on paying attention

Today is the last day of the January 2013 Mindful Writing Challenge over at Writing Our Way Home. This was the fourth time I have participated in a month-long small stones writing experience, and I found it to be the easiest one thus far to complete. Perhaps this was because I pressured myself less and just made sure that I was paying attention more. When you pay attention, it is easy to let the moments just present themselves for savoring. It is that feeling of, "wait for it.... wait for it..." (while watching too.) I also did not feel any pressure to have any of my small stones be great. So some aren't all that good, some are just okay, and some I think really captured and "polished" a moment. It was a lot of fun.

My "day job" work has been pretty busy lately, so I did find that while I was trying to post my small stones daily, I didn't put as much into this blog. (I also find goofing off over at Tumblr to be a quicker procrastination activity than settling in to create a meaningful blog post.) I hope to get back to Jade Page Press more regularly after today. No promises, but I will try.

Anyway, if you would like to scroll through some of my small stones, you will find them over at
tiny river splash. Don't forget to feed the fish! (The fishy gadget does not work on phone browsers, by the way).

peace in the new year

The Mindful Writing Challenge January 2013 has begun over at Writing Our Way Home blog. I will be participating and posting small stones over at tiny river splash.  I started my day today listening to the New Year's Eve Dharma Talk by Thich Nhat Hanh. What a lovely gift! This experience worked itself into my small stone for the day. Even if you decide you don't want to officially be a small stoner, think about just writing a small stone in your mind once a day when you see something -- and pay proper attention to one moment -- each day.

Two goals for 2013:  to multitask less and to remember to smile more. I have gotten so good at multitasking, it has become more difficult to just pay attention to one thing. Less is more when one pays attention. Smiling is a meditation, and it changes your moment in a good way. These seem like simple enough things, right? More or less. (Smile.)

[image found at charlottemindfulness.org]

a blackbird sings

I am honored that a couple of my small stones were selected this past summer for inclusion in the second anthology of small stone poems edited by Fiona Robyn and Kaspalita. A Blackbird Sings: A Book of Short Poems,Woodsmoke Press, is available on Amazon.com. I just got my paperback in the mail yesterday.

On November 1, 2012, a free Kindle download will be offered. (I have a Nook, but luckily was able to get a contributor's copy on PDF to load up.) My two poems appear on pp. 42 and 46. Exciting.

This is the second time I have submitted something to be included in a publication, and I am now two for two in getting something selected and published. (The previous anthology was published in spring 2011.) It may give me enough courage to submit some of my other poetry somewhere, someday. We'll see.

And in keeping with the theme of this book's title, enjoy this rendition of one of my favorite Beatles' songs performed by Corinne Bailey Rae and Herbie Hancock: http://youtu.be/6sn-syCPRyM.

hard frost

first hard frost

the first hard frost of fall
adheres colorful, curled leaves
to the still-green lawn at mid-morn

lace eyelet fabric of white crystals
covers patchwork shades and shapes
-- even in the shining sun

Copyright © 2012 Nan P.








Offered to We Write Poems for the prompt on landscapes.


[Note: The entire lawn is coated in a white crystal layer of frost. I was trying to show you some of the detail of the leaves and blades of grass, and in doing so, my photo misses the dramatic shrouded effect of the expanse of the littered, frosted lawn in the sunshine. The first few flakes of snow apparently flew in this area yesterday. I was out of town until about 6:30 p.m. last evening, and where I was it was considerably warmer, albeit very windy. Fall is definitely here!] I cross posted this over at tiny river splash with a different photo.

dragon fly

ancient creature
hovers and darts
above the lake

Copyright © 2012 Nan P.

time lapse

[Sometimes it feels like it is all going so fast. Sometimes I see it as time-lapse photography. Traveling down the road after dropping Matt off at school this morning . . .  a small stone presented itself. Today is the first day of spring.]

fog over the little league field

sun shining the face of the old white barn

over the rhine on the CD 

tears streaming my face

happy new year!

Every day is a journey,

and the journey itself is home.

-- Matsuo Basho

Happy New Year! I feel ready to start 2012. I stayed up until just after midnight, had a good night's rest, and am looking forward to this day where I will watch a friend sworn in to a local elected position at noon, and then plan to cook a nice dinner. There will be basketball on the telly, music and Netflix, a good book on the table, and I will put off taking down the Christmas tree for just one more day -- to the delight of the cats and the part of me that loves having a tree in the house!

The year ahead will no doubt have its challenges, as 2011 certainly did. Life is pain, sometimes. And yet, when I look at the context of my life, I feel incredibly blessed to be able to recognize that I have a healthy situation for personal growth: good health, enough resources, the love of those around me, and enough energy to work through any difficulties that are present. I am grateful. I look ahead and pray that I will have the humility and wisdom to embrace what the haiku above is telling us.

I hope you will consider joining me for the January 2012 writing challenge at The River of Stones. The basic info is HERE. I will be posting my small stones over at my other blog, tiny river splash. Have a great day!

jump in

It is almost July, and time for the River of Stones July 2011 Challenge! Would you like to write a "small stone" each day in July with me and a bunch of other people? It involves paying attention each day, and writing a little something down. Come play! I will be posting my small stones on tiny river splash, my other blog. I hope you will write with us, and if not, please stop by!

small stone blog splash - can you help?

Kaspa & Fiona have taken over my blog for today, because they need our help.

They are both on a mission to help the world connect with the world
through writing. They are also getting married on Saturday the 18th of
June.

For their fantasy wedding present, they are asking people across the
world to write them a ‘small stone’ and post it on their blogs or on
Facebook or Twitter.

