Cool Gifts

Keely and I have been out of the Christmas loop for some time, at least when it comes to a stateside Christmas. So, perhaps some of the small gifts we both received from acquaintances seems run-of-the-mill now, but I suspect it isn't so. Maybe, with the brutal blow the recession has given and the move--among some circles--to a "small is beautiful" and locally crafted ethic, the new norm is people giving handmade gifts and, in our case, hand made food. I hope so.

We received not just home-made cookies and other treats but mason jars filled with (L. to R. in the picture) candied pecans, blueberry preserves, Jerusalem artichokes, and peppermint bark. These were the gifts some gave us. Most were wrapped so we didn't really know what we were getting. Once we unwrapped all of our gifts and then realized a trend was emerging, we had one of those "wow, this is unexpected and cool" thoughts. I like handling mason jars and knowing that what lies inside took somebody effort and time.

A colleague of mine, when presenting the Jerusalem artichokes, dismissed the gift as "not much, just. . . ." Just nothing. I love artichokes! And I love the appropriateness of the gift.

Beyond the substance is the idea.

Baby steps don't come easy to me, as I can be an impatient malcontent at times. This blog is a baby step towards rekindling my writing life and my sense of inquiry and wonder about the world. This first post should be nothing more than the electronic equivalent of putting paper to pen just to erase the block.

A bit of context: from 2000-2005 I managed to write two novels (yes unpublished, but not mere unfinished manuscripts--I have stacks of rejection letters) and publish a few essays and short stories. From 2005 until now I have written very little and, worse, pursued publication even less. I don't know why. I hope to find out.

More context: Over the last twenty years I have spent ten total years abroad, not just traveling but living and working. Over the past five years alone I've moved from Rio to Florida to Austria to Tanzania to South Carolina. In that time, I've had intense and diverse experiences, which perhaps have become so commonplace to me that I cannot express their true wonder. I read outdoor adventure and travel articles and, for the most part (beyond the extreme) I just say, "What's the big deal? I've been there and done that," or "God what exaggeration! It's not that huge of a thing to be charged by a hippo."

Again, I don't know why I've become jaded. I hope to find out.

I am currently in place where, outdoors/naturewise, I am not jaded. I go into the swamps with a sense of adventure and discovery. I hope that can take that excitement and apply it here. I am trying to rekindle something.