Wow! Could feel every joyful, fizzy surge of the giddiness of Friday as I travelled with you. What a day / week / life!
I don’t have this list (yet!), and a doubty voice in my head says there wouldn’t be much to put on it lately. But then the rebel in me feels inspired to prove it wrong. ☺️
I have a different list - the list of little things. Small (often tiny) achievements or bringers of joy during difficult days. It emerges every late winter, when the colour has seeped out for too long.
Looking forward to experimenting with yours. And excited and energised by everything that’s coming your way. Xx
Thank you my friend. Oh, I have that little things list too, for sure. It is much longer and more delicate and lovely in some ways. A tender list :)
I feel very jumpy now that I have talked about last friday that next week will be a horror show. I am still very suspicious in this way and trust nothing when it comes to the universe. xx
Tender indeed. A book (or artwork) of lists would be a wonderful thing to experience.
And I know this feeling well. There’s surely a word for it? Perhaps in German? Or in the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows? 🤔 But, as usual, it eludes me. x
Such a joy to read... I think this kind of thinking inspired me to think of writing memoirs in my too old age for further successes... now I am re-inspired to continue! But I'm only 86 and many are lucky enough to make it to 100!
Oh Ruth what a joyous day! I can feel the excitement bubbling through your words. Wales sounded (and looked) perfect but getting on The Marginalian?!!! What an accolade. I do not have such a list but I think I should, because I would have to think very carefully about what to put on it. Hauntingly empty, is a haunting phrase indeed….hmmm….
Basking in the vibe flooding in through my reading. Fabulous share, Ruth. The joy is coursing through my interstium - wishing you more amazing, however that shows up 😀x
Aw thanks Beverley. Lots of folk have said they could feel the joy in it, which is lovely because I felt like I was writing somewhat reflectively rather than in the joy itself, so that's interesting to me... xx
Love this! Thank you Ruth! Happy that you have some lovely heart expanding things happening in your life. And the list is a wonderful idea - one’s on private celebration of self and the journey.
a serialised restack perhaps...ha! love that. I'm glad it provoked some thoughts. Your zine went in the post this morning btw. I hope it arrives this side of the year! ;)
A Marginalian article for "Weathering" - ah, that makes me so happy. It really doesn't get any better than that. I wanted the article to be longer as Maria Popova also has such a way with words, and her writing mixed with your writing - what a treat! So well deserved. I also love a list, and your list sounds very special and is such a good idea, I think I will just start my own... xx
In answer to "who didn’t?” I was never into Dali. Although I couldn’t articulate this as a teenager, my feeling is that although he knew how to render the uncanny, his paintings always felt flat and lacked a sense of how the different images within them related to each other.
I have come to agree with the other Surrealists’ rationale for disowning him (he never was considered a surrealist by the Surrealists themselves). They were all into automatic drawing (a painter's answer to automatic drawing). They were trying to render the newly sketched idea of the unconscious into their work.
With Dali, I've always felt like he's doing a second-hand version of it as if he heard about the idea of surrealism but not the method. His paintings are the idea of dream logic, but never actually feel like a dream.
(I know this has nothing to do with anything else you wrote, but I had to - the invitation was too wide open, and I only ever get to moan about Dali when taking my younger cousins to the Tate Modern, and I show them some of the "proper" surrealists and they say "Where's Salvador?").
You deserve every inch of this, amazing things happen with hard work, soul searching and touch of magic. Wishing you many more amazing things…. Xx
Thank you, dear. And also luck of course. Let's never forget that eh! :) I suspect that will be me done for another year hehe xx
Wow! Could feel every joyful, fizzy surge of the giddiness of Friday as I travelled with you. What a day / week / life!
I don’t have this list (yet!), and a doubty voice in my head says there wouldn’t be much to put on it lately. But then the rebel in me feels inspired to prove it wrong. ☺️
I have a different list - the list of little things. Small (often tiny) achievements or bringers of joy during difficult days. It emerges every late winter, when the colour has seeped out for too long.
