on in-between's
How can one learn to savour the in-between? reflection on the passages of life, mind blurb on the GPT hoopla with poems by Hannah Emerson, Nikita Gill.
A sudden burst of aliveness surrounds me these days. A bumble bee is on my windowsill. The natural kingdom seems to be on its toes. A tiny sprig of leaf trying to break out of its umbilical sac. The houseflies are dancing atop the puddle of water one day and gone the next.
Invisibility plays hide and seek. It’s a sensory delight as the sights, sounds, and smells drift past you. If you have followed my posts since I started this newsletter, you would know I am a nature lover. Nature is one stimulus that helps me connect with the yoke of the creative life I am trying to pursue.
The metamorphic landscape of nature is rich with meaning. It prods, shows, and nudges me to embrace a life of ambiguity. It helps me deal with the greys with utmost humility.
It’s like the hint of unknowableness that shows up in paintings. A trailer that reflects a story that’s still unfolding. If you have been on the underground trains, the feeling that you get as you look out of the window as you travel between two stations. It’s the in-between of what has passed and the unfamiliar frontier that lies ahead. There is no hastiness in finding the answers.
The wisdom of nature has taught me to hang out in this liminal space filled with hopeful ambiguity. I finally see it in a new light, a sanctuary for transformation.
Speaking of in-betweens, my online timeline has been buzzing with articles and debates about the iniquitous version of Bing. While technological changes are part of human progress, cutting through the noise is essential. This in-between time of transition can change the trajectory for better or worse. Maybe the creators need to look for cues of cohesion and belonging found in nature. These brushes with the natural world help me ground into reality. Being human and being you is the biggest differentiator.
In the middle of all the futuristic inventions, the desire to feel and experience the world physically still flows through me in abundance. For a change, I am learning to enjoy this ambiguity. The impulse to not make these shiny objects an immediate part of life is very new to me. This is unlike me, who jumps into learning and experimenting with the latest technology. Perhaps this is the gift of ageing. The stillness comes to you in byte sizes.
At the moment, I am learning to sonder across the peripherals of the multiple worlds that I inhabit. The multitudes within me are at ease. There is no hurry to know it all this time, which is oddly refreshing.
The question on my mind has been, how might we light the flame of enchantment within us when we feel jaded and low? How can one learn to savour the in-between?
The poems for this week are by Nikita Gill and Hannah Emerson, which I found on Reddit and the National UK Poetry site. The poetry rabbit hole is impressive. I want to write about it in one of the future editions.
ON THE FIRST FLOWERS OF SPRING by Nikita Gill The thrush is building a nest right outside your bedroom window, and the freshly thawed breeze brings hope into your now green garden. The flowers you planted last year sing in yellow and pink blooms, spring and you are soulmates, life blossoming everywhere for you, filled with healing and promise Keep Yourself at the Beginning of the Beginning by Hannah Emerson Please try to help me go to the joy that is trying to go to the beautiful helpful helpful beginning of the beginning of the very trying freedom that we make our great great great light that is nothing but the laughter that is fooling us into believing that we go to the trash bin that is your life that become the treasures that live in the bottom of the bin that is your life yes yes yes yes – please try to dive down to the beautiful muck that helps you get that the world was made from the garbage at the bottom of the universe that was boiling over with joy that wanted to become you you you yes yes yes – please try to go to the colors that kiss you great great great person of the light that is becoming you you you yes yes – please try to keep yourself in the bottom of the bin yes yes – please try to go to the kissing muck that is very true to your life yes yes – please try to meet me there yes yes – please try to bring your beautiful nothing there yes yes
The seasonal change is almost upon us. The first signs of spring are here. Perhaps, it’s nearly time to move out of the in-betweens.