Glimpses into the light of things to be

Walt Whitman wrote that we should “habit ourselves to the dazzle of the light and every moment of our lives”. What is it to be “dazzled” by light? It would seem a mixture of wonderment and surprise…no, that’s too simple. To me, being dazzled has a burst of bewilderment backed with the flooding warmth of human joy, topped finally with an intuitive sense of knowing—of realizing how unique and wonderful the moment is.

To take it further, it’s an instant flash when you know a piece of your soul is being formed; you see through the veneer of the day-to-day and for a moment, time stops. Perhaps in the end, that moment will swirl within the thousands that pass your mind’s eye in your final seconds of breath. And to my beliefs anyway, they’ll carry on beyond.

To further explore the point, give something a try. Divide your life into segments…maybe periods of your marriage, or school life, or simply decades. In your mind, move along through these periods and allow visions to arise that are associated with those times. Don’t stop and think or dwell, just follow it along like a trailer in a movie. These instances you’re seeing in your head – most of them happy, I hope – are the “dazzles of light” Whitman was talking about.

I bring this all up because I had one of these instances this last weekend. Linda and I were at our booksigning and I caught myself in the moment, struck by how powerful and wonderful it is to have great friends, and to have so many representing the whole span of my life. There were neighbors from when I was twelve; former school teachers, former lovers.

I emailed Linda afterwards and we talked about how important that day was for us. We were both so excited we could hardly sleep. The booksigning gave us such a sense of validation. But beyond that, it brought back one of my dazzles of light from when I was 16, seeing Linda running across the school parking lot in her cheerleader outfit, probably rushing to meet someone a thousand years from the crowd I hung out with. But still, of a million high school images, that stuck with me. 

It took thirty years before we talked, and we’ve now become great friends. Yes… Walt was right. Habit yourself with the dazzle of light. In that light is where the power is. In that light might be your future. -- Emerson

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The booksigning!!! THANK YOU... (Next one in the Fall)

 Stay tuned!

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In a few weeks I'll have my first conversation with Linda about her next piece of art. Be sure to check in then, sometime in later August.

Until then, this'll be me in the Adirondacks (painting by Chloe Probst)-

See you next time and check in on Linda's website to see what she's up to... and spread the word -- Linda's fairies are going to rock the world!

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Asking all the creative types...why should our story continue?

The world is full to brimming with words. Some good and some bad, but all of them painfully chiseled from someone’s soul, or the soul they once had. Reading is an intimate experience in a world seeking touch…the one on one—the real stuff.

But does literary honesty trump the stimulation of movies, “real TV” and talk radio?  I crave modern media. I crave the senseless chatter because it makes my world bigger. I lose myself in it, like a wine buzz on a Friday night. But somewhere deep inside…loneliness creeps in. Where’s the honesty? Where’s the real connection?

So it came to me that this ongoing collection of words thrown into the great virtual heap should simply explore the relationship of two friends, a man and a woman. Each week we’ll talk and I’ll pull from Linda some insight about living the creative life, and I’ll give this to you wrapped in my euphoric, always romantic, and always personal way. This is all I can give, something honest and real to fill the space.

Because I’ve come to believe that we can’t go wrong if we fill our minds with the right words. Of this there can never be enough. And through this we can never be lonely. Just full to brimming. The best way to be! -- Emerson

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New In Linda's World!

Check Linda's work in progress (Organic Panic) - available soon! Check out her site link for a bigger picture, complete with cupcake. This is just a close up, which works well enough for me!

And don't forget to come to Linda's booksigning at Greetings and Readings in Hunt Valley from 12-2 this Saturday, July 25.

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Come back in a few weeks after Linda and I have a chance to meet again.  We'll talk about Organic Panic, or the Cupcake fairy, and we'll see what in Linda's mind lead to fairies rolling around on top of pastries. I have some thoughts about this myself...

Send a comment or email to ejprobst@gwzouck.com and ask to be put on our blog alert list. (since I only write when I'm in the mood)

Peace until next time.. and see ya Saturday!

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