"If your daily life seems poor, do not blame it; blame yourself,
tell yourself that you are not poet enough to call forth its riches;
for to the creator there is no poverty and no poor indifferent place."
RAINER MARIA RILKE, Letters to a Young Poet
This quote has been part of my life for decades, having pondered it off and on for years now. They were words that leapt off the page the first time I read them, the gentle chiding a spur to my heart when my daily life felt poor, colourless, and 'same old, same old'. I'd reread the words to remind myself
to quit feeling sorry for myself. To be poet enough and to use that spark of imagination within to call forth life's riches in my own, very ordinary life. I learned to pay attention. I learned to recognize and be in awe when something lovely startled my senses. I knew I wanted more of these rich moments to colour my life with beauty.
How often I'd remind myself, too, of the ancient text I once memorized, "This is the day the Lord hath made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." Especially on those mornings when I wanted to roll over and pull the covers back over me. Instead, I'd pull myself out of bed with the thought, today I will wake up with vitality and good humour. I especially needed the reminder about getting on with good humour, me not being a morning person at the time. I also remembered those lovely lines I learned from the New Testament, "...whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is lovely and of good report, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on these things".
They became the benchmark of how I wanted to live and work and love—and eventually write. The joy always came, and still comes when I remember to look around....
- To search for something, however tiny, on which my eyes can delight. So often it's right there in front of me, outside my window or front step, I don't even have to fly to Paris to catch the joy. Sometimes it's a gorgeous line in a book I'm reading that stands out. Sometimes the sighting of a single yellow leaf from a still green tree drifting to the ground can do it. So can catching the sound of children laughing and screaming in the nearby park as the sun starts to set. Or marveling at the lemon-hued marigolds still so bright in the flower beds and cawing flocks of crows settling and resettling in woodsy copses nearby at dusk.
- To listen to music, music that is as familiar and sweet as the voice of a dear loved one—it can be a beloved old hymn that floats up with its comforting words, or a little Mozart whose music always makes me feel happy. The strains of theme music from a favourite old movie like the 1995 film Sense and Sensibility which makes me feel at peace, as comforting and comfortable as a favourite pair of old slippers.
- To sit at my desk and dream up something nice I can do for someone. I feel the thrill deep inside when I plan something spontaneous, immediate; something not too complicated, like a pretty card with a note sent in the mail, to surprise and lift someone's day.
- To meet neighbours out for a walk and stand on the driveway having a wee chat in the warm sunshine as the crisp air fans our faces. Chattering, laughing, teasing—it makes me think that I'm living inside one of those delightful scenes from a Rosamunde Pilcher novel set in the English countryside.
How often the beauty is right here in front of us. I didn't really know back then until I read Rilke's quotation that I had within me the creative ability to call forth the richness in my own daily life. It makes me so grateful for those words all those years ago. They helped shape my life. I certainly hope one day I'll be able to tell Mr. Rilke how much his writings meant to me. How they helped a young woman learn to rise above the circumstances and begin to call forth her beautiful life.
"Most people do not know at all how beautiful
the world is, and how much magnificence is revealed in
the tiniest things, in some flower, in a stone,
in tree bark, or in a birch leaf."
RAINER MARIA RILKE, from Letters on Life
Before I close, I want to tell you that next Friday I'll be having a BOOK GIVEAWAY for two copies of the new anthology published by InScribe Press:
Creativity & Chaos: Artistic Endeavours for Trying Times. Through inspiring stories, poems, essays, even crafts, the contributing authors share how they found creative ways to cope during their own trying times. Being on the editorial team, I had the opportunity to read the pieces before publication, and I can tell you, this book is one you'll want to read. You'll find comfort, encouragement, and hope on its pages. I'm so honoured and delighted to have a piece I wrote included—it's a personal essay entitled "A Kaleidoscope of Creativity (during a global pandemic)". In a recent interview, I shared what inspired me to write the piece and a little of my writing journey generally; if you haven't seen it, you can find the video
HERE.
At the time of this writing, Amazon is offering the
Kindle version for $0.99
CDN. After September 28th, paperback copies also will be available to order. So, next Friday, do come back and ENTER YOUR NAME IN THE DRAW for a chance to win one of two copies, autographed by
Yours Truly.
Wishing you a beautiful weekend and Happy Autumn,
Brenda
Top Photo:
Image by susannp4 from Pixabay
Autumn blog schedule:
I post on Fridays
