Three Things from Rainy, Beautiful Dingle…
Dreaming! Dreaming! Dreaming!
What I’m Writing…
I purposely chose to leave my computer at home for this five week romp from Dublin to Vilnius because I wanted to embrace thinking time. We don’t give ourselves enough thinking time, do we?
But for me, not writing is as valuable as writing. The time spent away from the computer can be as productive as the time spent tapping (or, if you’re me, pecking) on the keyboard. Here is when I dream my book. It doesn’t yet exist. It’s just a puff of air. A blurry something way in the distance. A bit of magic, of possibility.
In order for it to actually become a book, it must live in my brain for a bit.
And I must live in the world—seeing new things, tasting delicious food, walking, walking, walking. All of it feeding my imagination.
I cherish this time here in Dingle. And I also cherish this time to immerse myself in my imagination. To dream my way into my next big projects…
In the fall of 2018, I wrote an article about daydreaming for QuadAngles, my alumni magazine, that begins:
“Here is what we need to do. All of us. Right now. We need to stare out the window. Or go outside and lie on the grass and look up at the sky.”
That’s where I am metaphorically right now. Dreaming.
"Daydreaming,” the poet Edward Hirsch said, “is one of the key sources of poetry—a poem often starts as a daydream that finds its way into language."
Maybe it’s time for you to daydream too?
What I’m Knitting…
I have an abundance of gorgeous yarn!
The fabulous Ellen Goldberg went to Cork to visit dreamy Hedgehog Fibers and brought back this yummy yarn:
Knitters: Any ideas for what to knit with this?
And Annabelle visited This Is Knit in Dublin and brought me this beauty for, yes, a Sophie scarf.
But she also brought back a pattern for a Sophie scarf with a twist. Look at this beauty:
Remarkably, that’s not cabling! I’m so excited to try it.
But let us not forget my most recently finished Sophie scarf!
Oh, friends, I’m dreaming. Of new stories, new knitting projects, the next wonderful things to come. Let’s all indulge ourselves in some hopeful dreaming, shall we!
What I’m Thinking About…
The Baltic States!
Many of you have been in on my planning of this upcoming trip, and here we are, about to embark on it. When you read this, we will most likely be in a sauna in Helsinki, about to jump into the Baltic Sea.
This trip is a great example of dreaming about something, then working to make it happen. I don’t like the term bucket list for a lot of reasons. But I do like the idea of making dreams come true. And visiting Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania has long been a dream of mine.
You may be asking why. The answer is both simple and complicated.
Years ago when I was a flight attendant, I had the opportunity to live in Libya and work flights taking pilgrims to the Haj in Mecca. I immediately signed up. Then, at the last minute, I chickened out due to unrest in the Mideast. And I’ve always regretted that missed opportunity.
That’s why we decided to go on our fabulous Egypt trip…
And why we went to Georgia a few years ago…
And why we still visit Patzcuaro, even though it’s in Michoacan, which has a Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory from the State Department…
Why we are so grateful to have visited Cuba when that was possible…
And why Sam and I went to Sarajevo, where people actually asked us, clearly confused, “Why are you here of all places?”
You know that I love traveling, and I’m always happy to revisit cities I love. (Hello, London and Paris!) But sitting on a beach—even a beautiful one—or lounging at resorts or chasing sunshine just don’t do it for me anymore. They used to. When I was younger, I loved going to the Caribbean or Waikiki in my bikini and flip flops, drinking tropical drinks with little paper umbrellas, and soaking up the sun and sea air.
Now, I’m eager to see the places where tourists don’t typically go, places where it’s possible we won’t be able to go. For example, I’ll always feel sad that my beloved and I didn’t visit St. Petersburg when we had the chance. Seize the day, I say!
So I’m excited for this next adventure! And I have lots more places on my dream list…
And Also…
Rain, glorious rain!
The Irish heatwave blessedly ended and Dingle has given me the rain and wind and chilly air of my dreams.
I have to sing my praises again to the Finisterre Longline Stormbird Waterproof Jacket in Olive Green and my Kathleen McAuliffe rain hat, which have kept me dry and warm.
A shout out to three other indispensable items:
My red Quince Mongolian Cashmere Scarf, which provides warmth and a pop of color on gray days…
And to my black Dudley Stevens tunic length turtleneck, which is soft and warm and perfect for layering—and it has pockets!
And, of course, my navy blue Alex Mill Kerry Linen Dress, which is maybe the favorite thing I own…
Shout outs too to Frank and Eileen Mackenzie oversized shirts in blue and in white and in black and my Merry People Bobbi rain boots (mine are black but they come in fabulous colors!). Oh! Just a reminder, I don’t get anything for mentioning this stuff, just the satisfaction that I’ve shared something you might like too. Especially for traveling.
PS…
Today is pub day for Piggy!
Welcome to the world to my first ever picture book!
Thank you, as always, for reading and subscribing. And thank you to those who support my writing through paid subscriptions—it’s more appreciated than you can know.
Next time I see you here, I’ll be sharing my adventures in the Baltics. Until then, give in to some dreaming. We never know where our dreams might take us.
And speaking of dreams, Annabelle and I have long been fans of the app Rain, Rain, which gives you a multitude of rain (and other natural) sounds to lull you to sleep. Rain on tent. Rain on tin roof. Light rain. Torrential rain…
But here in Dingle, we get rain most every day. Beautiful rain. Enjoy!
I'm not sure I've ever seen a photograph look as squishy and soft as that HHF yarn! Absolutely gorgeous. If it were me I'd find a fun pair of fingerless gloves to knit, but I do have chronically cold hands 😂