Stories from

 
(Workspace)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: I missed you yesterday.
JOE: My apologies. I was off early for a workshop on Internet marketing.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: Mary Anne Shew, president of Business Vitality, presented an all day SCORE workshop on Internet marketing.
CALLIOPE: What did she have to say?
JOE: Plenty. I left with my head full. I'm still digesting it all. I have been working for quite a while to make sense of the topic with little success. She brought it all together in a comprehensive and simple way which clarified the process for me.
CALLIOPE: So now you've mastered Internet marketing.
JOE: I didn't say that. Not by a long shot. But now I have a road map of how to start and where to go next.
CALLIOPE: What did you like best about her workshop?
JOE: Her "Idea Collector" where she invited us to write down ideas as they occurred to us during her presentation along with specific applications and expected results. I came away with two pages of specific actions, how to do them and what to expect. No one ever suggested that to me before. As a result what I learned got lost in my pile of papers.
CALLIOPE: What do you think will be your biggest challenges?
JOE: The two which come to mind are search engine optimization and implementing e-commerce.
CALLIOPE: Big topics.
JOE: I need something to work on. They will both keep me busy for a while. Talk with you tomorrow.

 


(Boston Twilight)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How was your weekend?
JOE: Excellent. I spent it communing with nature and with people I enjoy being with.
CALLIOPE: Taking a break?
JOE: Not really. It's my way of refreshing myself and reconnecting with what really matters.
CALLIOPE: How does that affect your writing?
JOE: It gives me a sense of perspective on why I do what I do.
CALLIOPE: Could you be more specific?
JOE: Without a larger perspective it is easy to become lost in details and spin my wheels.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about your perspective.
JOE: I think we might have talked about it before. It has to do with my spiritual focus or context for living my life as well as for my writing.
CALLIOPE: I see.
JOE: My focus is on understanding life, my own and that of others, and sharing insights which occur to me.
CALLIOPE: Is that what you mean by wisdom.
JOE: Precisely. Now back to work. Talk with you tomorrow.

 

(Cabin in Oramel)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What's up today?
JOE: I'm resting from all I did yesterday and plan a day trip to the Southern Tier of New York after I finish this post.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like fun. What did you get done yesterday?
JOE: I am working on becoming more familiar with the recording technology including my microphone and the editing software I found. I am beginning to feel more comfortable with it.
CALLIOPE: What else?
JOE: I found a source of free royalty free music I can use on my CD's at the beginning and end. I was able to download some clips successfully.
CALLIOPE: What about content?
JOE: Ah. The crux of the matter. I started brainstorming about the content and decided on a number of CD's for various age ranges.
CALLIOPE: Where will you start?
JOE; With seniors. They have had the most time to become wise.
CALLIOPE: What will you offer them?
JOE: Stories about wise seniors, definitions of wisdom, quotes through the ages, and some of the writings I already have. I will supplement these with thoughts of other writers.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like more than you can fit on one CD.
JOE: I realize that. I will start with one and then develop others depending on the response to the first. Talk with you on Monday.

 


(Ship Communication Tower)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Energized.
CALLIOPE: On what account.
JOE: I'm proceeding with my latest project.
CALLIOPE: Which is?
JOE: A series of recordings on wisdom for various ages.
CALLIOPE: Sounds interesting. Where are you with it now?
JOE: Back to working on technology. I found a good microphone and editing software as well as a company to reproduce and distribute CD’s.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like the mechanics are coming along. How about the substance?
JOE: I have been wondering whether I have enough to say. Then I read Julia Cameron's wisdom in The Right to Write. She sees creativity as a process of listening, recording and transmitting rather than trying to think everything up yourself.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a humble stance.
JOE: It is but I can identify with it. I often wonder where I get ideas. Then I realize that if I pay attention they come to me. My job becomes a simple task of taking dictation from my experience.
CALLIOPE: Interesting way to put it.
JOE: It's a lot less responsibility and more fun to boot. Talk with you tomorrow.

(Between Me and the River- Cover)

JOE: Good morning Calliope. I have a book review to share with you today.
CALLIOPE: Great. Let me see it.

 

Between Me and the River by Carrie Host

In The Right to Write, Julia Cameron observes, "My body which carries a knowledge deeper than my mind, has answers for me as an artist and a person." In her new book, Between Me and the River, Living Beyond Cancer: A Memoir (Harlequin, 2009), Carrie Host chronicles her encounter with the river of cancer, sometimes paddling along, sometimes caught in the rapids and sometimes grasping desperately for the shore.

Her account reminds me of Dante's Divine Comedy, especially the Inferno with its River Styx and the Purgatorio where her body, mind and soul are purified. She never quite makes it to the Paradiso, although none of us do in this life. From the start of her account, I wanted to push or pull her boat to safety or paddle with her.

