Carly's Ramblings Blog - Style

Destiny, Poetic Therapy & Pet Peeves With Idling Parents

Today's blogs....

Blog City – Day 205

Prompt: Do you believe in destiny?

I would have to say... yes.
This morning I wrote a poem for the 7 Yard Stretch that spoke to this concept...

STATIC

They Call In Whispers  (E) Non-living objects make their desires known and lure the writer to his destiny. #2011224 by 💙 Carly-wrimo 2024

Personified writer's tools call to them to get to it... it is a calling. There is urgency and desire. There is passion to follow your heart. To not do so, leaves you unfulfilled and empty. One must reach for their dreams. It is our life's purpose... no matter what it might be... we are to do it and do it for the good of all mankind.

30 Day Blogging Challenge

Writer's Workshop Wednesday: Sean Haldane is a nominee for the post of Professor of Poetry at Oxford University. He said, "I now think poetry has more capacity to change people than psychotherapy." What do you think about this statement? You can read an interview with Dr. Haldane.

Now this is an interesting prompt, Fivesixer

My first thoughts take me back to a women writer's group I was part of many years ago when I lived in Guelph. The facilitator was a counselor. She believed that writing was just as powerful as any of the therapy she could provide as it connected with that very internal, intimate self. She encouraged many of her clients to come and experience the groups. Sharing was optional, but the writing was paramount and we all found ourselves sharing our selves and our lives and our experience. Realizing we were not all that different and that in our vulnerability that the writing evoked, we could connect at a far deeper level.

That said... I will go read his article

He does would never use poetry as a therapeutic practice. That is fine, I find my writing has a therapeutic connection. Even his wife says his poetry is about "what torments him", so in a way it is therapeutic for him... just not a practice.

I can relate to the idea that poetry just comes to him with a sense that he has no control. Sometimes it feels like that for me as well.
"If we are anything as individuals, we are the sum of our memories?

Absolutely, or we certainly are not ourselves without memory. I deal with people whose memory function is patchy. I think it was Buñuel who said "loss of memory is loss of self". From what I observe that is true." I love this part of his article - having had a grandmother who suffered with Alzheimers, I believe this to be true - "loss of memory is loss of self."

Overall, I would say it is an interesting article and I thank you for bringing it into consideration here.

I find my best poems are the ones that come fully formed. The ones I don't care for are the ones I have fiddled with or added to to make them longer. They still have potential but their strength is diminished in the revisions.

Gems of writing can be found when you get out of your way and just let the process happen unimpeded.

Welcome To My Reality – Week Forty

2. What are your pet peeves and why do they bother you so very much?

Parents dropping their children off in the bus zones in front of the school. I did duty where I was constantly telling parents they could not stop or idle in the bus zones. Many parents would become quite irrate with me. Often in front of their children - let's teach them to be inconsiderate and complain when their children don't listen to authority. One six year old told me it was too far to walk if he were to park on one of the side streets - maybe it was 250 feet farther. Is he broken? I work with special needs students who have more gumption that some of these children. It drives me nuts.

In the winter, it was worse as the custodian would shovel out the areas for the buses only. Then the cars would stop even with a bus pulling up behind them. Parents would complain about the snowbanks in areas they should not be stopping. Our custodian would walk to work, often passing the houses of cars we would see later, to get to school early to clear those areas. Then all of those students getting dropped off would traipse thorough the front of the school instead of walking around to the back - that would be too far, and in the cold too - making more work for the custodian again - as he would have to mop up hallway that should have been dry. The inconsiderateness of it all.

Parents idling for over half an hour in zones they should not be in or on side streets to pick up their children who can easily walk home - get a little exercise in the process. It drives me around the bend - and I don't need a car for that!

It reminds me of that commercial that has children running for the ice cream truck. They eventually all stop as they don't have the energy to make it. A little daily exercise is good for everyone. [I find I use my car very little when I am not working. I take a backpack and bags and walk to the grocery store - which is twenty minutes from my house. I have even ventured to the library which is a good 50 minutes. It is good exercise - no need of a gym.]

I always made a point of speaking to parents and children who did walk to school each day. They were wonderful families. I also found those families talked and had happier conversations than the rushed, pissy ones of children tumbling out of cars - barely saying good-bye and not once did I ever hear a thank you.

The things we teach in the small moments in life are just as important as the big things. Those children who walked with mommy or daddy or both or even just their siblings, were often the most considerate, helpful members of the classroom. And that translates into caring, considerate citizens. Giving your children an extra twenty minutes before and after school is a golden moment to connect with them and it reaps huge dividends.
Think about it.