Would you think I was ludicrous for trying to bring Wordsworth to the ears of my three young messmonsters?
Had you been at our dinner table this evening, I'm sure you would have said YES. Then you would have erupted into the same fit of giggles as Chickpea and Libellule when their nearly 7 year old brother let out a resounding BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRP! just as I was preparing to inspire them with the profound words below:
"And I have felt
A presence that disturbs me with the joy of elevated thoughts;
a sense sublime
Of something far more deeply interfused,
Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns,
And the round ocean, and the living air,
And the blue sky, and in the Mind of man;
A motion and a spirit, that impels
All thinking things, all objects of all thought,
And rolls through all things."
Effort 1:
Skilfully Thwarted
Do you think Wordsworth ever burped at the table?
Is there a message in there somewhere? A lesson? A cry from the heavens? A couple of extra commandments for a homeschooling (desperately seeking artist within) mother to bear in mind?
Thou shalt not try to disturb the natural processes of the universe by inflicting classical poetry on under age boys, lest the natural processes of the universe rise up against you at the table.
Thou shalt not impose a routine of rules on the motion and spirit that impels life itself (or at least thine own children) lest the spirit itself make a motion in some inappropriate form and bring you back to your rightful, humble place.
Sigh… In desperation I ask you, what other meaning can I find in this act?? That joy is definitely present and rolling through my Messmonsters as vibrantly as the light of the setting suns and the blue of the Provençal sky?
Possums, for the moment it would seem that ''calligrapher Ange'' has taken a back seat to 'teacher Ange' - at least until the end of January when I hope to have cleared the rest of the mess organised my studio and installed a satisfactory heating system .
Thou shalt not make unrealistic and untenable deadlines for yourself.
Pffff. Bravely flouting the rules I say to you dearies, "Be patient! We are going through some unexpected turbulence.
Programming will return to normal, whatever that is. There will be more Words on Wood - but in the mean time, the only inspiration I have to share with you is being provided by my three trusty sidekicks messmonsters as we bumble through our homeschooling beginnings together by the fire, for better or for worse, on a rainy Toulousain afternoon."
Patience? Nahhh - This is it! This is life! Wordsworth and the messies would surely have had a fabulous time together! Although I doubt Wordsworth ever burped at the table, they all seem to inherently understand that life is not perfection but a crazy roller coaster of uninterrupted interuptions and the sooner you go with the flow, the more enjoyable the experience.
Wanna go for a ride??!!
Just before I hit the pillow, as it is now after 2am, and we all know late nights aren't becoming to an over 40 year old mother/artist come teacher ;), I wanted to share a couple of important personal messages.
First of all … To Jane, there are more prayers of strength, love and courage, pouring out to you and your family from us all here in Toulouse, for as long as you need them.
To all my Australian bloggie friends, the fam, and all of flooded Queensland, more prayers that the waters will subside and dry land is found again quickly.
To those of you who have taken the time to read my last post and comment so exquisitely, I do intend to drop by and write back to you all personally. It will happen. You know my fondness for late entrances ;-)
Much love to all.
*All photos taken in New Zealand and unmodified due to severe lack of time!!
