Zoom Grateful …

nest

come, rest in me

my woven threads of story

some fine as silk

some coarse as garden twine

Zoom has its up sides and its down. For me, they’ve been mostly up. I’ve been able to partake of workshops, yoga classes, song fests, concerts, writer gatherings, and even a mini-retreat. Zoom has been a gift.

The Salty Girls writers’ retreat on the Pemiquid Pennisula in Maine had to be postponed so Jodi Paloni offered a writing/artmaking mini-retreat in its place. With planning and advance prep (including packets sent out with materials) she created a transformative two-day experience via zoom. Proving, dear friends, that creative solutions are not only possible but obligatory for creatives like us. They are the unexpected gifts of this challenging time. Silver linings, if you will.

Next Saturday, October 3rd, 1pm eastern time, I’ll be doing a “Meet the Author” zoom session as guest artist with the Freethinker’s Corner books and more. I’ll read briefly from my novels Other Wise and This Other Way of Knowing (in progress), and we’ll chat about the writing/creative process. It’ll be light. It will be fun. I hope you can join us.

Hopefully you’ll leave wanting to pick up your pen, brush, laptop, or musical instrument and let loose. Hopefully something said will stick with you, nudging you onward in your own work. No one will be offended if you have to drop out early. You won’t be on camera unless you choose to be for questions. You can ask in the chat box unseen.

** You are invited to a Meet the Author Zoom event.
Join us in welcoming Mary Lou Bagley to A Freethinker’s Corner. Mary Lou is an artist, actress, and writer from South Berwick, Maine. As an artist, she finds inspiration and material for her work In the most ordinary elements of life. Mary Lou is a well-known Seacoast actress and has portrayed a diversity of characters on area stages. Finally, as the author of the novel OTHER WISE, she’s also an experienced educator, storyteller, and short story writer.
When: Oct 3, 2020 01:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) 

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMlfumhpzIiG9CXtE2OtR2MXpsiy-QrmoWt

Can zoom get tiring? Absolutely. Can we counterbalance this with relaxation, nature walks, rest and nourishment? Most definitely.

For me, there was an expansiveness–a spaciousness–when this time at home began. Stunned after an initial period of adjustment, I settled into a comfortable nesting mode. No appointments. No unnecessary travel. No meetings or commitments. No interruptions to the flow.

Over time, though, my routine became more crowded. Myriad things vied for attention. My inbox had never been so full. Email blasts were constant. And though I rejoiced in the abundance of offerings, it could be overwhelming to skim and scroll and have to pass things up or put them aside for a nonexistent ‘later.’

Thus, I had to learn yet another lesson. Discernment. The need to choose those things that are truly beneficial and let the rest go. I hope in your selection process you choose to join me on October 3rd while I understand if you don’t.

I suspect we’ll hold on to some of these new modes of connection when we come out on the other side. Especially those practices that allow access over great distances. And I envision incredible joy when we can meet face to face, breathing the same air, and touching at will. I look forward to dancing with you then if not virtually now.

Let me know how you’re doing in the comments section.

In the meantime I say, “Thank you, Zoom.”