RECOVER

What are you recovering from right now? Right now I'm recovering from a long week at work. Probably more than that though. I'm recovering from losing my dad, taking care of my mom and neglecting myself for much too long. I'm rediscovering myself through writing and learning. I'm regaining my health through exercise, but not too much. I'm recovering from eating junk for most of my life. I'm learning about eating natural whole foods and really enjoying them. I'm learning to be balanced in my life and being rewarded with peace and health. What are you recovering from? What have you found that helps? Writing prompt found at http://oneminutewriter.blogspot.com/2011/10/todays-writing-prompt-recover.html

What profession to you think should be eliminated in 2012?

What if I go another way with this?  What if all professions that didn’t add to either the survival or health (mental health included) of mankind were eliminated? What if life got a little simpler?  Cars are killing the planet.  So maybe we go back to horses and horse drawn carriages.  Anyone who works in a profession related to horses they’re safe.  Also anyone who works in a profession related to growing or raising healthy food that isn’t chocked full of nasty chemicals is safe.  Water is another main concern so anyone who can contribute to the distribution and treatment of water is definitely safe.  Of course I’m going to save artist and entertainers.  And if we stop flying planes and driving cars maybe we’ll be able to appreciate our local artist more.  What if all the electronics engineers stop engineering and start repairing?  Don’t we have enough technology devoted to our phones yet?  Can I buy one product and keep it working for say 10 or 20 years.  If more energy was devoted to making a product last or making it repairable those engineers would be viewed as valued service workers as opposed to extortionists.  Back to those whose professions are necessity.  Doctors, nurses, teachers, farmers, builders, cooks,  mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, cousins.  I think we should keep them around.  Will we ever get our priorities straight? (writing prompt found at http://oneminutewriter.blogspot.com/)

(photo source http://www.seedsofchangefoods.com/images/img_orglif_main.jpg)

The Trappings of Marriage - Maria J. Speake

            Marriage has its benefits.  You get to be intimate with the one person you love more than any other.  In marriage you can share yourself more than you can anywhere else in life.  However, for women there is also a dark side to marriage.  Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” along with the poems “Marks” (by Linda Pastan) and “Conjoined” (by Judith Minty) demonstrate how marriage can become a tiresome obligation for some women.

            Louise Mallard, the main character from Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” goes through a flurry of thoughts when she learns that her husband has died.  Her inner dialog leads us to believe that she thinks of her marriage like it is a prison.  She makes no direct comparisons between prison and marriage the author paints a picture of prison like oppression.  According to Chopin, “There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself.  There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature” (294).  One might picture a prison guard or a slave owner keeping Louise from neglecting her duties as a wife.  It is clear that she has felt oppressed or trapped as one might if imprisoned.  Louise speaks the words “free,free,free!” under her breath as she imagines life without her husband.  The story clearly illustrates its view of marriage as being an oppressive thing that women would be happy to be free from.  The poems also draw from the more dreadful side of marriage.

            Kate Chopin’s story uses allegory to demonstrate ideas about marriage.  The poems have similar themes but the authors use more direct comparisons or metaphors.

            In the poem “Marks” the author compares her marriage and home life to school.  She writes that her “husband gives [her] an A/ for last night’s supper, /” (855).  She writes that her daughter says that she passes (855).  We know that you receive grades or “marks” in school.  The author feels that she is always being judged by her husband and her family.  She has to work hard in order to measure up.  The last lines show us that she doesn’t want to be in this kind of marriage anymore.  She writes, “Wait ‘till they learn/ I’m dropping out” (855) The author is showing us that marriage isn’t any fun for women if they feel like they are being constantly critiqued.  The poem “Conjoined also makes some negative comparisons.

            Jusith Minty’s poem “Conjoined" compares marriage with “freaks” and specifically with conjoined twins (604).  She uses simile and compares her marriage to an “accident” like conjoined twins, “doomed/ to live, even make love, together for sixty years/” (604).  Minty’s use of the word “doomed” and even the poems title show that she feels there is no way out of marriage.  Her view is that one’s individuality is lost in marriage and that it can not be regained without serious harm being done.  She writes, “To sever the muscle could free one, / but might kill the other” (604).

            Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and the poems by Parstan and Minty illustrate that marriage can be oppressive, bothersome and harmful.  Chopin’s story uses allegory to show her views on the oppression of marriage.  Paston uses direct comparisons to the hard work and critiques that can be found both in school and marriage.  Minty’s comparison to freaks that are unable to separate show her ideas on marriage.  While the authors use different methods the idea is the same.  If we’re not careful the trappings of marriage can become terrible for women.

Works Cited

Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an hour.” Literature: An Introduction to reading and writing. Ed

Edgar V. Roberts and Robert Zweig. 5^th Compact ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2012. 293-295. Print.

Minty, Judith. “The Story of an hour.” Literature: An Introduction to reading and writing. Ed

Edgar V. Roberts and Robert Zweig. 5^th Compact ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2012. 604. Print.

Paston, Linda. “The Story of an hour.” Literature: An Introduction to reading and writing. Ed

Edgar V. Roberts and Robert Zweig. 5^th Compact ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2012. 855. Print.

Change One Thing

(http://oneminutewriter.blogspot.com/2012/03/todays-writing-prompt-normal.html

Monday, March 12, 2012Today's Writing Prompt: Normal If you were required to change one thing that would make you "more normal," what might that change be?)

First, I’m not actually sure being more normal is on the list of my immediate or long term goals. However, there is one thing that I would probably change about myself that would make me more like most women. It’s my feet. I have fallen arches. This is something I consider to be a severe disability, mostly because it makes standing for any length of time extremely painful. Then there’s the part that really bothers me. I can’t wear high heels. High heels do magical things for women. They make us taller. They make our legs prettier and our butts more pert. They add a polish to almost any outfit. A woman in a pencil skirt a jacket and a great pair of heels can rule the world. I on the other hand have to make due with supportive shoes and boots. My feet with their fallen arches roll right out of high heels and there’s nothing I can do about it. So if I could miraculously change one thing about myself to be “more normal” it would have to be my feet. Then again, maybe it’s a good thing. I really don’t have the budget for the shoe wardrobe that I imagine.

http://thetrendyheels.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/sexy-heels-fashion-shoes-high-heels-2010.jpg

Sunshine Motivation Period

Daylight Savings Time Or Sunshine Motivation Period This is honest. What the government wants is for us to be productive citizens for more hours each day. They know that sunlight is a great motivator. So they manipulate our sleep cycle by adjusting our perception of time. They expose us to more hours of sunshine, the one silver lining, and most of us are motivated during this period of time to be more productive. Therefore this time should be called, more honestly and descriptively, Sunshine Motivation Period.

Live Maui- Maria J. Speake

Some people believe that their lives are all about what they accomplish.  Their goals consist of what they will acquire and the status they will attain. I believe that there is much more to life.  There are experiences and knowledge in the world just waiting for the opportunity to bless us.  In order to claim those blessings we must make the time and take the time to go find them.  If we make experiencing life a priority our course of action becomes clear.  It’s time to escape, to tarry to relish something new.  Maui is a great place to slow down and learn to appreciate life.

There is so much beauty to be enjoyed both on the island and underwater.  Scuba diving Maui has opened my eyes up to the vast beauty and variety of its waters.  A great dive site can be found near the Westin Kaanapali.  There are abundant coral formations which provide a home to many beautiful colorful fish.  There are small fish with striking fins in bright yellow. The Hawaiian Triggerfish appears to be painted with bold lines in black blue and gold.  There are anemones of every variety.  My favorite is black and has hard spines that can be tapped with a divers Pokey Stick.  There are some small curious fish in grey and purple.  I remember them staring at my goggled face as I explored and one seemed to follow me for the entire dive.  As anyone can see I could go on and on about everything I saw and this was only the tiniest fraction of what is available to be explored in the ocean surrounding Maui.  The splendor continues as you explore the island.  A relaxing drive around the island is something not to be missed.  If you’re going to do any significant amount of driving be sure to rent a Jeep, they conquer the terrain without effort.  I have driven all the way around the island but the road to Hana and back was the best.  The lush rain forest is striking.  I have never in my life seen anything so green.  Along the road you are tempted with many offers of the best banana bread on the island.  A white horse peeks over a fence and offers its head to be scratched.  Waterfalls can be sighted often and if you’re in want of refreshing waters the Seven Sacred Pools are not too hard to find.  The drive will take you all of the day but it is invigorating and well worth the time.  Another mesmerizing experience is seeing a sun rise atop Haleakala.  According to the author “Haleakala, "House of the Sun," [is the] world's largest dormant volcano whose summit rises to more than 10,000 feet” (Mim Swartz sec. 8).  This is relevant because I did visit Haleakala.  I had to coax my husband out of bed the morning that we drove to that summit and we weren’t the only ones up early.  Hundreds of people gathered at a fence strategically placed so that visitors could view the sun rising over the peaks of the mountain.  As first light breaks voices complaining of the cold cease and a mutual sigh is all that can be heard.  A bronze desert is revealed and you feel as if you’re looking into another alien world.  I could have stood there for hours if it weren’t for fear of freezing to death.  I hadn’t accounted for the altitude change and had only shorts and a sweatshirt.  I made my way into the bookshop complete with heater and wide windows for your viewing pleasure.  I lingered with many others who squeezed in unable to tear their eyes away.  As the sun rose higher and higher in the sky a blanket of puffy white clouds crept closer to the peaks. 