A small stone is a short piece of observational writing – simply pay
attention to something properly and then write it down. Find out more
about small stones here.

If you’re willing to help, we’d love you to do two things:

1) Re-post this blog on your own blog any time before June the 18th and
give your readers a chance to hear about what we’re doing. You can
simply copy and paste the text, or you can find the html
here.

2) Write us a small stone on our wedding day whilst we’re saying our
vows and eating cake, post it on your blog, and send
it to us.

You can find out more about our project at our website, Wedding Small
Stones, and you can also read our blog at A River of Stones.

We also have a July challenge coming soon, when we’ll be challenging
you to notice one thing every day during July and write it down.

Thank you for listening, and we hope we’ll be returning from our
honeymoon to an inbox crammed with small stones, including yours.

Kaspa & Fiona

dead man's float

Big Tent Poetry had some wonderful prompts this week. I plan to come back to them soon to write to some of them. I especially want to write a poem about things in mason jars, and one about what's at the center -- and I have some ideas brewing. In the interest of self-preservation in a trying and busy week, I am cheating a little, and offer a micro-poem about floating that I actually wrote back in January for A River of Stones.

swimming in the deep end
beyond all the words --
the dead man's float makes me feel most alive.

Copyright © 2011 Nan P.

pay attention

I was very excited to learn that one of my "small stones" submitted to a river of stones for their book project was accepted for publication! The book is comprised of more than 300 small stones written by people from all over the world.

Fiona and Kaspa invited participants of the January project to submit up to 10 small stones for consideration. It was an interesting process trying to select 10 from 31. One was selected. Which one? It was not one I necessarily expected to be selected. It is the urban birdsong stone, and it can be found on p. 38 of the 128 page book. It was thrill to see it in print (well, in the e-download).

The book is called pay attention: a river of stones. If you are interested in ordering a copy of the book (paperback, hardcover, or e-book download), you can visit the links from the river of stones site, here. Right now the book is only available at Lulu, but it will be available on Amazon soon. Not sure about Barnes and Noble. Hope so. Anyway, you can get a 20% discount through Monday at midnight using the code GIANT305.

river stone.31

in a daydream, she picked up a river stone on her front porch

and side-arm skipped it across the wide river of snowfall

in the front yard.

"oh no! the river stone has disappeared underneath all the snow!"

not to worry: come spring, that stone, and many more, will reappear.

[Process notes: Today, the last day of January, marks the 31st consecutive day of gathering small moments of paying proper attention and posting them here as part of "a river of stones" international small stones writing month. I am happy to report that with a little self-discipline, I posted one "aros" stone each day, and I didn't write ahead. I kept to the moment!

The last day of this process however, ironically brought me some frustration. Wouldn't you know, today, the last day, presented me with many work-day challenges and I was not very good at being mindful. And here I wanted it to be the BEST polished stone ever. Ha ha ha.

So today's offering, ironically, is a daydream I had -- with the hope of polishing many more stones in the springs ahead. Thanks to Fiona and Kaspa for "putting this on." I look forward to participating again in July.]

[Note: a river of stones involves writing a small stone every day during the month of January 2011. "What is a small stone? A small stone is a polished moment of paying proper attention."]

river stone.30

my face tingles cool-warm
as it hits the air inside the house.
after a brisk winter walk
I feel grateful and alive.

[Note: a river of stones involves writing a small stone every day during the month of January 2011. "What is a small stone? A small stone is a polished moment of paying proper attention."]

river stone.29

hanging from above the half-court line,
Christ from his crucifix
watches the game with equanimity


* Process notes -- written at the St. Mary's School gymnasium this morning during a youth basketball game.

[Note: a river of stones involves writing a small stone every day during the month of January 2011. "What is a small stone? A small stone is a polished moment of paying proper attention."]

river stone.28

rushing and crunching through

another lunch at my desk,

the apple's revelation finally arrives

with the last few bites:

it is not right to ignore the joy

of eating an apple.

that is the true fall from grace.

[Note: a river of stones involves writing a small stone every day during the month of January 2011. "What is a small stone? A small stone is a polished moment of paying proper attention."]

river stone.27

all night long, the poem tried to escape
through the twists and turns of the sheets.
each burdened rotation became
not this, not this, and not this.
when she woke up in the morning,
it had packed its bags and gone.


[Note: a river of stones involves writing a small stone every day during the month of January 2011. "What is a small stone? A small stone is a polished moment of paying proper attention."]

river stone.26

urban birdsong:
a noisy fan belt chirps
as the van clatters down the street.

[Note: a river of stones involves writing a small stone every day during the month of January 2011. "What is a small stone? A small stone is a polished moment of paying proper attention."]

river stone.25

tired eyes

search to see the world

through someone else's glasses.

[Note: a river of stones involves writing a small stone every day during the month of January 2011. "What is a small stone? A small stone is a polished moment of paying proper attention."]

river stone.24

frozen hills at sunrise share a salmon-pink aura --
with bright moon, just past the half, still visible in the light blue sky.
meanwhile, winter air, at 16 below *
bites my eyelids, cheeks and nose.

(*That's Fahrenheit degrees, folks. For those outside the U.S., that would be -27 Celsius)

[Note: a river of stones involves writing a small stone every day during the month of January 2011. "What is a small stone? A small stone is a polished moment of paying proper attention."]

river stone.23

spirited snowboarder
sees only sun and sparkling snow
even when it's eight below


[Note: a river of stones involves writing a small stone every day during the month of January 2011. "What is a small stone? A small stone is a polished moment of paying proper attention."]