Friday, August 6, 2010

The Truth (and Beauty Lab) will Set You Free

Piece of Advice O'The Day #1: Do not trivialize serendipity. It might actually lead you somewhere.

Piece of Advice O'The Day #2: Do not be afraid of meandering. It is within this process that many exciting discoveries are waiting to be happened upon.

Piece of Advice O'The Day #3: Be wary of anyone who uses the phrase "O'The Day".

(except for me)

(I will deem that is acceptable to get weary of me. Just don't be wary)

Because, peoples, I might be on to something here.

Let me start at the very beginning.

Because, I hear, it's a very good place to start.

Quite a few years ago, whilst on a field trip with Duke #1's class, I sidled up to his teacher to get some one-on-one time.

Why this was so important to me was because I found his teacher to be absolutely mesmerizing. He was a combination of crunchy granola hippy-dippyness, with a PhD thrown in for good measure. He was genius tied up in a very approachable package, and could connect to Duke #1 in a way that few others could. He drew him out, he encouraged him to embrace geekdom, and in general, just got him.

All of the anecdotes I would hear day after day made me realize that - child or adult - there was something to learn from this man.

One of the things I learned during our brief stroll together (before he was called away to prevent one of his charges from potentially breaking his neck)(oh, those wacky 7 year olds) was that the bookstore across the street from where we were walking was one of his favorites.

Really, guru? That's all ya got for me?

Hmmm.

At first, I kinda dismissed this tidbit as no big deal. But then after wondering, 'what does a man with such an enormous brain find so alluring about those particular books?', I was intrigued.

The next time I had a couple of free hours, I ventured back to said bookstore.

I swear, it was like going though a magical portal.

Now, I am a sucker for a bookstore - musty oldies beckoning to be picked up, spines waiting to be satisfyingly cracked, shiny displays singing their siren song... But this was a little different.

Once inside, I could feel my usually twisty guts just sigh and relax. I wanted to touch every single book. I wanted to buy every single book. I wanted to just pull up a piece of floor and stay all day. I wanted, truth be told, to renounce everything - family, career, home - and just live here.

Every book appeared to be hand-picked just for me. There was so much information, so much potential, so much nurturance, so much vitality. It was enthralling.

Just as Mr. P the teacher immediately 'got' my kid, I immediately got why this was one of his favorite bookstores.

One of the authors I discovered on my first visit was a woman named SARK. Through the fine work of this woman, I was told that I should take lots of naps, and sate my appetite with meals of Tranformation Soup & Inspiration Sandwiches, rounded out with a dessert of Prosperity Pie.

How could advice like this possibly be ignored? (especially with nary an O'The Day in sight...)

So, needless to say, when I found her website with all of her links, you can bet that I meandered through each and every one of them.

One of SARK's favorite people, whom I happened upon at her bidding, was Rob Brezny.

He wrote a fascinating book called 'Pronoia Is The Antidote for Paranoia'. Lo and behold, thanks to the power of the interwebs, he had a website as well.

Through this meandering I discovered his Beauty and Truth Lab.

Whatever he's been concocting here over the years with his steamy Erlenmeyer flasks and overflowing graduate cylinders finally resulted in an 'Eureka' moment - for me.

It was here, a couple of weeks ago, that I found the balmy truth I'd been searching for.

Without boring you with all of the details of my recent struggles, I will tell you that I had a real identity crisis. All I could keep thinking was that I was extremely scattered, that I didn't have a 'voice'. I was told by someone, whose words I really value, that if I could remain focused that I could be a very good writer.

But hey. I am not that focused person. I may someday be, with some maturity. For now, I am a flitter. I jump from place to place to interest to curiosity, with complete disregard to those who are following.

Sorry about that.

I thought, for a time, that I could have a different blog for each interest and emotion. When I took the time to think that through, I realized I would have about 50 sites to keep up. Is that realistic?

What Rob eloquently related here is that it's okay to be trans-genre. To gather up all the different facets, grind them down, throw 'em in a beaker, apply a little heat, catalyze the hell out of them, and distill them all down. To one final product.

For now, this will be my truth.

And, for now - for me - this is a very beautiful thing.






6 comments:

Chesapeake Bay Woman said...

(applause, and a few whistles) Bravo, Baroness!

wv: ookifico. The opposite of magnifico. Your posts are definitely not ookifico.

Mental P Mama said...

Love SARK! have forever...now checking everything out. And, yes, you are a writer. The End.

Meg McCormick said...

I don't know about everyone else, but I haven't the time to check all 50 of your blogs. If you could confine all of your many emotions to just this one, I promise to keep coming back, because lady? You have a way with words. And I LOVE bookstores too. Love 'em. I have to FORCE myself to check the library first before I buy... I could go broke buying new books.

Noe Noe Girl...A Queen of all Trades. said...

Clapping loudly and bowing my Baroness!
and love the new header!
<><

Diane said...

How wonderful to be you! And now I know what attracted me all along... flittery-ness!
I love that you flitter and flutter. I could give a fig if you boil it all down in a test tube... although hopefully it will not be smelly.
That would not do at all!

wv- manti. What the Baron wears under his slacks.

Shelley Jaffe said...

Countess CBW: I plan on incorporating 'ookifico' into my lexicon! SO Italian!

Countess MPM: I know you love SARK. Yet another common thing we love. Like Pina Coladas. And getting caught in the rain.

Countess of Soup: Oh, the bookstore. Clearly the devil's playground.

Countess NNG: You are the best!

Countess AG: Just promise you won't chase after me with a net. Or Annette. That would be awkward.
(it took me a beat to get the wv - then lolz!!)

 
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