Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Setting Free the Bears

When life is hard, then harder, then fossilized into a shell over your skin so tight and so fragile it breaks with the smallest tapping of the new thing trying to be born,

then there are things that must be done. Firstly, right yourself. Are you sleeping enough? Your mother told you. Your doctor told you. Even your Uncle Alfred who farted and belched loudly after turkey dinner told you - you must sleep enough, or simply nothing works just right. Your brain is your gateway to reality. If you close off the energy force the gateway will not work, and your entire perception of reality will be tilted, see- just so - just enough to make you slightly wonky. I'm already wonky on my own, born and bred, and need no help in that direction. Next,

are you eating healthy? Every meal should be protein, veggie, healthy carb (nothing white, but brown rice, multigrain breads). Eat in intervals that feel natural to your body. Drink water. You don't like a shrively pruney lemon looking face, do you? Well you don't want your brain this way either. Drink. Then there are the essential caretaking measures: shower, shave, scrub your pits. If, because of lack of hygiene, you happen to randomly and repeatedly catch a whiff of your own sour stench repeatedly during the day while trying to interact with other life forms, you might find you like yourself a little less. ' Anyone worthwhile, ' you might think ' would not smell like pig ass when they have a perfectly available and working shower, equipted with the latest modern miracles like razors and soap. ' Shower. Lather. Make large, ridiculously cheerful bubbles, and sing. I recommend singing a rap song in operetta. I do, and it makes me happy. Also,

don't forget to wear clean clothes that fit well. Now you are fed a nutritious meal, showered and shaved, dressed and standing tall. Let's begin by setting the mood. Music Please... and
Flowers. Pick some, buy some, just get em, anyway you can, and spread them around your

places. Your places are usually work,
home, maybe a lover's apartment,
or your psychotherapist- wherever
you spent a lot of time. Put them there. Also, while I'm on the subject,
be Naked. Often. Get in touch with your body, as a living breathing beautiful form, not just as a clothes
hanger or food hamper. Have Sex.
If you have no one to have sex with,
have it with yourself. Do something
that feels good, and feel good about it. See? Your 8th grade Religious Studies
teacher was wrong about masturbation, because I have neither 1. pimples nor 2. scales on my hands.

Take every opportunity to Dance * yes dance, dance i said, not only you sexy people, all you sly muthas, just get out there and dance- Dance, I Said!* Salt and Pepa knew. So should you.
I dance in the shower ( not while soaping and singing. that might get tricky. ) I dance in the car. I dance at work, to the amusement of my co-workers ( Yes you, Stephanie and Heather ) I even hurt my right butt cheek dancing to Michael Jackson in the sun room two days ago.
Remember White Nights? How could you not want to tap and leap your way into life!



Now we are somewhat refreshed. Here is where we begin to think of how we can be of Service to one another. To the people around us. I had my son at 19, and learned one of the greatest lessons of my life in his birth: acting in behalf of another human being is one of the greatest healing actions available to us. Not the daily 'allowances' that we make for one another- these things that we confuse with service to our friends and family but really are only small ways to drive ourselves crazy- the constant yes when no is meant, the answering of phones at any occasion or time, the need and demand for availability ( IM, Chat, Facebook, Phone, Cell, Email), this kind of thing. To care and love in a healing way means that we keep our eyes open for the person who needs and desires it. This is stopping when a flustered, near tears elderly lady cannot find her money and paying for her coffee, taking on a mentor role in a young person's life, volunteering an an Assisted Living Facility or Pediatric Unit at the hospital, making dinner twice a week for the family of someone undergoing cancer treatments- these and million other actions are what unite us as a people and bring peace and meaning to our lives.

Then there is the indomitable Spirit. As a writer and poet and passionate person in general, I have only once in my adult life felt disconnected from my spirit, and I fought tooth and nail to regain my whole. I believe that literally the act of holding your head up is a physical way to pull the strings of the spirit. I will NOT look down at the fucking ground. Everything we do to nourish our spirit is reflected back eventually. I am a huge believer in taking positive action even when you cannot see the results. The lack of results is a facade. Holding your head up, repeating marching orders to yourself ( you will be able to do this, yes ), reading about the particular issues you have in life, talking to friends, a therapist, service - it all becomes part of the gust of spirit that will eventually blow through you and lift you back up where you belong. So,

finding what nourishes the Spirit is an important part of growing up. I'm 34. Am I grown up yet?

Can I Set Free The Bears?


Next time we will discuss:

Drinking
Vacationing in ill-mowed and unkept squares of green (otherwise known as my backyard)
The in-house prescription for cheer
Sticky notes of love (not what you might think)
Animals and their furry hairy magic
and
Children make good clowns, there for your amusement

Life is full of misery, loneliness, and suffering - and it's all over much too soon. -Woody Allen

XOXO
Maggie May
Elizabeth said...

I love this post -- it's so infectious. Thank you for your spirit, maggie may.

PurestGreen said...

Hurrah for being naked! I shall buy some flowers this weekend. Two pots worth!