In addition, much can be learned from the spirit of both the people and the turtles of the island.  If you’re not familiar with the majestic Green Sea turtle a great way to be introduced is by booking a snorkeling trip.  On my first trip to Maui my husband and I were given tickets on the “Mahana Nai’a” a huge sail boat which frequents Turtle Town and Molokini Crater.  Visiting the crater was great but I will never forget our visit to Turtle Town.  We were told before we entered the water to try to keep our distance from the turtles because any physical contact with humans could be dangerous to them.  I cynically shrugged my shoulders why would I have to worry about them being close; we probably wouldn’t see any anyway, right?  Wrong.  We jumped into the water and I was immediately faced with a beautiful turtle which was rising to the surface to take a breath of air.  I instantly felt a connection with this reptile.  A moment later I realized how close the turtle was to me and that I had to paddle away to keep from accidentally touching it.  The turtle did not seem to mind me.  It did gaze in my direction and its expression suggested to me a great wisdom.  As the turtle floated back down to the sea bed, I couldn’t help but be amazed by its elegance and grace.  While on this excursion I learned more about both the attitude’s of the humans and the turtles of Maui.  Most people here are visitors like me and everywhere you turn all you see are smiling faces.  What I find most striking is what you don’t see.  There are no suits and ties and as far as I can see no signs of stress.  The captain a one time resident of Stockton, California now steers this sailboat with his bare feet to earn his way.  His hair is light; his face is tan and lightly touched by smile lines.  His wife a beautiful Hawaiian girl has the easiest expression I’ve ever encountered.  Her job is to follow around blissful tourists with her underwater movie camera.  I think to myself she collects memories and smiles for a living.  The turtles spend their long lives relaxing in one of the most beautiful places in the world.  In fact Hester states, “It has been speculated that turtles have lived [to] over 100 years of age” (Hester 43).  I feel a simple acceptance here among the people and as I swim with the turtles I feel the same.  Spending time with people in Maui can teach you to take life in stride and to live the Aloha spirit. “Maui is so unique because of its people. Carrying the spirit of Hawaii through Aloha, you will find this islands residents to be some of the most friendly and welcoming people you have ever met.” (“The people of Maui” sec. 1)  To me Aloha means getting out and enjoying nature, treating others with respect and not taking life to seriously.  What I appreciate most about Maui is the serenity that you find everywhere you go.

