Tuesday, August 11, 2009

The Pause

Q: What is the difference between a cat and a comma?
A: One has claws at the ends of its paws. The other's a pause at the end of a clause.


It was only one digit-joint that got squished in the car trunk door, yet the pain has sapped my energy and curtailed my sewing. Last Saturday was also the 6th anniversary of my youngest brother's death. I usually put some sort of marker in honor of him on this blog, but this year I just didn't have it in me to do so.

Usually, when I say that I'm taking a blog vacation, I get a sudden burst of creativity that inspires me to write anew. I hope that the process of creation will happen once again.

And now, I'm going to stick my thumb in a glass of ice water. :)

11 comments:

Lone Star Ma said...

Thinking of you with love.

Anamaria (bookstogether) said...

Take care of your thumb and your heart, Farida.

tanita✿davis said...

My voice teacher always said to breathe through the pauses.

Breathe.

Anonymous said...

Excessive stress makes one more accident-prone. Some R&R is the best thing you could do for yourself, I think.

Saints and Spinners said...

Thank you, all. Adrienne is dead-on about the stress levels. Right before I slammed my thumb, I was upset that Lucia had run out to the street-side of the car to avoid a dog on a leash. I know it's irrational on her part, but I need to figure out a way for her to deal with her fear of dogs.

I did tell her that if she could do her part to face her fear of dogs to the point where she practices safe behavior and can go to houses with dogs without freaking out, then Bede and I would do our part to get over our fear of Chuck E. Cheese or some other overstimulating venue that intrigues her!

Vivian Mahoney said...

Thinking of you. Hugs.

Lone Star Ma said...

Funny bargain. Marigold started running for the street in fear of a dog this evening. He was barking fiercely and bounding at her, though, so I sort of understood, but he was chained and couldn't reach us. She's scared of dogs mostly but not all dogs - I can't predict which ones get exempt somehow.

The Library Lady said...

The dog thing is hard. JR is scared of those damned pugs our neighbor has because they chased her. They're harmless things, but it's made her dog wary, even when they're on a leash.

On the other hand, our dear friends who we stayed with last week have a part beagle, part lord knows what that seems to think she's a cat. JR is shy of her, but still says "I LIKE Kiara!"

I too was terrified of dogs, but got over it thanks to my cousins LARGE, but utterly sweet German Shepard/Collie mix. Give her time. She has to work this out on her own.

Ice that thumb and let your brain rest for a bit. Inspiration will return when you least expect it. With me, it's usually when I'm in the shower or something....

Jules at 7-Imp said...

Just rest. Rest your digit. And your soul.

Saints and Spinners said...

Thank you all. The thumb seems to be on the mend finally (no waking up from the pain anymore) and I've started doing some sewing, though I'm still a little clumsy. It's been just Lucia and me these past few days while Bede is at GenCon, and it's a different pace as a result. One of the things I brought out that I had been saving was a Fairytale Spinner Game made by eeBoo (you can do an internet search for it if you're curious). It would be fairly simple for one to make a homemade version of the game with drawings or cut-out pictures. I bought it with book credit. :) It's helped to kick-start Lucia's storytelling in a different direction by spinning for a setting, main character, rival, mode of transportation, magical helper and magical talisman. We're pretty fluid about the rules, and it's enjoyable to hear her different versions of stories inspired by the visuals.

Regarding dogs, she stiffened and walked fast when she saw a dog on a leash today, but she didn't strain and bolt. I was proud of her, and told her so. Sometimes I wondered if things would be different if I loved dogs. Library Lady, you're right about Lucia ultimately having to work this out on her own. I just don't want to miss giving her a tool she needs.

Nancy Falkow - Mc Bride said...

sending you good thoughts from across the pond
xoxo
nancy