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The Waking
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.
I learn by going where I cannot go.
We think by feeling. What is there to know?
I hear my being dance from ear to ear.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Of those so close beside me, which are you?
God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there,
And learn by going where I have to go.
Light takes the Tree, but who can tell us how?
The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair;
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Great Nature has another thing to do
To you and me; so take the lively air,
And, lovely, learn by going where to go.
This shaking keeps me steady. I should know.
What falls away is always. And is near.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I learn by going where I have to go.
--Theodore Roethke
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Joy's Updates - Straight from the Horse's Mouth.
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Friday, July 25, 2003
Visit from Down Under
My friend Janey has been in town visiting her family, and I got to see her this week. The last time I saw her was just before she moved to Australia, probably around sixteen years ago. We've been in touch some, but seeing her and catching up was wonderful. Her children are teenagers now. Her sense of humor and intelligence are right up there with Dorothy Parker's, and she's fun to be around. We carried on our usual range of conversational topics from personal to global. I like hearing her perspectives after growing up here and living there for so long.
We both laughed about when we lived next door to each other while we were both teaching English at DCHS. Neither of us found anyone else we could play tennis with who was at our level. We'd both taken and passed a class in tennis in colege, so we knew it in theory and had learned the basics. Then as we played, we both progressed to the same level of mediocrity. At first we were glad we could keep the ball in the court. Later on, volleys were a source of delight. Occasionally we impressed ourselves even though no one else would have applauded. We thought we were clever announcing our own games in our best Wimbledon voices, "Advahntage, Good Guy" or by shouting poxes on serves and such. Afterwards we'd go to one of our houses and make milkshakes with coffee ice cream, milk, Kahlua, and sometimes chocolate syrup (always alcoholic coffee milkshakes though) and play backgammon. We'd also go to movies, play Stratego, shop, drive to Nashville just to go to Baskin-Robbins, visit people, see psychics recreationally, and all kinds of things. We had our Lucy and Ethel moments, especially one time driving back from the flea market where we both bought alleged antique trunks we knew weren't but liked them anyway. That's when I had this Chevy Malibu which was good since one trunk fit in the back seat and one in the front seat. Janey was wedged in beside her trunk and mine rode as a passenger while I drove. They were too big for the trunk of the car. This trip was made more exciting by stopping on the way home to eat. We made it back with them. I still have mine, but Janey sold hers when she was in law school.
There are beginning to be places open until 9:00 pm there since most shops close at 5:00 in Adelaide. Janey said people are voicing concerns about it and wondering when the ones who work there will have time to spend with their families and what will happen to the smaller shops. I remember when it was like that here. The Puritan Work Ethic, which causes its own problems, has turned into into overworking, overscheduling, and overspending since this is a greed-based society. We're feeding the wrong hunger and filling needs not satisfied the way most Americans are going about it.
I've really missed Janey and was so glad to see her. I'm going to visit her when I can work it out - possibly as part of my celebration when I retire in TWO MORE YEARS!! It will be fun to go to Australia and even more fun to visit her again.
12:10:00 PM
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