GYPSY GIRL'S GUIDE

All roses, Berkeley, Spring 2007.

Thank you for your sweet notes regarding Petit. It was very comforting to have this space to pay tribute and share his cuteness with you. Despite the sadness of losing such a special little friend, and the fact that my server was having problems last week, there were also several wonderful and spontaneous moments that I'd love to share here.

The same day I found out about Petit, I received a package in the mail with a stunning pair of pearl earrings from Nomadic Creations. Stacie's work is 100% Gypsy Girl style. It's tribal, worldly and magically blends gentleness with great power. I feel a huge connection to her and her art. So it was a VERY pleasant surprise, when Stacie told me she had made this gorgeous pair of pearl earrings especially for me! Even more so, because this gift was given to me with the intent of reminding me to hold onto my dreams, like the oyster holds onto the uncomfortable debris during the pearl making process (as I described in my post a couple of weeks ago). I'm sure you all know, there is nothing more rewarding than sharing something from the deepest corner of your heart and having someone respond to it in such an honest and beautiful way. Stacie's thoughtfulness, generosity and support reminded me of the qualities I want to bring into my art and my creative business. I never want to lose sight of that. If I make any art in this life, it will only be worthwhile, if it can also inspire, bring hope and happiness to those who experience it. Stacie absolutely does the trick with her amazing jewelry and her open heart. Thank you, Stacie! ~ I will treasure this gift with much love ~

Then, I discovered last minute that Mary Oliver (Yes! One of my favorite poets) was in San Francisco giving a talk at the City Arts Lectures program. I called to register immediately, but by the time I did, the event had already been sold out. Without thinking twice though, I knew what I had to do because I knew that I was going to see her no matter what. So I headed to the theater (45 minutes in advance) in hopes of finding someone selling an extra ticket. When I got there, I found a line of about 20 other hopeful fellas... I waited and waited... But the situation didn't look good until the final moment, when the sweetest lady showed up out of nowhere and offered me a ticket. Better, the ticket was for the best seat in the house. I sat on the first roll, right in front of Mary.

Gasp for air...Ah...

It was a truly magical night. I had never heard Mary Oliver in person before, but many times since I first discovered her poetry, I had imagined how it might feel to listen to her in person. And she is exactly how I envisioned it: simple, soft spoken and humorous. Truly incredible, guys! She described herself as a country girl... She was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and later moved to New York City, where she claims, "I was very careful never to take an interesting job." Good advice, no?

Seventy one years old (darling) Mary Oliver read for about 1 hour and then answered questions for another 30 minutes. She read a wide variety of poems, some new and some of my old favorites too, like "I found a dead fox", "Wild Geese" and "The Summer Day". I was wishing for "The Journey" too, which she didn't read, but I was okay with that, since I got to hear a bunch of poems I had never heard of before... And on that note, I have not bought her latest book yet: Thirst. Have you? Based on what she read that night and what she indicated during the q&a session, this new book is quite different from her previous work. It seems to be a collection of poems tracing her experience of grief, the loss of her partner and her discovery of faith. She also read a couple of poems about her beloved dog "Pursie", which brought tears to my eyes.

Lastly, she was asked how to develop the same intuition and observation of nature that fuels her poetry with emotion and life. Her answer was simply: "Pay attention". She said that if you stare at something long enough, you'll sure learn how interesting that thing is and you will develop a thorough appreciation for it. She also reminded the audience that you don't need to go out in the fields to learn about nature. Hopefully, wherever you are, there will be a sky, a moon, a breeze and a patch of grass... You just need to remember to look at it now and then. Hmmm... I was completely inspired by her honest beauty, her clear answers and her grace (she left the stage blowing kisses to the audience... How sweet is that?). I can't wait for the next opportunity to see and listen to Mary Oliver again. For now... I'm buying Thirst asap and drinking it all in.

***
By the way, I've missed you guys! It feels like ages since I poured my heart out here in the blog world. Sorry about the server let down last week... Hopefully it won't happen again anytime soon. In the next couple of days I shall post again and tell you about my experience at the Spirit Rock mediation retreat over the weekend and a talk with Alice Walkers (author of The Color Purple).

Hugs,