Friday, October 07, 2011

{this moment}


A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
:: Inspired by Soule Mama ::

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Thursday, October 06, 2011

Ink


"You have to trust that somehow the dots will connect in your future."
~Steve Jobs


I didn't start out with the idea of quoting Steve Jobs, but of course he is on our minds. Some events, some people leave a mark on life's time line. Before, and After.

Before Apple was a lifetime ago, and After Apple... well, it's about one of the most significant technological, even cultural, events of our time. Steve Jobs brought computers home. To more homes, and more schools, and he made them accessible and beautiful. And you don't have to be an Apple Person, to realize the significance. He made the PC vs Apple debate possible after all.

I do remember my first Apple. I was in a great little school, and the Apple sat, like a piece of art, an emblem of an ingenious present, and future. But it was not the kind of art that is roped off and guarded. The real beauty of the Apple was that everyone was welcome to get their hands on it, and play. And we did. Remember the click and whirrr, the expectation when you slipped in a disc?

I love that ever since Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak gave us Apple, I have had an optimism about technology, and an expectation that things will work well, surprisingly, delightfully well.


Of course it wasn't just magic, or good luck that made it possible to enjoy our home computers, and listening devices. And I like to remember that our pleasure in these tools came as a result of many dots being connected, including creativity, curiosity, and effort, work, persistence. A lot of people are reflecting on what Steve Jobs did, how he changed the world. I hope that what he did will serve to push us forward... forward in many directions, down new paths, through untested waters, so that we are following our hearts, and working, making, sweating, creating.


"Believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart. Even when it will lead you off the well worn path, and that will make all the difference."
~Steve Jobs

I hope that we will continue to be a country where innovation, entrepreneurship, and creativity will be supported, and encouraged. I hope we are safeguarding the opportunities and resources for the next generation of inventors and artists, so that they can do great work.


I didn't start out with the idea of writing about Steve Jobs. I wanted to post some sketches I find around the house. Alex never stops drawing, doodling, painting, thinking, designing, imagining. All those dots! William, Max, and Maria too. Seems like for about eighteen years I have been keeping in mind that I need to get more paper, pens, supplies! Binders, tables, shelves, boxes overflow... time lines of images and ideas, of connections, concepts, and visions, they are everywhere here. I like to pause, and really see them. I like to take photographs of them.


It's time for college aps. Applications. Alex has some work to do, some decisions to make. It's his job, but it's a weight we all feel and carry, each in our own way. There is a pressure... to excel, to succeed, to get into the "right" school. And I admit, it feels like a final exam on the parents: If we did everything right, then he will be welcomed into an amazing school, and then he will launch, have a brilliant career, and all will be right in the world. But only if we did our job as parents. I honestly do not want to think this way, or believe this notion, but trust me, the notion gets planted, and it grows.


What I want is for Alex to continue to feel curious, and excited, to believe that outside of high school is a landscape of opportunity, and answers waiting for his questions. I want him to go to college so he can experience new resources, and new voices, and practice his own voice. In a practical sense, I believe school will do him good. But I do not believe that it is the only gateway to success, or that a degree will guarantee him entry into a career and happiness.

I have to say, parenting has never been harder than it is right now. I never felt uncertain, or unprepared when they were newborn, when they were toddling. But now. Now is hard. I can't seem to figure out how to approach letting go, or how much to let go, or how much to hang on. I am scared of doing too little, or not letting them do enough for themselves. And even saying this out loud, knowing they may read this and know their mom is confused, uncertain... too much? Damaging?

But, when I reflect on what Steve Jobs said at the Stanford commencement, I realize that a lot of my fears and concerns are about the expectations of others, about trying to follow a well worn path, one that is actually unfamiliar to me, but which society insists we must follow. My comfort and confidence as a new mother came from my pleasure in following my own path, finding my own experts, and parenting by the instincts that I felt comfortable with. I found what I loved. So... maybe it feels hard now, because I am not parenting a child, but someone emerging, someone nearly separate, someone looking for what he loves, and connecting his own dots. And society and cultures want to intrude on this process, which makes it all very complicated and conflicted.


"You've got to find what you love. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do."
~Steve Jobs

Alex,
there is no perfect choice, no exact right path. And you know, sometimes our best plans get messed up. Ink spills. Systems fail. The key may be to keep moving forward, keep looking for what you love. And work. Work to fix the mistakes, work to find the answers, work to clean up the messes. Work to make form and function serve your purpose. Work with respect, and for respect.

I believe you have what you need to do well. I believe you will find what "well" means for you, and I hope this brings you comfort and satisfaction. There is no final exam. We just keep moving forward, and some days we realize that the dots are connecting, and we find ourselves having beautiful adventures.

Wednesday, October 05, 2011

The Birds


Well.
It is The Bird House after all.
I got inspired, this year, to go for a Halloween theme with an Alfred Hitchcock nod...

No, I won't be actually watching the movie, at least not when Betty or Maria are in the room, but I love the trailer!


Look out!
When you step inside, you will get the feeling that a whole murder of crows has descended!


They're watching...


and closing in!


No. No, I definitely would not let the chickens see that movie.

Happy October everyone!

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

This Is A Good Very Awesome Day!

Shhhhh! I gotta a little secret. We are meeting our Portland Family, face to face, hug to hug, for the very first time ever! Ever-ever! Maria thinks it is happening on Friday, and she is keeping a happy countdown, but I am about to make a magical day for her, and me, and any other Birds who want to take liberties with their regular schedule.

So! I am giddy with anticipation, and feeling a bit reckless about breaking a rule or two, but any Moment now we will be enjoying a day that has been a long time coming!

Janece, Paul, Amira... we are rising and shining, and loving this very awesome day!