Mythos & Marginalia

2015 – 2025: a decade of days

a daily breath

  • Don’t even think about it

    The mind expands, or contracts, proportionately to the space it is allowed to reside.

       There is an awful lot of clutter in our heads most days; the day-in, day-out diplomacy, distractions, and dogma that disrupt free-thinking and constrict common sense and worthy thought.

       Think about it. We all need to think outside the time we allow ourselves.

       We need more space to care for our self. Art, by nature, allows you that indulgence. It is not competitive, hardly even quantitative, fully meditative, and true relief from many of the soul-sucking situations we find ourselves in.

       The method or medium is up to you. It is not important when, or how, you do it. It hardly matters how much you do (although once you get started it can be difficult to stop); it matters only that you do. Really, what matters is that you make a greater attempt to use that portion of the brain that demands so little of you, but wholly appreciates the activity.

       Don’t even think about it (contrary as it seems).

       Engage the mind. Sit, sing and strum your guitar (or that damn dulcimer, an impulse purchase, that sits silently in the corner).  Dust off your camera, audition for the next community play or student film project; act as if nobody is watching. Craft a poem; then craft another (it’s fine if they don’t rhyme). Take a dance class: tap, jazz, or ballet. Sketch a self-portrait, or one of your cat. Use any pencil and paper that is handy (or your niece’s crayons).

       Don’t worry whether your talent is good enough — we already have too many worries — simply create. Do not even think so much about doing it; just do it; now or this evening (tomorrow too). The possibilities are endless, and we all need more possibilities.

       Update your imagination.

       Our minds, analytical by nature, much like our personal computers need a software upgrade every now and then. Both it and us function better when everything is up to date.

    08/30/2024                                                                                            j.g.l.

     

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  • cloud songs

                 Does the night have 

    fewer questions, or are you naturally 

    allowed more substantive time 

           for thought?

    Our daylight hours require agility 

    to navigate ever-present issues

    which matter more to others 

    than to your self. Anxiety overwhelms, 

    even on good days.    Never are you

           of the mind to deal with it.

       There is always something else.

               Always, all ways, always.

         Nighttime is more 

    than a reprieve. Darkness allows you 

    to breathe easier, it seems. Mind 

    always active, in a certain sort of way, 

         even in sleep you seem 

               to find your way.

     

    08/37/2024                                                                                        j.g.l.

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  • Mondays are just young Fridays

    Last Friday I took the time to donate blood. It is something I usually do every couple of months.

       I do it because I can. I donate because blood is always needed.

       I missed my prescheduled appointment back in the spring. Circumstances were such that I couldn’t go when I was supposed to go, then I got busy doing other things and simply forgot to reschedule a time to get back.

       This past couple of months I haven’t been doing all I usually do. Instead, I was doing other things I felt I needed to do and let a few other regular things slip. As it turns out, it became a summer of self-discovery in many ways. During the process a few of my now-habitual practices were allowed to go undone (even ignored).

       It might have been selfish of me, but maybe that was a good thing? Maybe we all need a break from the routines and regularities that usually fill our time here on earth?

       As this month (and summer itself) draws to a close, and a “project” I sort of fell into has reached the point where it has become a habit, I began feeling that it was time to go back to my regular duties. We need to do the regular things that we do; they are what makes up who we are. 

       We need routine.

       So, I got back into my routine of donating blood, I even booked my next appointment for October. You can make a blood donation every couple of months (technically, I can donate up to six times a year) and I know I should.

       So, I did.

       It is one of those things I feel I need to do. Donating blood is a selfless act. One blood donation can help save lines. Blood donations are used to treat a variety of medical conditions — cancer comes to mind quickly — and the valuable resource is used to replace blood lost in accidents, surgeries, and childbirth.

       Blood is vital, it carries oxygen and nutrients from head to toe, and without blood humans simply wouldn’t survive.

       It’s pretty important.

       Blood is in you to give. It costs you nothing but an hour or so of your time and the results are priceless: lifesaving in fact.

       The need for blood is rising. At certain times of the year the blood inventory in this country dwindles. It is important not only to give, but to give regularly.

       I just did, and I will again and again.

    08/26/2024                                                                                                          j.g.l.

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  • a beautiful sight

    I wasn’t sleeping soundly the other night; I’ll blame it on the full moon.

       I’ve got this thing for Luna — and have for as long as I remember — so knowing she was outside my window in her finest state, somewhere, gave me reason enough to go looking.

       This month it is a Blue Supermoon — you might have noticed the increased attention in the news reports — its elliptical orbit bringing the celestial delight closer to earth than it has been for a while.

       The day before I caught a glimpse of her hugging the CN tower on my way to my early morning coffee ritual a couple of blocks from home. I took out my iPhone and captured an acceptable image, but I’m still the type who considers my real camera the best option.

       Very early yesterday morning, armed with my camera and longer lens, I was graced with an opportunity almost as soon as I stepped onto the sidewalk outside my condo. In all its brilliance, the lovely moon was shining out above the lofts across the street. I captured an image but wanted more, so I continued to wander through the streets of downtown Toronto looking for the best photograph I could get.

       It was not an easy task. Given the landscape of the inner city with its proliferation of cranes, condominiums and office towers, my view of the sky is often blocked (night or day).

       It wasn’t until I arrived at St. James Park that I glanced up through the trees and found my subject towering over the steeple of St. James Cathedral.

       A beautiful sight.

       I’ve taken photographs of full moons at various locations on this planet. At times the resulting pictures are nothing more than a sphere of light, occasionally tangled up in the clouds. This time the moon, and its location, was as clear as the night.

       What I appreciate most about this recent photograph is that it localizes my view. It is only a few blocks from where I now call home, but I will be moving away from this city sometime soon. In this photograph I know where I am, at that moment, and I will remember for years to come. That, to me, is the essence of a good photograph. I am satisfied with my results.

    08/22/2024                                                                                                                j.g.l.

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  • worthy blessings

    It is only natural to question how friendships are formed, and why.

       Time has as much to do with affinity, as does presence. Empathy and understanding are among common thought. Even, without notice, we learn and live through the eyes of a kindred spirit.

       Friendship needs not be complex or complicated, it is simply there. 

       Important is it to be as good a friend as those we are graced with. 

       Life provides us with worthy blessings. All things considered, there may not be an explanation, or even a reason to find one.We simply feel a gratitude, every day and year, even when we are not around to acknowledge the colour a friend brings to our landscape over time.

       Whatever the reason, a solid friendship will outlast the seasons.

     

    08/20/2024                                                                                                              j.g.l.

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