For today’s poetic adventure, I write a haiku about the thistle. Over the past couple of months, I’ve grown to love this intrepid weed : from humble beginnings, it carves out great empires for itself.
As the wheel of Nature turns, the bright purple flower-heads transform themselves into ethereal whisper-clouds of seed : I’ll miss the warrior army as it goes off to conquer new lands.
You can read today’s haiku here. On today’s video, I read the haiku out loud and show you the warrior army as it prepares to move camp!
Out on my walk with my dog this morning, the jiggling dog rose bushes caught my eye. They’re not in flower yet here in Northern Ireland, but their berries look fit to burst!
When I stood still and observed the berries, I noticed that I had quite an unexpected (and powerful) emotional reaction to them. I hope that today’s haiku captures the energy of the emotion :).
In today’s video, I talk about how I experience the dog rose (sometimes known as the briar rose), and I read my poem out loud. You can read today’s haiku here.
Well, I’m beginning to realise why I like haiku so much : writing a haiku can instantly pull you into the present moment (that’s really handy if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t find it easy to “leave work at work”); and writing a haiku is a quick and simple way of keeping the creative channel open (that’s really handy if you haven’t got the time you’d like for your novel or non-fiction work, but you’d still like to “keep your hand in”).
You can read today’s haiku here (it’s called “Wheat”), and I read it out loud in today’s video. If you’ve been following my blog for a while now, you might recognise one of my favourite themes emerging 😛 .
You know what? I like the haiku : I like the idea of a quest to capture an emotion, to paint a picture. I like the effect that haiku-writing has : it encourages exquisite presence.
I want to travel deeper into the experience of the world around me (and into the emotions inside me) ; I want to get closer to the turning wheel of Nature. I am open to discovering whether the haiku is the perfect vehicle for this mission – so , stand clear : I am getting into the haiku seat and taking the hand-brake off 🙂 !
My haiku adventure will take as long as it takes (that’s the first time in all my adventuring that I’ve ever heard myself say that, which is interesting in its own right)…. and that probably means a poetry collection (and that will be another first!). The form might even change along the way too 😛 .
Well, when you’re out camping, you can get pretty hungry! So today, I decided to see if I could find anything in the hedgerow that I could add to my breakfast bowl 🙂 . (Nature’s larder seems to be quite full at the moment 😛 ).
Today I set up a bird box! I’ve never had a bird box, table or feeder in my garden before, so this will be a new experience. I hope it encourages birds into the garden ; I’m looking forward to learning how to identify them 🙂 .
It’s the final day of my letter-writing adventure and today I’m writing a letter of thanks to everyone who has offered support to me whilst I’ve been adventuring! And here it is ….. (it’s for you).
A Letter Of Thanks To Everyone Who Has Offered Support To Me And To My Adventure Project.
Hello you!
When you’re out on the road adventuring , it’s really good to know that you’ll bump into other people as you go (solo adventuring can get a bit lonely at times). If I’ve bumped into you in the last 7 months, this letter is for you because you’ve really made a difference : you’ve offered me the experience of connection, you’ve offered me support, and you’ve shared your time and spirit with me in generous ways.
If I’m honest, I don’t think my adventures would really have been the same without you. So, I just want to let you know that your support has been really appreciated.
If you read my blog : thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to pop by and leave comments . (I know you’re busy, and the fact that you read my words, and watch my video-blogs, means a great deal to me. Yup. You even reading these very words right now is a big deal.)
If you keep up with my adventures on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Google+ : thank you! I appreciate the connection and all the retweets, likes, comments and shares . (You are a fabulous encourager).
If you’ve been inspired to have an adventure or two yourself : thank you! It’s good to know that there are other people out there doing their own thing : that makes me smile. (You’ve been in my thoughts).
If you’ve watched my webinars or TV show : thank you! It was good to know that you were watching and it was fun to share the experience with you. (You’ve given me some ideas too : you’re generous in ways that you may not even realise).
If you helped me out by being a guest on my TV show or by being interviewed : thank you! It’s been lovely to discover new friendships and renew old ones. (You really are brilliant.)
If I’ve written a letter of thanks to you over the last 5 days : thank you! You inspired an adventure. (Wow. Wherever you are in the world : your message got to me. I mean, it really got to me.)
If you are one of my friends, and you continue to listen to me go on (and on) about how brilliant adventuring is : thank you! (No. Really. Because there are another 5 months to go. At least.)
With heartfelt thanks,
Jane (I am just going outside and may be some time, but I do hope to bump into you again). 🙂
Today I write a note of thanks to Katherine Bolton, writing coach. Katherine gave me some top tips about getting published ; I really appreciated her generous spirit, her directness and her humour 🙂 .
Today’s letter of gratitude has been sent to William Buhlman, the creator of the audio programme “How To Have An Out- Of- Body Experience.” I am certain that following this programme helped to create the optimal conditions for the creation of my choral piece and the writing of my short story.
Today I emailed a note of thanks to Steven Pressfield, author of ‘The War of Art’ and ‘Turning Pro’. He inspired my 7-day Big Distraction project and I am certain that the influence of his books has facilitated the development of my children’s story from the writing stage, through to submission to agents and publishers.
For today’s poetic adventure, I write a haiku about the thistle. Over the past couple of months, I’ve grown to love this intrepid weed : from humble beginnings, it carves out great empires for itself.
Humans Resourced 