V.J. has asked us to reflect on the meaning of our blog name.
“Stuff and what if…” came out of the blue. The word ‘stuff’ applies to all material things in our lives, as well as old thoughts…
“What if…” leads to exploration of curiosity, creativity and imagination that can be a changing force in our lives.
In a dream
Looking downriver
Presented with a choice
Stop to look back
All my stuff appears upriver
Material things left behind
Old memories that hinder
People who scarred happiness
Travelling lighter
Curiosity emboldened
What if’s…
Flow in front of me
Inner child laughs with glee
Dipping toes into the river
No fear
Just curiosity
Beautiful reflection 💕
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Thank-you, Ribana. ❤
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My pleasure 💕
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What a great explanation. I’ve always liked your blog name – seems so fitting for what we’re all looking for.
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Thanks, V.J. I remember when I first started blogging, someone made a comment about my name saying, “If you really think about it, it’s all just stuff.” Yes, the “what if’s” is part of the creative journey and the magic of life. 🙂
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I agree!
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<smile> One of the first great websites, nearly a quarter century ago now, went by the moniker “Addicted to Stuff” … It was a grand compendium of things on the interwebs, but also a repository of things people just thought were awesome. (Now, the domain name is owned by a small retail store.)
Your reflections remind me of it, beyond the word “stuff”,while yours is much more personal expression and journey than a vast compendium of neato things albeit lovingly and passionately compiled.
You can see some snapshots of the old site here … formatting and images missing, unfortunately.
https://web.archive.org/web/19981206114936/http://www.addicted2stuff.com/
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Interesting stuff! 🙂 ❤ Thanks for the link, Patrick.
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Olga, what an appropriate name for your blog. I love reading your reflection on this. Your photo is amazing, looks very much like what I would do with my watercolors.
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Thank-you, Helene. I wanted the image to look dream-like, so I made it very high key.
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You have succeeded, the photo really is dream like.
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Love “dipping toes into the river” – what a joyous revelation!
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Thank-you, Lindy. Getting in touch with simple joys can be magical. 🙂
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magical! (K)
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Thank-you, Kerfe. 🙂
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Stuff is a word for everything. I have stuff in my about 🙂
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I like the name of your blog and the poem too. What if is the crucial question.
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Thank-you, Manja. Yes and I think it’s a question that moves one forward in life. 🙂
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Mmmmm…. taking a moment to re-read this week’s submissions before posting the new challenge.
I kinda love that you look at upriver as behind, while my challenge poem looks at upriver as ahead. =)
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Time flows like a river. Upriver is behind and the past. Water flowing downriver is the future. To go upriver is to challenge the flow and introduce mechanical energy, like a boat or swimming against the current. I use to swim against the current, but now I go with the flow. 🙂 I think I got the direction of the flow right.
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<smile> True that, and a potent metaphor, though it is important to engage with the flow, to guide myself along the river’s course rather than listlessly allow it to take me wherever it might.
My poem uses a different metaphor to express a different condition. The river in it is the flow of time itself, while the river bank is my perception of mile posts on a journey, or a spiritual quest. It is a reminder that while my headway on a journey may appear to be slow if I pay attention only to the markers on the shore, I am in fact rushing ahead at full throttle. It is a reminder to be patient with my progress when I am doing all I can to progress.
🙂 I think we both got the direction of the flow right, even if our answers are different.
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Yes, life IS engaging with the flow. Patience and an enlightened perspective about the nature of one’s own journey is all one can ask for. Moments will guide one to the right destination in the end.
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<smile> Moments… and choices, though the choices we make often take us to a destination we had not anticipated via a route no one could have ever planned. Accepting that — loving that life just works that way — is how we get there with the least resistance.
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Yes to that, Patrick. 🙂
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Love this, by the way. ❤
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