I’m sure you’re not surprised that I’ve been watching the
equestrian events of the 2016 Summer Olympics. One of my favorites to watch is
the eventing competition, which has been described as the triathlon for horses.
Talk about some gorgeous, fit athletes! And yes, I am referring to the horses.
One of the horses from the Brazilian eventing team has an unusual name: Summon
Up The Blood. The announcers calling the competition noted that “summoning up
the blood” is quite an accurate image of what is needed for this grueling
sport. Though “Bob” (his much less
picturesque nickname) didn’t win a medal, he did complete the entire series of
events respectably. Click here to see photos and learn more about him and his rider, Carlos Parro.
Eventing horses are cared for and pampered in every way
possible: from optimum nutrition and carefully thought-out workouts, to
chiropractic care and massage, to liniment baths, “ice boots” to cool their
hardworking legs, and any number of high tech therapies. They are valuable
partners to their riders (not to mention just plain valuable), and no
one expects them to do their jobs without proper care.
Why do we expect any less for ourselves?
Yes, I am comparing myself to a horse. Bear with me.
In July and August, we’ve had punishing heat and humidity,
and I admit I’m dragging. The slightest effort outside (watering my orchids,
for example), leaves me soaked in sweat and ready for a cold drink. I’m tired.
I have no ambition. The idea of keeping after my goals, even my indoor ones,
does not appeal. I need to “summon up the blood”—find a way to motivate myself
all the way to the finish line. I’d love to skip to November when we usually
get some cooler weather and I get an energy boost, but I also don’t want to
wish away any of my life, not even the hot, sweaty bits.
At this point in the year, I’ve lost the momentum and
excitement of a new year, and the adrenaline panic of a waning year hasn’t yet
set in. (“Oh, no, it’s December and I haven’t reached my goals yet!) Until
then, how can I “summon up the blood” and maintain my motivation and momentum?
Though I’m not quite as well-cared for as Summon Up The
Blood, I am placing more emphasis on self-care right now. Since August is a low
point for me, energy-wise, now is the time to sprinkle in treats and rest
breaks. August isn’t the time for me to start major new projects. It’s the time
to set small goals, and break down larger ones into ever smaller, teeny, tiny
(easily accomplished) ones. In the ongoing bathroom renovation (yes, we’re
still working on it), I’m trying to do one or two things per week. This week I
ordered the replacement globes for the light fixture and called myself done.
Now is the time to use my imagination to make the same old,
same old more fun and/or easier and quicker.
To lighten up my schedule to allow for my lack of energy.
That energy will return, as long as I don’t overdo it now.
I’ve even visited my chiropractor and had a massage to
counteract the effects of stripping wallpaper and priming my bathroom walls.
But I do draw the line at ice baths.
Do you have any tricks to “summon up the blood”?
Photo courtesy Alexas_Fotos |
Introduction by Ted Kooser: Poet Ruth L. Schwartz
writes of the glimpse of possibility, of something sweeter than we already have
that comes to us, grows in us. The unrealizable part of it causes bitterness;
the other opens outward, the cycle complete. This is both a poem about a tangerine
and about more than that.
Tangerine
It was a flower once, it was one of a billion flowers
whose perfume broke through closed car windows,
forced a blessing on their drivers.
Then what stayed behind grew swollen, as we do;
grew juice instead of tears, and small hard sour seeds,
each one bitter, as we are, and filled with possibility.
Now a hole opens up in its skin, where it was torn from the
branch; ripeness can’t stop itself, breathes out;
we can’t stop it either. We breathe in.
From “Dear Good Naked Morning,” © 2005 by Ruth L. Schwartz.
Reprinted by permission of the author and Autumn House Press. First printed in
“Crab Orchard Review,” Vol. 8, No. 2. This weekly column is supported by The
Poetry Foundation, the Library of Congress and the Department of English at the
University of Nebraska, Lincoln. The column does not accept unsolicited poetry.
Let me explain. I grew up in a home with a single mom.