Before her encounter with cancer Carrie wrote poetry. She learned to watch, listen, smell, touch and taste the joys, frustrations, fears, defeats and victories punctuating her voyage. She shares with the reader her poignant observations, thoughts and feelings as her body experiences them. You will share with her the sting of each setback and the glory of each victory. As Julia Cameron says, "We store memories in our bodies. We store passion and heartache. We store joy, moments of transcendent peace."

Carrie's book shares her perspective on wrestling with cancer, from the loneliness of facing it alone inside her body to the loving support of her thirty-eight muses who helped write her story. She starts writing with the goal of finding an ending to her story. Eventually she does, "Radiating pure light, I've surreptitiously come to a place with winter clarity along the banks of a magnificent river, its roar a vague whisper, a place with all words sleeping."

 

 


(Fall Fling)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Feeling productive.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: I finished my current column about the Fall Fling.
CALLIOPE: Which is?
JOE: A community event hosted by City Church in Batavia. They had booths providing information to needy people on services available in the community. They also gave away an enormous amount of food, clothing and household goods donated by businesses, agencies and individuals.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like quite an experience.
JOE: I found it heartwarming. I have become somewhat cynical about how much people even notice struggles their neighbors endure.
CALLIOPE: That's a nice feeling.
JOE: It helped restore my faith in humanity and caring for fellow members of our human community.
CALLIOPE: Do you think selfishness is on the wane.
JOE: I don't think so. But at least there are corporations and individuals who do care. At least there is hope.
CALLIOPE: So now what?
JOE: It's time to keep reminding people of their struggling neighbors and to do what they can. Talk with you tomorrow.

(Moonflowers)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Thinking about yesterday's post and realizing I shared more personal information than usual.
CALLIOPE: Is that why you had to think about it a while before posting?
JOE: It is.
CALLIOPE: How do you feel about having done so?
JOE: I think it's a step in the right direction. Writing in generalities keeps my writing impersonal and harder for readers to feel a personal sense of contact.
CALLIOPE: I think you might be right. What's leading you in this direction?
JOE: I'm still reading Julia Cameron's book, The Right to Write. She has been quite an inspiration to me.
CALLIOPE: How specifically?
JOE: She shares quite a bit about her personal life especially as it affects her writing. I feel a kinship with her I would like to establish with my readers.
CALLIOPE: Ah, she's setting a good example for you.
JOE: Exactly. I hope to learn more from her. Talk with you tomorrow.

 


(Statue- San Juan)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I missed you on Saturday.
JOE: I learned that some experiences are like some books. They need to be chewed and digested. I needed some time before addressing what happened Saturday.
CALLIOPE: Sounds rather dramatic.
JOE: It wasn't so much dramatic as profoundly affecting me.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: Okay. I met a woman I had once loved and had not seen in ten years.
CALLIOPE: What happened?
JOE: She was a shell of her once vibrant and bright self. Only faintly glowing embers remained of her personality.
CALLIOPE: What happened to her?
JOE: Mental illness ravaged her and she almost disappeared.
CALLIOPE: Did finding her in this state surprise you?
JOE: No. I knew what to expect. Still it is sad to see the remnants of a once promising life now tenuous at best.
CALLIOPE: Sorry to hear it.
JOE: I have known it all too well as a psychologist but it's still hard to accept. Talk with you tomorrow.

 
(Paphiopedilum)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What's on your mind this morning?
JOE: I was just reflecting on yesterday's field trip.
CALLIOPE: Where to?
JOE: Spiritus Christi Mental Health Center in Rochester.
CALLIOPE: What prompted that?
JOE: Several things. I had wanted to see what they were doing. I have considered volunteering there. Mostly I went since I committed myself to doing so as part of my involvement in the Mental Health Board in Genesee County.
CALLIOPE: What did you discover?
JOE: A unique undertaking. As far as anyone knows, they are the only such operation in the country.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: They have two full time employees. All of the psychiatrists and therapists volunteer time to see patients. They are funded by Spiritus Christi Church donations and a second hand furniture shop. They don't have to deal with any of the state, federal or insurance company regulations and treat uninsured and underinsured patients for free.
CALLIOPE: I never hear of such a thing.
JOE: Neither have I before discovering them.
CALLIOPE: Are you still planning to volunteer?
JOE: I want to see how things go with Americorps first. But that's a story for tomorrow. Talk with you then.

 (Riverboat)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Still feeling good about my writing decisions.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: Writing for money or with an agenda confines my writing. I become responsible for finding what to write.
CALLIOPE: As opposed to what?
JOE: Letting my observations of life and the human condition guide me.
CALLIOPE: Is that a new approach for you?
JOE: No. It's where I started when I began writing. It's more a question of getting back to my roots.
CALLIOPE: Could you elaborate?
JOE: At the beginning I saw myself as a channel for observations rather than being in charge of deciding what to write.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you chose to follow your muse rather than try to force anything.
JOE: Exactly. That's how our conversation started in the first place.
CALLIOPE: I'm happy to lead you where life takes us.
JOE: Glad to have you as a guide again. Talk with you tomorrow.

