Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Weather prompt

Following two days of record winter heat, Los Angeles returned to the sort of overcast morning that reminds us the beach is not far away.  Mornings that others proclaim gloomy have never seemed that way to me.  The sun will be back.  Soon.  Thoughts brought on by the low ceiling,  the deep marine layer - our weather people apparently delight in the naming of things - and a cottony quiet interrupted only by the local parrot flock have Karla Bonoff's bittersweet tunes spooling among the mental trees.   The following has always been my favorite, supported as she is by James Taylor and Garth Hudson of The Band on accordion.



Grace and luck, the difference between them, are playing kick the can down the fog-dimmed street.  Angels, with the Heaven Can Wait image of Warren Beatty symbolizing how, in our earthbound forms, we may be called to deliver messages from ineffable sources,  have sidled into the auditorium, wanting to see how I explain my way around this theme.

I subscribe to a daily email message called Notes from the Universe, offered "...to remind you of life's magic."  Today it was suggested that I steer my imagination toward what I DO want, rather than what I don't.  Since right now I seem to creak as though my joints were made of wood, I HAVE been giving energy to the unwanted, neglecting visions of success or triumph or the simple accomplishment of, say, a page of illustrated letter forms that might become something.

Lucky is not the first word I would choose to describe myself or my life, nor am I anything approaching unlucky.  What I feel has been a continual presence for me is benevolence, grace by its many definitions, which does not mean life became something other than what it is, fraught at times to the point of seeming almost too much to bear.

Duality stares back at me, no matter where I look.  I walk around with my hands doing the dance that indicates balance, half this, half that.  Seeing the bigger picture, if only occasionally, tips things into grey areas that match today's sky.  The circular path brings me back to where I began but this time with an idea of what unconscious connections were formed between weather and angels.  We'll call Karla Bonoff a bonus, for I can't tie her precisely to the murky theme.  Perhaps it makes sense to you.

Thank you to Beth for her comment yesterday about making herself write - in spite of all that is missing or present.  She helped kick my ass into action this morning.


19 comments:

Rubye Jack said...

Grace and luck--two of my most favorite ideas. Luck I understand. Grace I crave. Seemingly the opposite of you, I would use luck to describe my life.

I so much love and relate to what you say here -- "What I feel has been a continual presence for me is benevolence, grace by its many definitions, which does not mean life became something other than what it is, fraught at times to the point of seeming almost too much to bear."

Thanks for the intro to Karla Bonoff! I was not aware of her before.

Melissa Green said...

Dear Marylinn, beautiful song, much-missed Karla Bonoff. Part of our separate journeys include grace and luck; also life being fraught at times to the point of seeming almost too much to bear. Balance is the only key between them, and the benevolence of the univese may be where it has to come from. xo

Erin in Morro Bay said...

"Grace and luck, the difference between them, are playing kick the can down the fog-dimmed street." Your way with words is such a delight!
Erin

Marylinn Kelly said...

Rubye - Thank you. It is the best feeling when we examine and try to express our inner life then find it resonates with others. It is a very large boat and I believe many of us are in it together. xo

Marylinn Kelly said...

Melissa - My best description would be to say I am continually confounded by grace, whether or not luck steps in to lend a hand. Singly or together, they seem to reach for us when we might otherwise be tossed overboard. And Karla still fills a specific time, place and state of mind for me, in me. xo

Marylinn Kelly said...

Erin - Thank you. I imagine you know "fogged-dimmed streets" quite well. Now you know the source of that clanking sound. xo

Anonymous said...

I think we spiral, anyway, so we dont go EXACTLY over the same ground...

hopefully..

Sherry O'Keefe said...

i had decided to give up examining what is wrong with "the world" for lent. when i explained this to my sister, she said- oh, give me some examples of what you mean. ha! if i were to give her examples, i would have had to walk down that negative hallway and it's been feeling so good to not go there anymore. as always, your astute awareness guides me in ways you very likely aren't aware of (now how is that for a contrary statement!) :)

sherry

T. said...

Love the Karla Bonoff -- her voice sounds watery in this video, which makes me think of marine layer and beaches....

beth coyote said...

Karla Bonoff IS grace.

Marylinn Kelly said...

Denise - Yes, a similar view but from a different level. Thank goodness. xo

Marylinn Kelly said...

Sherry - Thank you. Each day it seems I become more aware of how our thinking colors everything. It may be a slow process, turning this aircraft carrier around; it can be done. xo

Marylinn Kelly said...

T. - She does have that quality, doesn't she? A wistfulness, not tentative but so vulnerable. xo

Marylinn Kelly said...

Beth - How was she not a huge, huge star, Linda Ronstadt huge? She will always be on my jukebox. xo

Marylinn Kelly said...

To Rubye, Melissa, Erin, Denise, Sherry, T. and Beth (and any who may follow): Thank you. This is one post among many, yet your affirmations seem to offer me additional soul nourishment tonight. I am very grateful. Much love, M.

Jayne said...

Yes, the dance! The dance, alone, summons triumph and success. This becoming that. Like this post.

Thank you of the link to Notes. It's just what I needed today. :)

Marylinn Kelly said...

Jayne - And thank you. Do enjoy 'Notes,' five days a week, a knowing voice that says you're on the right track. Ah, yes, the dance. xo

Elizabeth said...

I have never heard of Bonoff and loved the song. Thank you for that -- and for all your beautiful thoughts and words.

Marylinn Kelly said...

Elizabeth - Thank you. I'm so glad you liked the song and found something here to carry away. xo