Wonderful post. Made me giddy.

Steam Me Up, Kid said...

You need to put this on CD so I can wake up to it every morning!

Anonymous said...

yes!
i think the same things when i am depressed or worried about anything....
i shower, i sing, i dance, i record my crazy dancings with nick´s camera. and i love flowers, painting... oh fuchsia, pink, electric blue, purple....
i bought yestarday a beautiful top. oh my breasts, i love me being naked, that´s to love your femininity.
come on , maggie! you are not alone....
xoxoxoxo
yolanda

Jeanne Estridge said...

I may have to buy the "White Nights" DVD -- I'd forgotten how much watching MB lifts my spirits.

Love to you, girl, for coming through so much with so much left to give to others.

Sharon said...

Love this video clip and yes, I do feel like running around the room right now, since I dance like "shit"...I think running around would describe what I would do to the music....and your Spirit...well, your Spirit is AWESOME!! Keep holding that head up:)

aurbie said...

You have described my life perfectly, except that I eat no meat.

Love those bears. So cute!

Ms. Moon said...

Maggie May, Maggie May, Maggie May. Where do I start?
First off, I should send you some of my homemade soap.
Secondly, one of the best things about being a hippie was the nudity. We were unashamed of our bodies. At least as much as possible.
Flowers everywhere! Inside and out.
Good food. Simple, connected to the earth food.
Helping others. Many ways to do that.
And White Nights? Oh my. Two beautiful, gorgeous men dancing. Gregory Hines was one of the loves of my life. How can he be not among us anymore?
Well, thank you for all of that and the more, too.
And here's a secret: We never become adults. There is no such thing. We are all nine years old.

a mouthy irish woman? ridiculous! said...

dancing NAKED in my cube right now. much to the dismay of my co-workers.

too bad.

i'm workin it.

thanks maggie, you were my morning shot of sunshine...right in the ass. :)

Anonymous said...

So well said Maggie! And yes, infectious is the word I would use! LOVE THIS.
(DANA, LER)

Cid said...

I am going to link my page to yours. I so needed your words this morning and others might too. Thank you.

Badass Geek said...

Inspiring.

Annie said...

Yep. Good sleep, nutrition, sex, service, cleanliness, creativity, and love. A great prescription!

(Guess what? We never grow up, we just grow. "Growing up" seems to be a myth. At least for me, it's always a struggle to find balance, and we do achieve peace, with ourselves and each other, but only in snatches, in moments. And then there are other satisfying emotions, as well.)

Beth said...

My favourite parts from all these wonderful lessons?
Holding one’s head up in order to keep our spirits lifted – and the Nietzsche quotation.
Great post.

Unknown said...

Just reading this entire post (twice mind you!) has indeed lifted my spirit so it is true that your work is done for the day if you so choose :) Now I will go and pay it forward by hanging out with my friend (who just got out of surgery) and helping to care for her twin boys (7 months) because that is the right thing to do as a friend. This was wonderful and just fyi I am so stealing the description "pig-ass" lol :)

YES Gallery + Studio said...

You are such a wise and beautiful soul, Maggie. We love you out here in cyber space. You can't know the full impact of you words (none of us ever do) but know that you have made one, over and over, in many lives. Bless you!!

(Oh, and also, I think this should be submitted as an essay to some kind of "Body + Soul" type magazine.)

Unknown said...

awesome. awesome. awesome. :)

Lacey said...

I think this is my very favorite post of yours ever. Which is kind of a big deal.

Steph(anie) said...

[Deep breath] Thank you. Much love to you.

Kate Moore said...

See, I told you. Get some sleep. A beautiful post. Mind if I share it?

compulsively yours...for now said...

i love this post

anymommy said...

I'm not grown up yet. And delightfully, I don't think you are either.

TC said...

On the subject of sleep... I've found before that while it's of the upmost importance, sometimes it's very elusive in the face of stress. Ironic that you can't get any when you most need it.

Unknown said...

I love this, have sex a lot, get NAKED, scrub pits! My husband and I have the Naked Vow. If someone yells "NAKED TIME", we must comply. Undress and continue as normal, sans clothes.

Robin. said...

maggie mae you are lovely, thank you for commenting on my blog so that i may find your words.

Unknown said...

Loved this, I devoured every word and when I got to the White Knights part I thought of how freakin' hot Misha was in The Turning Point. He was amazing in that movie. Time to re-watch The Turning Point.

I'll sticky note that!

Peace -Rene

Maggie May said...

so glad it's lifting anyone else up cuz i totally needed that reminder to myself. i dumped out my brain drawer that is entitled ' Good Stuff ' and ' Do This '!

Unknown said...

What a lovely and timely post. -Todd Colby

Anonymous said...

You really hit a nerve with this post... I love it's simplicity of actions that result in a complexity of emotions. Love it.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Where do books and vodka fit on your list? ;-)

Lola said...

Right on, Mama!

Maggie Madison said...

You're so good!

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