Focused on the Small Sounds
- At September 22, 2025
- By Write in Community
- In Blog
6
Hermann Hesse observed that “whoever has learned how to listen to trees…wants to be nothing except what he is.”
Changed by Their Sounds
Aspens, The Small Sounds of Whispering Trees
My childhood was punctuated with careful, attentive listening. No, not every day, but when I turned off my attention to common, familiar sounds around me and focused on the small, seemingly insignificant notes, different kinds of music were heard. One day walking thistles in our cornfield with my grandfather Nanny he told me to stop and listen. Nothing was heard at first but soon a soft clapping crescendo like raccoons playing tiny cymbals enveloped me. In a hushed voice, Nanny said it was the sound of corn growing–growing fast.
At first I didn’t believe it. But standing amidst rows of six foot green giants the rhythm of tiny twigs being snapped was undeniable and inviting. My face tightened and then opened like I was possessed for a while. Heat radiating from the lofty stalks drew me closer into their circle brushing against me. It made me want to climb hills and shout like when a new friend touches your hands.
Read More»Kinder, More Gentler Beautiful World
- At July 21, 2025
- By Write in Community
- In Blog
- 14
There are always flowers for those who want to see them. – Henri Matisse
Several years ago during a challenging time in my life, a wise friend suggested I learn how to “drink from a deeper well.” She said slowing down and paying attention guides an individual to a deeper place within, and a kinder, more gentler beautiful world is revealed. Today, with the daily news filled with one horror story after another, seeking those moments of grace reminds me how much the world has to offer.
Read More»Particularities of the Ordinary
- At July 17, 2023
- By Write in Community
- In Blog
- 8
Particularities and Meaning
When I was thirteen, dad gave me a small garden plot to tend for a year. It was six feet by six feet, tilled to make plantings easier. This fertile plot of earth received my attention for a year and before long, a window of wonder appeared. I started to notice details in the garden – a small city of vermin burrowing and crawling on their knees and fliers with tiny helicopter blades buzzing the grass.
At a young age I loved poetry and thought what’s important was looking for the extraordinary and exceptional. But “noticing” particularities of the ordinary made life feel bigger, more significant. Noticing the everyday brought up memories and meaningful connections sometimes from experiences years ago or, maybe a few minutes that wouldn’t have been accessed without paying attention.
Read More»Take a Leap
- At October 25, 2021
- By Write in Community
- In Blog
- 6
The Fire Inside: A Companion for the Creative Life
Chapter Twelve: Just Do It
Take a Leap
Pursue what catches your heart, not what catches your eyes.–Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
I remember…
The first time I took a leap I was young, about the same age as my fifth-grade granddaughter. So many years ago and I can still remember it, changes churning inside me, subtle, but tangible. It was as if unknown forces had taken camp inside my stomach—driving impulses, fiery urges that kept pushing up like hunger at the end of a long day. What was I longing for?
My school was hosting an art show and I did—no, I didn’t—want to participate. I was worried. Was I good enough? How could I compare to Robert, who could draw a real horse? Or the third grader who did pretty cross-stitch and embroidered a four-colored rainbow? But in art class, we’d been introduced to colored pencils, clay and paint, and a beautiful yearning took hold in me. I loved it, all of it, and decided to take the plunge. From that day forward, I formed a new identity, perceiving myself as someone more than the freckle-faced girl who rode a pony and collected rocks. And seeing my lopsided pinch pot in the art show, I felt a warm buzz course from my toes to my head.
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