 


(Giant Caterpillar)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Quite well thank you.
CALLIOPE: What transpires?
JOE: I'm continuing to take stock of my writing and its place in my life.
CALLIOPE: A big order. How are you going about it?
JOE: I recalled that I had quite a few books on writing and decided to peruse them?
CALLIOPE: Find anything interesting?
JOE: Yes. Julia Cameron's book, The Right to Write.
CALLIOPE: Oh?
JOE: Years ago I read her earlier book The Artist's Way and found it quite helpful in directing my writing, focusing on its joys.
CALLIOPE: Isn't this a book for beginning writers?
JOE: Both books are actually. But I have learned that I am always a beginning writer if I approach it with a child's mind.
CALLIOPE: I've heard that expression. What do you think it means?
JOE: To me it means approaching a task with no preconceptions and being open to the experience on its own terms. Talk with you tomorrow.

 


(Allegheny Sunset)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I wonder about your wisdom project and why you chose it.
JOE: Good question. I think it sprung from my mother's recent ninetieth birthday. It made me stop to think what's important to me at this point in my life.
CALLIOPE: What did you discover?
JOE: First, I discovered what's not so important. I have been pursuing marketing as a way to make money.
CALLIOPE: Something wrong with that?
JOE: No, but to do justice to the Guerrilla Marketing I have been reading about as a path to making money, I would need to devote the bulk of my time and energy in the pursuit, pushing writing meaningfully to a secondary importance.
CALLIOPE: I see.
JOE: I am starting to see what's important to me. I think more money would be nice but would also distract me from my goal.
CALLIOPE: Which is?
JOE: To help other see the value of the collected wisdom of the ages and live in tune with our earth and its community rather than selfishly grabbing what we can.
CALLIOPE: A tall order.
JOE: I know. It's not one I can do alone. Others have gone before me in the effort, others are active now and I am sure others will follow. But I want to do my part.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you want to make your contribution to living meaningfully.
JOE: Correct. Now to do it. Talk with you tomorrow.

 


(Allison and Joey)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I've been scratching my head all weekend.
JOE: About what?
CALLIOPE: About the new project you alluded to.
JOE: Oh, yes. It's about wisdom.
CALLIOPE: You mentioned that Saturday. Tell me more.
JOE: I haven't settled on a title yet although that might be better to decide later anyway.
CALLIOPE: And the focus?
JOE: It seems to me that each time of life has a store of wisdom.
CALLIOPE: Do you mean from childhood on through old age?
JOE: Exactly. Although our culture tends to focus on immediate gratification, Each season of life also has its own perspective and contribution to make to better ways to live.
CALLIOPE: I can't argue with that. How do you plan to go about it?
JOE: I have begun searching what has been written so far. Books on the subject don't look overdone.
CALLIOPE: So that's where you are now?
JOE: I am. After my research I will plan my strategy and develop an outline. Talk with you tomorrow.

 


(Apple Umpkin)

JOE: Good evening Calliope.
CALLIOPE: I had just about given up on you for today.
JOE: We expect rain here for the rest of the week. I made hay while the sun shone.
CALLIOPE: Doing what?
JOE: Visiting the Apple Umpkin Festival in Wyoming.
CALLIOPE: I'm glad you finally got here. You said something about a new project.
JOE: Indeed I did.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: I have been trying to find a way to integrate marketing and writing. I think I may have found one.
CALLIOPE: Go on.
JOE: I am exploring the possibility of a series of books on wisdom, building on a theme I have followed for years.
CALLIOPE: So you will not be starting from scratch.
JOE: No. I already know my theme and also have become associated with it through my previous writings.
CALLIOPE: A kind of platform.
JOE: You guessed it. It's still in the infancy stage but I have started doing some research into what has been written in this area and will continue exploring it next week. Talk with you on Monday.

 


(Letchworth)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How goes it today?
JOE: Other than a leaky faucet the day's off to a fairly good start.
CALLIOPE: Did you tend to the faucet?
JOE; I got it diagnosed. Next is surgery, but it's in the works.
CALLIOPE: How about literary matters?
JOE: I'm continuing to work through Guerrilla Marketing for Writers.
CALLIOPE: What do you think so far?
JOE: There's enough here to keep me busy for years.
CALLIOPE: But?
JOE: But I don't want to spend years marketing.
CALLIOPE: So?
JOE: My current thought is to make room for marketing efforts in my schedule but not let them take over my life.
CALLIOPE: Sounds sensible. Back to balance.
JOE: Indeed. Now to do it. Talk with you tomorrow.

