401K

Do you remember turning the pages of your books when you were a child? Each was to be savored and the choice of when to touch the corners and pull was a weighted one, met with a springing delight of discovery slipping down the spine. “Frederick” by Leo Lionni had this effect on me like no other. Do you know the story?

The introduction describes it well: While the other field mice work to gather grain and nuts for winter, Frederick sits on a sunny rock by himself. “I gather sun rays for the cold dark winter days,” he tells them. Another day he gathers “colors,” and then “words.” And when the food runs out, it is Frederick, the dreamer and poet, whose endless store of supplies warms the hearts of his fellow mice, and feeds their spirits during the darkest winter days.

While trying to lasso my thoughts and photos this morning, I stared at the screen, this screen, until my glassy eyes latched on to a figure dangling from a side column. “Number of posts published: 400.” Four-hundred? Four-hundred. After the initial bounce subsided,  I was pleased as punch to realize that I had passed that benchmark while writing about the serious joys of a simple rose.

And so this post is number four-oh-one. 

A few months ago, my friend Judith Ross asked about interviewing me for a column in Talking Writing magazine. I enjoyed the exchange that followed tremendously and I hope that you will appreciate Judith’s wonderful perspective as well. Living in France, where the word blogueuse (the feminine version of ‘blogger’) is pronounced with a sneer, I am absolutely delighted to have been featured as a writer in a magazine for writers. Thank you, Judith.

My life, while full of good things, is unusual. My future is so open-ended as to be not exactly secure. Sans filet, they say in French. Without a net. At times, my worries of “what if and what then?” threaten to overwhelm me. But perhaps, like Frederick, I am doing something helpful in making this blog, in storing up colors and words for the unknown path that is spooling out in front of my feet. Lost in Arles just might be my 401k plan.

To read Judith’s column “When Blogging Becomes Art”– please click here.

And to discover her own beautiful blog, Shifting Gears — please click here.

Some of my photography has also been featured in the Fall Issue of Talking Writing, to see them and discover a fine magazine — please click here.

To listen:

PS. James Vincent Mcmorrow’s cover of “Higher Love” is on the album “Silver Lining” — all of the proceeds of which go to Headstrong, an Irish charity for youth mental health.

As always, thank you so much for being here…