2. The beautiful noise of failure.

I'm so into flowers at the moment, it's embarassing.  I'd do an Elton John and have fresh bouquets delivered for every room in the house every week if I had an Elton John sort of  budget.  Never mind, I think that my $5 bunch of tulips from the supermarket thrill me every bit as much as his quadrillion specialised arrangements thrill him.  Look at how the soft petals fold shyly over one another, the way the subtle shades of pink gently bleed their way from top to bottom. It leaves me in awe.  See?  Embarassing.

I've learned a new word this week: quotidian.  It means "everyday: found in the ordinary course of events."  The more I give up on the grand and the global and look toward the quotidian instead, the more satisfied I become.  I have a nagging feeling that this is where the best things, the important things, reside.   I can't quite articulate what I mean by this just yet, and I suspect it is going to take me a lifetime to try, but I'm good with that.

Eilidh is home again from school today. I'm starting to resent this long running saga of minor illnesses and the restriction of freedom it brings. On any other day I would be glad of the chance to forgo pressing errands and be still for a few hours, but the moment the choice is removed I decide there is nothing more I'd rather do than visit the gym, or grocery shop, or return my (not overdue yet! miracle!) library books. 

I wrote this poem down in my notebook a few weeks ago especially for you because I thought you would like it.  You may have read it already. It's "August in Waterton, Alberta", by Bill Holm.

Above me, wind does its best

to blow leaves off

the aspen tree a month too soon.

No use wind.  All you succeed

in doing is making music, the noise

of failure growing beautiful.

Love that.

M.

Comments

[Frogdancer]

I loved the poem. A moment captured...

[ellen kelley]

A beautiful poem...so truly true..aspens so lovely when they chatter gently in the wind and turn to precious gold in the fall.
Your words are lovely, "everyday".

[Tanya B.]

How is it that I can read along on your words and think, "yes! yes! I hear that!" and then can't think of coherent sentences to post in a comment?

I guess you leave me speechless. :-)

I love, love, love the lemon photo (and all the layers of meaning I am personally attaching for MY OWN life ;-)) as well as your New Birthday Year Resolution. And I am CRAZY about your quotidian focus....of which, you are already a Master. Yes, you are. For at least a few years now.

I can't tell you how much I agree that the best things really are in the simple, ordinary and everyday. Thank you for the truly beautiful reminders.

Brava, Megan!

PS: those tulips.....better, better, better than any floral delivery. :-)

[French Knots]

Thank you for the beautiful poem, I have written it in my notebook too.

[Judith]

I marvel at daily discoveries too-including your blog that I found following a most circuitous route. The poem speaks directly, doesn't it? I too will write it down.

[cathleen]

Oh my! There is no doubt. You do take really great, and I do mean GREAT, photos!

[marianne]

You have given me a new word. 'Quotidian, quotidian, quotidian..' It make me very happy.
Thank you.

[ms.cleaver]

I'm with you on the Elton John flower for every room, I've always said if I was wealthy, the first thing I'd do was always have tons of fresh flowers on hand.

[Tricia Sagen]

I love Bill Holm. I just finished re-reading his book of essays on China "Coming Home Crazy"(in honor of the Olympics) and "The Heart Can Be Filled Anywhere on Earth." Thanks for the bit of poetry to round-out my time with him!
Tricia

[monica]

beautiful.