Though I visited my dad, I didn’t live with him. In college, I lived in single-sex dorms, and after I college I had one female roommate before getting
married. Life in our house was feminine. Since I didn’t have anything different
to compare it with, I thought this feminine way of living was “normal.” Living
with my husband, and eventually our son, proved eye opening, to say the least.
Here are some areas I’ve found living with men different
from living with women. (In case you are unclear, I’m about to make some major,
tongue-in-cheek, generalizations. Your mileage may vary. In other words, please
don’t send me letters.)
Men laugh at different things than women do, often involving
bodily functions or slapstick-y pratfalls. Most women I know don’t find The
Three Stooges all that funny, for example. Men’s humor tends to be insulting
and directed at others. Women tend not to tease as much for fear of hurting
someone’s feelings. We tend to prefer clever, witty jokes, puns, and stories—we
like to use humor to connect with others. (Hey, I told you I was going to be
making generalizations, didn’t I?)
Here’s a quiz for you: Which of these foods would typically
be ordered by a man versus a woman at a restaurant? Wings or quiche? A
double-decker cheeseburger or a large chopped salad? I’m not saying the woman
wouldn’t want the cheeseburger or wings, just that she probably will not
order either, especially if dining with someone else. What I cook for my
masculine family is considerably different from what I cook for just myself, or
for a female friend or relative with no guys around. Artichoke hearts and goat
cheese never figure in meals I cook for my guys. Velveeta is not a crucial
ingredient in hors d’oeuvres I serve my female friends.
Noise. When my son was still tiny, I bought the following
saying, framed, somehow divining the truth about boys: “A boy is noise with
dirt on it.” Most women I know go through life with the tread of a cat burglar,
do not slam cupboard (or microwave or bedroom) doors, do not clang spoons and
clatter plates on the counter. My husband is an exception (thank you, Dear),
but I’ve found that once a man is awake in the morning, so is everyone else.
In a family composed primarily of men and boys, family
outings tend to be activities you do (mountain biking, swimming, hiking,
fishing), rather than passively observe (movies, window shopping). And you will
likely never get your family of guys to partake of high tea, complete
with scones and little crust-less sandwiches (see: Food).
Hiking in Yellowstone National Park |
Which brings me to energy. The energy of men has a different
feel to it—a combo of testosterone and Funyuns, perhaps? Women don’t have less
energy (some have considerably more), but it has a different feel, sort of like
an underground power source, always humming in the background.
Physical strength. While I pride myself on being
strong—opening jars, lifting 50-pound bags of horse supplements—it’s nice to
have someone who can do it for me, and do it easily. Just because I can do
it doesn’t mean I always want to.
Tolerance for smells. ’Nuff said.
To this woman, men can be puzzling, exotic creatures,
sometimes exasperating and insensitive. But they can also be wonderfully tender
and loving, and hugs from my husband and son bring me pure joy. While I often
feel more understood and accepted among my female family and friends, I value
the different perspective my male relatives and friends bring to life. Living
with men has made me a stronger, more balanced, more adventurous person. I
wouldn’t trade this everyday adventure for all the scones in the world.
What differences have you found in living with the opposite sex?
My men |
“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or
consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with
love, grace, and gratitude.”
—Denis Waitley
I enjoy Beatrix Potter’s children’s tales with their
detailed and charming illustrations, but after reading a biography of her a few
years ago (Linda Lear’s excellent Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature, see links below), my
respect and admiration for her grew until she became one of my heroes. In honor
of her birthday yesterday, I want to share with you a little of what could be
called “The Tale of Beatrix Potter.”
Once upon a time...Helen Beatrix Potter was born 150 years ago on July 28, 1866
in London. She was educated at home by governesses, as was the custom for girls
of her social class. She and her younger brother, Bertram, kept a number of
pets in the schoolroom, including rabbits, a hedgehog, mice, and bats. She
observed these pets closely, sketched them, and wrote stories about them.
During family holidays in Scotland and the English Lake District, she explored
freely, spending hours observing and sketching what she saw. From 1881 to 1897
she kept a journal (in a code that wasn’t cracked until 1958) where she wrote
down her observations.
