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It's alive! My blog that had been collecting cobwebs and spam comments has risen from the dead! It's true...go have a look! I can't promise it'll save your soul, but my new #vlinevignette series is all about restoring my writing practice, and in its own way, saving my soul. I plan to post weekly with one or more piece of #microfiction from my commute. Quick sketch using a pen, leaving no room for erasure or pefectionism. I am fully aware of the slight train obsession I have going on, with this being the 3rd train image of 31 🚂🚆🚄 ▫ #writingcraft #kindalikewitchcraft #amwriting #amdrawing #vlineapologisesforthedelay #bloggersofinstagram #resurrection #theartistsway #writerswriteright #flashfiction #trainspotter #quietcarriage

Funny how the collective unconscious works. I wrote this story in 2016 and before posting here, I looked up ‘Chambered Nautilus’ to learn more about the painting, only to discover there was a poem by that same name written 98 years prior to Wyeth’s painting. Interestingly; there are parallels between that poem and my story (based on a lazy scan on my part of someone else’s thoughts on the extended metaphor in the poem). I love when there are deeper, ‘unintended’ layers to something I have created. Wyeth may have been inspired by Oliver Wendell Holmes’ poem and perhaps the spirit of the poem is what I saw when using his painting as a writing prompt. ▫ Link in bio for the rest of the story (or search blog for ‘Chambered Nautilus’) and my gushing about some serendipitous gems while doing research for this story. ▫ 🎨Chambered Nautilus (1956) by Andrew Wyeth 📷 Mia Feigelson, Flickr ▫ #chamberednautilus #andrewwyeth #oliverwendellholmes #inspiration #collectiveunconcious #serendipity #synchronicity #waswriting #amwriting #bloggersofinstagram #10000hoursleftarchive #scifi #dystopia #sarahvaughn #emotions #speculativefiction #microfiction

We stopped at Novosibirsk and waited on the platform; as with all other stops, there were locals selling soda, peanuts, pickled fish, two-minute noodles, and the powdered mash potato that had been my staple; I’d get hot water from the surly samovar attendant and with a little stirring, giving me that sense of having cooked a meal, I turned out a delicious starchy mush that paired nicely with whatever vodka was going. There were families making the journey home with large household goods, crossing more time-zones than IKEA could deliver; soldiers bidding farewell to teary loved ones; itinerant workers decked out in hi-vis; and, at a distance I liked to maintain, others who were clearly tourists like me, although I felt less tourist like with the scene now familiar enough, so much so that I thought nothing of a lady waiting beside a kitchen sink laden with pots and pans, her layered clothing giving her slight frame a look of sturdiness, a pale blue shawl covering her head like a matryoshka doll; she didn’t look strong enough to be moving her belongings but it became evident that it was mounted on wheels, a fact I noted when she began to inch it closer to the edge of the platform, not minding the gap as she joined forces with her inner matryoshka and gave it a heave over the edge, the cacophony of clanging metal catching the attention of the others. To continue, follow link in bio 🚉 #novosibirsk #russia #norush #transsiberian #flashfiction #microfiction #traveltales #10000hoursleftarchive #amwriting #bloggersofinstagram #wordpressblogger #peoplewatching

While making pesto, I mentally scheduled bath time upon my return to coincide with spirals of pasta bubbling and boiling on the stove top and estimated I'd be home by 6 and have dinner on the table by 7. I kissed my boy goodbye and felt the sweet freedom of the upcoming 90 minutes of priceless moments for myself...celebration enough of IWD, but there was more! I went to a talk by @lorenacarrington - a very talented photographic artist sharing her experiences of collaborating with women and in doing so, busting the tired old narrative of women being catty wenches who undermine one another, green with envy and riddled with insecurities. Her work with Kate Forsyth retells the overlooked fairytales that turn these narratives upside down, where women and girls are wise, brave, help one another, celebrate each other's wins and redefine 'happily ever after'. Without supporting other women, how can we expect that from men? Being a feminist begins with valuing the self and other women and smashing these myths as fiercely as we smash the patriachy. I'm thankful for all the amazing women in my life and hope to raise my son to continue being 'wise, brave and kind', to be that way in interactions with every human, without conscious or unconscious bias on which subgroups of 'human' are deserving of kindness, equality, opportunity, equity and ultimately, love. Happy IWD x #intersectionalfeminism #intersectionality #kimberlécrenshaw #iwd #iwd2019 #collaboration #vasilisathewise #vasalisathewise #womenwhorunwiththewolves #lorenacarrington #kateforsyth #clarisapinkolaestes #womankind #goldfieldslibrary

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galaxy

Laniakae

Constellation_Fornax,_EXtreme_Deep_Field

There is a universe in the mundane

Speckled old gum on concrete

Chewed in quiet contemplation

Discarded without thought

En route

The road less travelled

Or maybe something more familiar

Like a walk around the block

3 Comments

July 3, 2015July 3, 2015 10000hoursleft

chewing gum earth galaxy laniakae life mindfulness mundane perspective poetry reflection road less travelled terrestrial universe

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