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Writing Through the Pandemic: November 17, Number 1

November 17, 2020 By Laura Davis 1 Comment - Read & Respond

What is living in you at this moment? What duet of wonder and grief marks your world?

You can share your response to this prompt below.

Filed Under: Tuesdays with Laura

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Comments

  1. AISLYN says

    November 18, 2020 at 12:45 pm

    Alive in me is the imprint of a hand, spat on one-hundred thousand years ago. Alive inside is a cowering instinct to shelter as branches rake the sky, handled roughly by the marching wind.
    The story inside my story.

    The reflex, the cycle, the molecules spinning in their daily work. Invisible power raking at my temperament, blustering my inner eye so that the day appears blurry and far away.

    I am always in my hot pink fluffy robe now it seems. Padded wooly socks up to my knees, traipsing from kitchen to living room, to makeshift school office. Feeding children cheerios, raisins. Offering nice hot tea that always sits undrunk next to the math cubes, Chrome book, and mini dry erase board that has become my child’s new school.

    We are alive, the three of us, under the roof skittered by Redwood bracts, gray squirrels chittering just beyond the window.

    We are alive as we call to each other from room to room, “Mom! Can you put on a story?”
    “Can you come finish your food please!?”

    Our warm little bodies so safe and cozy inside walls of wood, plaster, insulation. Padded from the sting of cold, the gasp of a high wind rattling the treetops.

    My thoughts ramble around too, inside my head. Buffered from the tension of a “real work” day, soothed by podcasts and News Hours. Dinging from moment to moment, through the cavernous space of open time.

    It is joyful and agonizing.

    Relentless freedom, harnessed only by my conjured intention. “Who wants to go outside today?”
    My children have full use of the power of not hearing things. They instead pour intricate stories all over their Legos and Magnatiles. A complex social web of miniature plastic molded figures inhabits our living room. Their world is enormous and constantly opening into newer modalities. The red Magnatile house transforms quickly into a flying Triangular Prism Mobile, blasting to the sanctuary of the carboard box, freshly painted to house the green Sorry game characters as well as the runaway Lego teenager.

    The vastness of possibilities is choking sometimes. I catch my mind as it churns, searching for a hold or purchase in the sea of endless life. I can’t help calling up the images of homeless people, Yemeni children, my ancestors who died scratching at the ground- starved by a blighted potato and a wretched system.

    It’s not for the purpose of stirring up guilt that these images arise. It is to keep my swirling mind within some kind of boundary, something with perspective and an open row for intention to be planted.

    My hands hold cups of tea and my hot pink phone- scrolling for a light to rest on. Searching, searching for the point of all of this.

    Inside me, millennia of molecular dances, pairings, transformations, bindings, excretions.
    The Universe rolls as the estrogen surges, progesterone drops. I’m physically reminded of the inside life of hormones as I cramp and bleed, feel sleepy and grouchy.

    And slowly, as the red fades to brown, I watch out the window as a marvelous school of bright yellow leaves swim through the sky- hurtling excitedly towards the mystery of whatever is next.

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Like this Virtual Vacation?

You can also read about Laura’s travels to:

Peru 2017

In which Laura and Karyn and 18 writers explore Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley of Peru.

Serbia 2017

In which Laura leads a workshop at the Incest Trauma Center.

Greece 2016

In which Laura explores the wonders of Crete and Santorini with a wide-eyed group of Write, Travel, Transform adventurers.

Vietnam 2015/16

In which Laura, who grew up during the Vietnam War, goes to Southeast Asia and finds out what Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are really like today.

Commonweal 2015

A journey toward healing loss and grief in a magnificent Northern California setting.

Scotland 2015

In which Laura returns to Scotland with a new group for another jaunt through the wonders of the Scottish Highlands.

Scotland 2013

In which Laura attends the Edinburgh theatre festival and leads 14 writers to a magical retreat in the highlands of Northern Scotland.

Bali 2013

In which Laura visits Australia, and spends three weeks diving, exploring, and teaching in three regions of Bali.

Florida 2014

A journey into old age in America in which Laura brings her 86-year-old mother to Florida so she can see her last surviving sister one final time.

Mexico 2014

In which Laura attends the San Miguel Writer’s Conference and explores the artistic towns around Patzcuaro.

About Laura Davis

In the course of my career as a communicator, I have also worked as a columnist, talk show host, radio reporter, radio producer, blogger, editor, and speaker. Words have always been at the core of my work and my self-expression. Read More . . .

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Retreating with Laura: Julie Sheehan

Julie Sheehan

For many years I put off my dream of writing and traveling. I told myself the kids were too little, my husband could never survive without me, that I couldn't possibly be so selfish. I couldn't imagine realistically stepping out of all of my responsibilities and roles. Then I started attending Laura’s summer retreat at Commonweal in northern California and that became an annual gift to myself for the next three years.

When the opportunity to travel with Laura internationally came up, my Land of Later mentality said I could never pull it off. But when my friend got cancer at age 39, I decided to stop taking life and it's endless opportunities to grow, live, nurture and explore myself for granted.

My children were 6 and 9 when I began allowing myself the luxurious pleasure of taking 10 days to two weeks each year to travel abroad with Laura, to spend time with like minded, soul searching people who share a passion for living and writing, to have all my meals prepared for me, to have the space and freedom to stretch out of my cage and check in with who I am, what I want, and how best to get there.

Laura is a skilled and nurturing teacher who encourages her students to take risks, to grow as human beings, and to be vulnerable. She has provided me with a forum where I can gain all my CEUs and learn techniques on how to become a more engaging writer, all while completing yearly emotional rehab.

I return home from each of Laura’s trip a little wiser, a little more open, and a lot more compassionate. I greet my family, friends and daily life with sparkly, clean energy and a renewed patience, brought about by way of re-writing old stories that I needed to let go of. I come home ready to move forward in my life.

A retreat with Laura Davis is one of the best gifts I ever received and gave myself. It took many years to realize that I was worth the time and financial investment, but now there is no looking back.

Julie Sheehan, Livermore California

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