Fool: W is for…

W is for Where.

I especially enjoy being open to what inspiration shows up and allowing it to inform my actions.  So although today I was considering writing about wabi-sabi as my W entry, I wasn’t actually feeling particularly inspired.  And then in one of those mysterious how-did-that-just-happen occurrences, George Ella Lyon’s poem “Where I’m From” popped up.  The poem is an invitation to look at where you’re from, and templates are available that guide you in writing your own version.  I’ve been meaning to do that for some time and just never got around to it.  But then today I was inspired.   And so here’s my version of Where I’m From.

I am from apothecary chests,

from Bach flower essences and holey stones.

I am from my Grandmother’s house,

ancient, strong, carrying both silence and connection.

I am from the peonies, the lilac trees, the root balls of long-ago cut down trees.

I am from moon watchers and hat wearers,

from a lineage of men named Valentine and women with secret name changes.

I am from the party-avoiders and the slow-to-adapters,

from the green-thumb gardeners and the picket-line marchers.

I am from Be Careful! and Quit Traipsing!

I am from a religion that didn’t comfort in time of need,

and from a place of awakening to find my own way.

I am from the Book of Life and the Tree of Knowledge,

little altars everywhere, flowers and rubies,

and I am never far from Angels.

I am from the city of big shoulders and an indentured servant grandfather,

From blitz kuchen and peanut butter fudge and sun ripened tomatoes.

I am from the starving homesteader who was aided by an indigenous benefactor;

the milliner who never lost her desire to create beauty;

the uncle who was electrocuted in an accident and lived.

I am from the disenfranchised, the grass-roots, the survivors, the artists of living.

I am from the childhood of few photographs,

folding love letters origami-style into peace cranes.

I am from talismans and secret decoder badges,

from poetry and laughter and soap bubbles.

I am from the lineage of magic and love and everyday sacred.

This is where I’m from.  What about you?  Although I’d love to invite you to write your own Where I’m From, perhaps you can offer a little peek of your origins in the comments.  You know I’d love to hear.