M words — motivation, magic, memories, momentum

It has been a while since I put my fingers to work on the Alphabet Challenge. M is the letter for this blog. This is my list:  Motivation, Momentum, Memories, and Magic.

WRITING:

Sometimes, it is hard to find the Motivation to write, especially when many other things are going on in my life. I enjoy writing and would love to spend more time playing with the Magic of words, but the Momentum of life often takes me in a different direction.

CHANGES:

I was motivated to rearrange two rooms to make the space more appealing and functional. I reduced the size of Daisy’s corral, which has given me more room for myself. I call it planning for the future. So far, I am happy with the arrangement because it is now easier to assess my clothes and the bathroom without climbing over a dog barrier. The big dog bed is gone, and each dog has a smaller space. Daisy is happy and content, especially now she can climb into Henry’s bed for a nap. The other night, she decided to sleep next to him. It worked nicely and was very cute for a few hours until Henry moved, and she fell out. I woke with a start when I heard the noise, scooped her up, and put her back into her bed. We all slept well for the rest of the night. 

TEAS IN THE GARDEN:

I have planned a series of teas in the garden for the summer. My first was on a lovely sunny day at the beginning of June. I had eight people, and we all sat around the large picnic table in the back garden. The English High Tea yesterday was a little different. The rain and wind forced us to be inside. I had to rearrange my living to accommodate ten people. I am always Motivated to create an enjoyable table for eating; the white linen, the china, and special foods. Yesterday, the first course consisted of shrimp sandwiches on brown bread. A Memory of mine going back to when I was a young adult. My boyfriend and I stopped at a quaint pub in the Sussex landscape for a break after a Magical bike ride through the countryside. We ordered a shandy and a snack and were served the most delicious shrimp sandwiches. I served creamy cheese on brioche toast and topped it with a shiny stuffed picante pepper as a second choice. I loved its decadent look. The scones, a tradition, were a great success. They were made using buttermilk from my sister’s recipe. The little cakes were recipes from a book given to me by a dear friend when I first came to America. When I use these recipes, it reminds me of her sweet, round face and eyes, always so round and dark. Her friendship was from a magical time of my life.

WRITING FOR THE BLUE BOTTLES WRITING STUDIO:

Today, we meet to share our written stories on a famous quote. The prompt is a famous line from Rene Descartes. I am including a section from each of our stories. 

Quote: ”I think, therefore I am” – Rene Descartes, a philosopher. 

Elizabeth Jane Pryce

Many years before I knew there was a time known as the 16th century or a man called Rene Descartes. I sat in an avocado tree. I was alone and in a thoughtful mood. As I peeled the course, dark-green skin from a large avocado with one of my mother’s kitchen knives, I paused and looked around.

From my vantage point in the elbow of the tree, I saw a field full of short, scratchy grass, which would cut my feet open if I ran through it without first putting on my shoes. A line of guava trees at the end of our land and the beginning of Ryan and his woman’s. I knew Mummy was in the kitchen, and Daddy tended to his passion fruit vines in the field on the other side of the house. Bingo, my dog, was lying beneath the tree, his ears perked and his tail fluttering occasionally in anticipation of me climbing out of the tree and playing with him. My cat, Wong, lay in the shade under the orange tree, lazily watching the birds as they flew in and around the long grass.

Sitting in that tree, I remember thinking, I exist because I am me—I know I am sitting in an avocado tree, peeling and eating a large green fruit. I can see and touch it, taste its buttery, slightly nutty flavor with a hint of sweetness. I know I am part of this world, a child of God, and everything around me exists because I can feel and see it.

Jane Hilleary

Descartes said,  ”I think, therefore I am.”  

Now, wait a minute!

For the sake of argument, what if I didn’t think? What if I just observed? Maybe I just saw a bird—didn’t try to think what kind of bird, I just observed his beauty, the wonder of his flight. I’d take walks and observe the loveliness around me. I’d enjoy my family, not worry about them. Life would be more peaceful without all the thinking.

I know! I know! Descartes meant that we humans have the ability to think. But still…

And what about dogs? Scientists say dogs don’t think. Does that mean they aren’t beings? 

Their tails tell us how they feel. Their love, their loyalty, their uncanny ability to understand when we’re suffering, what do you call that? I don’t know, but if we all followed their example, life might be a whole lot more peaceful.

I think, therefore I am? 

No! 

I like what writer-poet Gertrude Stein said: ‘I am because my little dog knows me.’

Sita Ambra-Roa

Descartes’ theory centers around the individual, in contrast, consider the African philosophy of Ubuntu, expressed as “I am because you are.” It emphasizes the idea that a person is a person through other people. 

This philosophy takes a group-oriented approach, viewing humans as interdependent beings who cannot exist in isolation. Ubuntu is described as a humanist African philosophy, and its three pillars are intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental values being mindful of the self, others, and the environment. 

Ubuntu promotes harmony and collectivism. Therefore, we are aware that, as humans, we are real, with a mind and a body.