Looking forward to experimenting with yours. And excited and energised by everything that’s coming your way. Xx
Thank you my friend. Oh, I have that little things list too, for sure. It is much longer and more delicate and lovely in some ways. A tender list :)
I feel very jumpy now that I have talked about last friday that next week will be a horror show. I am still very suspicious in this way and trust nothing when it comes to the universe. xx
Tender indeed. A book (or artwork) of lists would be a wonderful thing to experience.
And I know this feeling well. There’s surely a word for it? Perhaps in German? Or in the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows? 🤔 But, as usual, it eludes me. x
I will go and scour the book, because you're right there must be!
Yeah I've often thought a list book would be wonderful! Something more than a blank journal like Austin Kleon's approach somehow. X
Wonderful. Love the energy and perspective.
That's kind, thank you!!
Such a joy to read... I think this kind of thinking inspired me to think of writing memoirs in my too old age for further successes... now I am re-inspired to continue! But I'm only 86 and many are lucky enough to make it to 100!
You are only 86 and I know you will go on till at least 120 ;) Crack on, Sylvia! xx
Oh Ruth what a joyous day! I can feel the excitement bubbling through your words. Wales sounded (and looked) perfect but getting on The Marginalian?!!! What an accolade. I do not have such a list but I think I should, because I would have to think very carefully about what to put on it. Hauntingly empty, is a haunting phrase indeed….hmmm….
Thank you, my friend. I can definitely think of one recent thing for your list, assuming it would make the grade in your eyes? X
Basking in the vibe flooding in through my reading. Fabulous share, Ruth. The joy is coursing through my interstium - wishing you more amazing, however that shows up 😀x
Aw thanks Beverley. Lots of folk have said they could feel the joy in it, which is lovely because I felt like I was writing somewhat reflectively rather than in the joy itself, so that's interesting to me... xx
I can feel the joy, how lovely 🥰
Thanks Kate! :)
Love this! Thank you Ruth! Happy that you have some lovely heart expanding things happening in your life. And the list is a wonderful idea - one’s on private celebration of self and the journey.
Thank you Jane! Yes, a private celebration, exactly that!
This is so beautiful and thought-provoking! I could have (almost did) Restack & Restack with a quote from nearly your entire story!
a serialised restack perhaps...ha! love that. I'm glad it provoked some thoughts. Your zine went in the post this morning btw. I hope it arrives this side of the year! ;)
A Marginalian article for "Weathering" - ah, that makes me so happy. It really doesn't get any better than that. I wanted the article to be longer as Maria Popova also has such a way with words, and her writing mixed with your writing - what a treat! So well deserved. I also love a list, and your list sounds very special and is such a good idea, I think I will just start my own... xx
haha I would have taken a one sentence afterthought from Maria to be honest!
Please do start your own! xx
Good point haha... clearly my gluttonous reader perspective... xx
Hahaha!
In answer to "who didn’t?” I was never into Dali. Although I couldn’t articulate this as a teenager, my feeling is that although he knew how to render the uncanny, his paintings always felt flat and lacked a sense of how the different images within them related to each other.
I have come to agree with the other Surrealists’ rationale for disowning him (he never was considered a surrealist by the Surrealists themselves). They were all into automatic drawing (a painter's answer to automatic drawing). They were trying to render the newly sketched idea of the unconscious into their work.
With Dali, I've always felt like he's doing a second-hand version of it as if he heard about the idea of surrealism but not the method. His paintings are the idea of dream logic, but never actually feel like a dream.
(I know this has nothing to do with anything else you wrote, but I had to - the invitation was too wide open, and I only ever get to moan about Dali when taking my younger cousins to the Tate Modern, and I show them some of the "proper" surrealists and they say "Where's Salvador?").
This made me laugh. But I still won't hear a word said against Dali!