It’s been a little rough coming home. I had imagined landing and being able to just move forward: no jet lag, no illness. I wanted to believe that I could just STEAM ahead – fully, completely – like I have done before. But, alas, that has not been the case. I struggle with how off-balance I have been, and this serves to ERODE my confidence in my ability to travel for such a long time. CHIEF among my concerns is my aging body, as well as an increased sense of vulnerability when traveling. Will we have to curtail travel abroad? Limit ourselves to the PINEY woods of North Carolina or art museums of Indiana? Or travel virtually – like the old travel films at the IU Auditorium (aimed at the armchair or solely nostalgic traveler)? I grapple with the notion that all too soon I might be relegated to staring at a PIXEL on a screen, trying to convince myself it’s as good as being there.

Georg’ann

Our morning activity,
a zen photography walk
to cultivate presence-
necessary for sitting with
rather than doing to

After they’d gone for the day
I created a slideshow
of their world views
seeing what of mine
I recognized in theirs

In the grey of today
I’m holding LIGHT
shining through SILKY milkweed filament
gossamer strands beginning
to separate, finding the wind
they’ll blow across the FIELD
This image in PIXEL form
opens a softness in me
so delicate I, too, could be
carried on a gentle breeze

Heather