computer, I need the actual feel of physical hard copies in my very hands and to eagerly play with the papers with my very fingers! :)!!!!!!
Sister, see how you just inspire me so and get my very creative juices flowing, Patricia!!!!!! Patricia, YOU are my and our very, very joy and blessing, and so are all of your awesome blog post articles and other superbly super writings for all of us as your very, very many, grateful, and appreciative readers, my friend!!!!! It is my very joy, pleasure, and blessing to very delightfully and eagerly read all of your magnificent writings, and to very joyously respond to them with my very heartfelt, thorough, and detailed comments!!!!!! Yay for YOU, Patricia!!!!!! Yay for all of your stupendous writings!!!!!! Yay for us and our friendship and sisterhood!!!!!! Yay!!!!!! Patricia, please have such a wondrously wonderful Wednesday, rest of your week and weekend ahead, and may all of your days be so, so very especially blessed, sister!!!!!!! Yay yay yay yay!!!!! I am just so, so very incredibly blessed having YOU, Patricia, as my so, so very dear friend and sister!!!!!! Yay!!!!!!
Very Warmly and Sincerely For Always, my so, so very For Always dearly special sisterfriend Christian Quaker white woman who you’re For Always so, so very much, Patricia, with Such Peace and Love To You For Always, my sister, and with Such Blessings and Even More Blessings To You For Always, my friend,
Your sisterfriend Christian black woman For Always and For Always in the very spirit and solidarity, Sherry Gordon in Iowa City, Iowa
Friendship is like a violin; the music may stop now and then, but the strings will last forever.