Long Slow Distance

Sundays are all about long
slow distance,
recommends runs by the sea for one,
longest of the week, limb loosening
easy runs for an hour or two
depending on the next race date.

Reading brings long slow
distance as well, immersion
in other lives, other worlds
provides distance from mine,
lets me see it from new
perspectives, mind loosening
easy change, fresh view.

Afternoon delights feeds
long slow distance
in yet another way, travels
of a different kind along
the planes of familiar skin,
far away from days cares toward
soul loosening easy meeting.


Posted for Kenia over at Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads who asked us to write about Sundays in our lives. Sundays are favorites for so many reasons...

The Books You Love

Live for awhile in the books you love. Learn from them what is worth learning, but above all love them. This love will be returned to you a thousand times over. Whatever your life may become, these books—of this I am certain—will weave through the web of your unfolding. They will be among the strongest of all threads of your experiences, disappointments, and joys.

Viareggio, April 5, 1903

Letters to a Young Poet

Rilke

I just read the post on Synch-ro-ni-zng about Ruth's excitement of sharing wonderful books  with her yet to be born grandson. It's delightful with her choices and her joy and her anticipation. Memories of doing that with my grands flooded through me. Those exact books and more  and how much we loved them together and how we snuggled and they'd squeal or cry or laugh or beg to have it read again. And then this quote  of Rilke rang so true.  Because it keeps happening all through our lives.


Have books changed your life? Of course. Share them with your grands, or adopt a grand to read to or a whole Kindergarten class in your area. Pass this love on to the next generation. It will change their lives, too. 
Books "will weave through the  web of your unfolding" .

Locally Grown - Making a Difference

‎"If every U.S. citizen ate just one meal a week composed of locally and organically raised meats and produce, we would reduce our country’s oil consumption by over 1.1 million barrels of oil every week. Small changes in buying habits can make big differences. Becoming a less energy-dependent nation may just need to start with a good breakfast.”

— Steven L. Hopf in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

I highly recommend this wonderful book by one of my favorite authors. Kingsolver's husband and daughter also contribute chapters on this internationally important topic.


I'm headed to Ireland tomorrow for a week and may not have access to computers while there. If I don't, I'll catch you later!

Books, Kindles and True Love

Our other favorite art pieces are up now (finished today) and it's fun to see how they look just a little different in their new environment. I get to see them in new light (literally) and appreciate them again.

The books have their new cozy homes and are already inviting me to peruse them yet again. I'm going to accept that offer for sure. When something has saved or changed your life, it's important to spend time with it and maybe reap further benefits. They beckon me: "come, sit awhile, cherish the words, the turn of phrase, the stories...". They think I'm two-timing them because I bought a Kindle while they were away. And I love my Kindle but it's still books, right?

And that reminds me, I LOVE my Kindle. It links to the internet so I can buy books right off Amazon, dangerous but so convenient. It will hold a thousand books, is the size of a book and has the same heft to it. It has a dictionary built in so I just put the cursor in front of the word and get the definition without having to get up. That's the best! The screen is such that I can read it in the brightest sun with no problem. I can earmark pages, underline and retrieve my notes when I want. It has a keyboard to write notes or change font size. And even I learned to use it quickly and I'm no techie. All this and the sheer joy of reading too- like I said, I'm in love.

Goes for days on a charge and can be recharged via computer or plugged in an outlet. I like to read multiple books at a time (anyone else do that?) and the Kindle lets me do this without an armload of books. When I went to Trinidad and Antigua this winter, I carried a ridiculous number of books to keep me supplied while there and ran into weight overage on Ryan Air! No more. Yup, it's true love!