She loved the study of natural history: archaeology,
geology, entomology, and especially mycology, the study of fungi. Scottish
Naturalist Charles McIntosh encouraged her to make her fungi drawings more
technically accurate, and her studies resulted in a scientific paper on how
fungi spores reproduce. Fungi expert George Massee delivered that paper on her
behalf at a meeting of the Linnean Society, where women couldn’t even attend
the meetings, let alone read papers. (Though I’m not enamored of mushrooms
myself, I always think of her when an interesting one pops up in my yard.)
Her earliest published works included greeting card
designs and illustrations for the publisher Hildesheimer & Faulkner. Her
work on other people’s stories made her long to publish her own, so she adapted
one of her earliest stories she’d created for a picture letter sent to the son
of one of her old governesses. In 1901, Beatrix published The Tale of Peter
Rabbit herself after several publishers turned her down. After seeing the
success of the book, in 1902, the publishing firm of Frederick Warne & Co.
decided they would publish it after all, if Beatrix would redo her black and
white illustrations in color. After that, she wrote two or three little books a
year, until 1930 when the last one, The Tale of Little Pig Robinson,
came out.
Beatrix was also a smart marketer, and created the first licensed literary character, a Peter Rabbit doll. She invented other toys, a Peter Rabbit game, and painting books for Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddle-Duck.
In 1905, Beatrix became engaged to her editor, Norman Warne,
but sadly he died of leukemia before they could be married.
After Norman’s death, Beatrix used income from her books and
a small inheritance to buy Hill Top Farm in Near Sawrey in the Lake District.
Hill Top became a sanctuary for her, and she wrote and painted some of her most
popular tales there, including The Tale of Tom Kitten and The Tale of
Jemima Puddle-Duck. If I ever get back to England, I’d love to visit Hill Top Farm, which is part of the National Trust and open to visitors.
Potter and Heelis on their wedding day |
In 1909, she bought Castle Farm, the property across the
road from Hill Top. Beatrix wanted to preserve the Lake District from
development, and this was one practical way to do that. During this time, she
met solicitor William Heelis who helped her with her property purchases. They
married in 1913, when Beatrix was 47, and moved to Castle Cottage on Castle
Farm. Happily married for 30 years, the Heelises were deeply involved in the
community. In addition to her writing and art, Beatrix grew fascinated with
raising Herdwick sheep, becoming a respected breeder and winning prizes at
local shows. When she died in 1943, she left 15 farms and more than 4,000 acres
to the National Trust.
Beatrix Potter’s work and life inspire me. I’m amazed by
what she was able to accomplish at a time when not many options were open to
women. I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about this remarkable woman, and that you’ll
check out some of the links below.
Do you have a favorite Beatrix Potter story?
“I have just made
stories to please myself, because I never grew up.”
—Beatrix Potter
More Fun Stuff:
Many Beatrix Potter stories are available on Project Gutenberg.
Miss Potter (fictionalized movie version of her life)Introduction by Ted Kooser: Faced by a loss, and perhaps by a loss of words, many of us find something to do with our hands. Here's a poem about just that by Arden Levine, published in 2015 in an issue of Agni Magazine. Ms. Levine lives in New York.
Offering
She tells him she's leaving him and he
bakes a pie. His pies are exquisite,
their crusts like crinoline.
He doesn't change clothes, works
in slacks, shirtsleeves rolled.
Summer makes the kitchen unbearable
But he suffers beautifully, tenderly
cuts the strawberries, pours
into the deep curve of the bowl.
She hadn't missed his hands since
last they drew her to his body.
Now she watches them stroke the edges
of the dough, shape it like cooling glass.
When the oven opens, his brow drips,
he brings his hands to his face.
American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry
Foundation (www.poetryfoundation.org), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also
supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
Poem copyright ©2015 by Arden Levine, “Offering,” (AGNI Magazine, 2015). Poem
reprinted by permission of Arden Levine and the publisher. Introduction
copyright ©2016 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction’s author, Ted Kooser,
served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of
Congress from 2004-2006. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.