 
(W.G. Handyside Gallery)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Did you sleep in?
JOE: No. I was busy writing and doing my yoga.
CALLIOPE: I see. What news?
JOE: Yesterday my son and I lunched at the Mennonite bulk food store in Warsaw (NY) and stopped by W.G. Handyside Gallery of Fine Arts in Wyoming (also NY) to visit with the owner Diane Burnham.
CALLIOPE: Learn anything interesting?
JOE: We chatted quite a while about running an art store, the state of art and public resp0nse.
CALLIOPE: What did you discover?
JOE: Her opinion was that people are not as interested in owning art in rural areas as they are in big cities.
CALLIOPE: Does that have to do with income?
JOE: It seems to be more a matter of values. Folks here would rather visit art than own it.
CALLIOPE: Does that apply to books too?
JOE: Hard to say. She does carry a few books, mine included, but has not done as well with them as with art, supplies and lessons.
CALLIOPE: Did she have any suggestions regarding writing.
JOE: She thought there was more market around here for audio and video materials than written ones. I had been thinking of exploring putting some of my writing on CD's and DVD's. I'll give this more thought. Talk with you tomorrow.

 


(Mom's Birthday)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you coming with the column about your mother?
JOE: It's done and ready to post.
CALLIOPE: No trouble writing it?
JOE: None. I had a good idea what I wanted to write and wrote it.
CALLIOPE: Were you able to incorporate major historical events as you planned?
JOE: Yes. It flowed easily with a little help from Google.
CALLIOPE: The things we take for granted.
JOE: Right. I recall hours of library research to find anything useful when I attended college.
CALLIOPE: Did you get a chance to interview your mother?
JOE: I did.
CALLIOPE: Any surprises?
JOE: Just one. When I asked her if she had any regrets about her life, she thought a bit but couldn't think of any.
CALLIOPE: I wonder how many of us could say that.
JOE: Precious few I would guess. Certainly not me. That's one thing that makes her her. Talk with you tomorrow.

 


(Dunkirk Sunset)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Full of ideas which flooded me throughout the night.
CALLIOPE: Such as?
JOE: My column is taking shape for this Saturday. I decided to write about my mother's ninetieth birthday.
CALLIOPE: How do you plan to approach it?
JOE: As usual I have only 500 words. My greatest challenge will be to contain myself to the allotted space.
CALLIOPE: What about content?
JOE: At first I thought of writing what I know of her life. Then I recalled the secret lives of some of my relatives of which I was not aware until after they died.
CALLIOPE: Do you plan to change that with your mother?
JOE: Yes. I will interview her and, rather than making it a tribute to her, I will tell her story in her own words, or at least the highlights.
CALLIOPE: Sounds good. Anything else?
JOE: I thought of including some of the things that have happened in the world since she was born. But this will depend on whether I have room for them. We shall see.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a good plan.
JOE: I think so. Talk with you tomorrow.

 


(Searching for Coney Island)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Ready for another week.
CALLIOPE: What's on your plate today?
JOE: Continuing to plan my future.
CALLIOPE: How much of that do you think you have?
JOE: Obviously none of us knows. My mother's ninetieth birthday yesterday reminded me that I don't have forever to live.
CALLIOPE: Unless you are a muse. Have you come to any decisions about marketing?
JOE: No, but I did find Levinson, Frishman and Larsen's book Guerrilla Marketing for Writers on my bookshelf as I was perusing it for something to help me.
CALLIOPE: Did it?
JOE: Yes. They present quite a few approaches which cost little or no money and don't involve spending your whole life in the pursuit.
CALLIOPE: Where does that leave you?
JOE: I'm still reading it but it suggests to me that I can incorporate marketing tasks while keeping my focus on writing.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you're working toward a balance.
JOE: I am. I'll let you know how it's coming when we talk tomorrow.

 

(Moonflowers)

JOE: Good afternoon Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Where were you this morning?
JOE: Carol and I walked to the farmers' market and then drove to Batavia for my grandson's Pop Warner Football game.
CALLIOPE: A busy start.
JOE: Yes, but fun.
CALLIOPE: Did you think about your priorities with business and creativity?
JOE: Yes but I didn't reach any conclusions.
CALLIOPE: How will you approach it?
JOE: Hard to say. It's not something I can quantify. Making a list of the advantages of each does not seem like it would help.
CALLIOPE: So now what?
JOE: I recall Napoleon Hill talking about a man he once met who took time each day sitting for ideas. Maybe I'll try that.
CALLIOPE: You're not in any rush?
JOE: No one will starve to death or go homeless based on what I decide.
CALLIOPE: I guess you don't have to force a decision.
JOE: No I don't. If you feel like dropping me an inspiration, please do so. Talk with you on Monday.