Let Yourself Be Held
Snapshots of the Windy City
After a whirlwind tour that crossed three state lines (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan), the Bohemian and I have landed back among the crickets. We are officially back home.
With spotty internet connections at the various places where we slept, I left the Archives to rest while I mingled with the mid-westerners that gathered to celebrate love and marriage. With the Bohemian as the best man, our mission was one of support for the couple, specifically, the groom. There were highways to navigate, tuxes to be fitted, goulash meals to be shared, and appointments with the photographer to be kept.
With our own anniversary coming up at the end of this month, we did steal away and spend one day together beyond the wedding swirl. We wandered with our necks craned, viewing the heights of downtown Chicago, bracing ourselves against the cold. A windy city, yes, full of bustle, contrasting lines, and the interweaving dance of leaves and concrete.
We meandered, laughed, ate cheese and caramel popcorn, rode a ferris wheel, and toasted the day’s end with a glass of red wine. It was a short and sweet excursion, then off to Kalamazoo, where the festivities were beginning and we’d slip into our dancing shoes.
Infusion
After working eleven hours and planting nearly 100 trees, I know all the Bohemian wants at home is a little quiet, down time. He won’t say that, though.
And then there’s Jeb, (who did not go to the skate park after school today), ready for action. He’s a pinball bouncing round the room, singing silly songs and testing Halloween make-up on various limbs of his jumping body.
I’ve got a list of questions in my head for the Bohemian. Practical matters that need addressing, but I know now’s not the time. I bite my tongue (but not before asking Jeb to mellow out a bit). Grate the cheese instead.
I so admire the Bohemian’s quietude. Steady and calm. Still. Not the kind that’s hiding folds of tension. It is a simple silence, unwinding.
A sharp contrast to my propensity for chatty.
Just like Jeb needs to channel his exuberance into tail taps on the skate ramp, my words are best left to flourish in a forum like this one. Leave the verbiage for the blog.
The thing is, sometimes I go Bohemian. Show up here to my writing hour with all my tools; cup of coffee, incense, quiet house before sunrise. Dip my bucket in the well and it comes up dry.
I remind myself, we’re not on a mechanized production line here. Art isn’t made 24/7 on a conveyor belt with automatic settings. It’s alive like nature. Moving in cycles like the seasons. Waxing and waning like the moon.
Right now I’m living winter on a night with an ebbing moon.
Back in the garden, in the midst of his tree planting project, the quiet Bohemian harvests. His roselle plants bear fruit and he brews them to a tea. Vibrantly red, the fruity elixir speaks volumes.
This morning, my well’s bucket offers a ruby essence. I’ll let this infusion be my mouth piece.
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