Monday, January 26, 2009

Now is the Winter...



Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this sun of York;
And all the clouds that lour'd upon our house
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.
Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths;
Our bruised arms hung up for monuments;
Our stern alarums chang'd to merry meetings,
Our dreadful marches to delightful measures.
Grim-visag'd war hath smooth'd his wrinkled front;
And now,--instead of mounting barbed steeds
To fright the souls of fearful adversaries,--
He capers nimbly in a lady's chamber
To the lascivious pleasing of a lute.


At first glance, the first line of this speech from Richard the Third seems to mean that he and his pals are having a horrible winter; a winter full of despair,(not easily cured with a artificial lamp custom-made to aid seasonal affective disorder), BUT if you read it again you realize that he means that his discontent is almost over. Richard's discontent is in the winter of its life cycle. It is almost dead.

As is Ours...

Some folks have asked if we have been nesting. Here is a song that describes exactly how we are nesting. Again, this song at first listen sounds depressing and sad, BUT listen again. Close your eyes and crank it up.


MusicPlaylist
Music Playlist at MixPod.com



Run to your dreaming
When you're alone
Unplug the TV, turn off your phone
Get heavy on with digging your ditch

Cause I'm digging a ditch where madness gives a bit
Digging a ditch where silence lives
Digging a ditch for when I'm old
Digging this ditch my story's told

Where all these troubles
That weigh down on me will rise
Run to your dreaming
When you're alone
Where all these questions
Spinnin' around my head
Will die, will die, will die...

Run to your dreaming
When you're alone
Unplug the TV, turn off your phone
Get heavy on with digging your ditch

Cause I'm digging a ditch where madness gives a bit
Digging a ditch where silence lives
Digging a ditch when I am through
Digging this ditch I'll dig in for you
Where all these worries
Weigh it down on me will rise
Where all these habits
Pull heavy at my heart
will die


Run to your dreaming
When you're alone
Not what you should be or what you've become
Just get heavy on with digging your ditch

Cause I'm digging a ditch where madness gives a bit
Digging a ditch where silence lives
Where all these dissapointments, grow angry out of me
Will rise...
Will die...
Will die...
Will die...

Run to your dreaming
When you're alone
Unplug the TV
And turn off your phone
Get heavy on with digging your ditch

15 comments:

  1. This whole post totally reminds me of a Henri Nouwen quote that for the life of me I can't remember right now...

    The snow pictures are wonderful...where oh where are you to have such amazing sculptures behind you...

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  2. Found it!

    As Nouwen says:

    Do not hesitate to love and to love deeply.

    You might be afraid of the pain that deep love can cause. When those you love deeply reject you, leave you, or die, your heart will be broken. But that should not hold you back from loving deeply. The pain that comes from deep love makes your love ever more fruitful. It is like a plow that breaks the ground to allow the seed to take root and grow into a strong plant. Every time you experience the pain of rejection, absence, or death, you are faced with a choice. You can become bitter and decide not to love again, or you can stand straight in your pain and let the soil on which you stand become richer and more able to give life to new seeds.

    The more you have loved and have allowed yourself to suffer because of your love, the more you will be able to let your heart grow wider and deeper. When your love is truly giving and receiving, those whom you love will not leave your heart even when they depart from you. They will become part of your self and thus gradually build a community within you.

    Those you have deeply loved become part of you. The longer you live, there will always be more people to be loved by you and to become part of your inner community. The wider your inner community becomes, the more easily you will recognize your own brothers and sisters in the strangers around you. Those who are alive within you will recognize those who are alive around you. The wider the community of your heart, the wider the community around you. Thus the pain of rejection, absence, and death can become fruitful. Yes, as you love deeply the ground of your heart will be broken more and more, but you will rejoice in the abundance of the fruit it will bear.

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  3. OK, I listened to the song and scrolled down your blog. Try it - I saw so many pictures, so much life, so much beauty! I am so glad to know you and yes, this LONG winter of yours is just about gone. I'm waiting to celebrate with you.

    Wow, filoli... what a comment! I'll have to copy down that Nowen quote.

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  4. beautiful. thanks for sharing.

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  5. love it! our "winter" sucked--big time. but it is a dim memory now. i love reading your thoughts.

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  6. Julie what a beautiful post. I can feel the seasons turn - Spring is almost here.

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  7. I just thought tonight that your blog posts are an *experience*. I don't just sit down here to read what's new with you guys. I click a link, I listen to a song, I read poetry, I come away usually with uplifting tears. Tonight, I played this song while Abe rested his head on my lap. We eventually stood up to slow dance to it. He kept singing along in his falsetto "aaaahhh" and would place both of his hands on my neck, his form of a hug. Even Abe is experiencing your blog.

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  8. And I LOVE Henri Nouwen. I think this quote may be from one of my favorite books, The Wounded Healer.

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  9. I love when your posts come with their own soundtrack. Dave, he gets me every time. You are a bold woman and full of heart. Your day is coming soon, I can feel it.

    Chrisser

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  10. Beautiful post.

    Filoli, love love that.

    Cindy

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  11. I love this post for the word 'lascivious' alone.

    Cannot wait to see your long winter turned to glorious summer!!

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  12. I think we may be kindred spirits. Winter is hard. It sucks. Warm weather and breezes rejuvinate me. I like to be outside. I hate to be stuck inside. It is depressing. The cold actually makes me angry. I read The Winter of Our Discontent (Steinbeck as you know) every winter. It's actaully on my nightstand as my next book. The ritual helps me get through the winter. I read Dandelion Wine (Ray Bradbury) every summer to celebrate the season. Maybe I should go ahead and read Dandelion Wine to trick myself. Anyway, I love your snow pictures. It's one good thing about winter. I am really really trying to like winter. Oh yeah, the stars are gorgeous in the winter. But it's too dang cold to stand outside and look at them. I digress. And I've written a book. Sorry.
    Theresa

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  13. What a beautiful post. You truly are such a talented writer. I love Dave Matthews...and Amos Lee...and I really love coming to your blog.

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  14. I agree with Lori. Your blog is an experience...it is an blexperience...or maybe an explog...

    I like explog...

    You no longer blog - you explog...

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