Finally, on my last visit to Maui I had an intense experience that taught me how special life is and how fragile at the same time.  I learned several things; one was that turtles contrary to lore can be quite fast. My husband and I were determined to track down some sea turtles and enjoy a dive with them.  We asked around the island and found our best bet for a beach dive would be Mala Point.  The morning we arrived at the dive site we geared up and surveyed the area.  There were no breakers and the water was calm but we were the only diver’s there which was peculiar.  Never the less we ventured into the water and soon found we had a hike to make over a mile of slippery rocks.  When we finally made our decent the water was murky and green.  We stayed close to the legs of the pier and explored some coral formations which had anemones resting on them.  Suddenly I saw a monster of a Green Sea Turtle.  I screamed with all my might to get my husband’s attention but under water all that could be heard was a little gurgling.  Amazingly I reached my husband in time to tap him and bring his eyes to the turtle.  I watched the giant amazed at its size and its speed.  We tried to follow but soon realized there would be no keeping up with it.  Suddenly I got an eerie feeling.  This was not normal turtle behavior.  “Turtles are actually very agile and fast and if frightened they will flee quickly into the ocean’s depths” (Hester 43).  I saw my husband stare in the direction that the turtle had come from.  We looked at each other meaningfully and began our surface.  Once we surfaced my husband confirmed what I suspected.  There was a tiger shark in the area and it was heading in our direction, not to mention the turtle’s.  We decided it was time to end the dive.  So as you can see, when its necessary turtles can be faster than one would think.  Another thing I learned was that encountering a shark up close can make you very nervous but it can also give you greater appreciation for life.  I’ve never experienced a dive like this one before.  Simultaneously my stomach got queasy and I felt the hair stand up on the back of my neck and the tops of my shoulders.  I tried to stay calm but it was nerve racking.  Tiger’s are confirmed man eaters.  After our swim in and the mile hike back I reached sandy beach happy to be alive.  I reflected for a moment on how well, all things considered, the dive had gone and how easily it could have been a different story.  I determined that since I had been given this second chance of sorts that I would live my life with gratitude and that I would make the very most of every day.  After such a close call I was in need of a more relaxing way to enjoy myself which I determined would be sunbathing at Kaanapali beach and short snorkel close to shore.  I lied in the sun and felt my skin warm and luxurious, beads of sweat formed and then were cooled by the light breeze.  I exhaled as I hadn’t in months it was pure relaxation.  When the heat got to be too much I donned my hot pink fins, mask and snorkel and enjoyed the beautiful colors of the tropical fish.  The water cooled me and prepared me for more blissful sun worship.  I defy anyone to find something more relaxing than lying on a Maui beach and swimming through its clear waters.

I highly recommend visiting Maui and enjoying all the island has to offer.  There is so much to benefit from. Remember, life is more than just what we accomplish it is meant to be lived and a great way to live is Aloha.

WORKS CITED LIST

Hester, Captain Amber. “A few intriguing facts about Green Sea Turtles.” Maui dive and  

surf Magazine 2009: 43. Print

“Live Aloha, The People of Maui”, University of Hawai`i Maui College, N.p., 2006, Web. 17 Nov.

2010

Swartz, Mim. “Even Hawaiians say Maui is the best”, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, SPI,

1997. Web. 17 Nov. 2010

The Desire of Women-Maria J. Speake

            What do women really want?  Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem “If Thou Must Love Me” illustrates that what women need and want is to have true and lasting love in their lives.  The writer describes how she should and should not be loved.  What she seems to be saying is that a love that depends on anything that changes, and that does not depend upon love itself, is not really love.  Love is the one true and unchanging thing, the one thing that can be depended on.  Any man would do well to take the advice that this poem gives, when it comes to loving a woman.

            The writer knows what she wants, and she describes it in detail.  She wants a love that is not dependant on anything that can be altered.  Browning writes, “Do not say/ ‘I love her for her smile—her look—her way…/  For these things in themselves, Beloved, may/Be changed…” (lines 2-8).  What she is really saying is that she herself may change.  If he loves her for only some part of herself that might go away, or be somehow diminished over time, then his love will not last.  If she loses her looks, and his love was based only upon them, then she will lose his love as well.  This is not the kind of love that a woman wants.  She desires the security of a love that will be constant through the circumstances and changes of life.  She does not want a love that is based upon her merits.  She is aware of her faults.  So if love should not depend on the person being loved, what then should it depend on?

            It certainly can’t depend on people.  People are simply not rock solid.  People are ever changing, ever aging, and ever making mistakes.  All we can hope is that we learn from the mistakes that we make.  So as imperfect as we are, love can not depend on us.  Browning pleads, “But love me for love’s sake, that evermore/ Though mayst love on, through love’s eternity” (13-14).  She’s saying, “Don’t let your love depend on me, I’m undependable.  Instead let your love depend upon love itself.”  The only thing that can be depended on is love.  True love relies on itself and says, “I love her because it is what I was made to do”.  Real love does not list conditions for its own existence.  Real love simply is and will always be.  This constancy is what a woman desires.  She does want to be loved and admired for who she is today, but if she should change and admiration fades, she should still be loved with all her faults.  It is this constancy that makes love an object of desire for women.

            Losing love is a frightening possibility for a woman.  All that she is can become hopelessly tangled in the life of the one that she loves.  If she loses that love, she can lose her very self.  The hesitation that comes from this fear can be heard in the opening lines of the poem: “If thou must love me” (1).  She’s saying, “If you have to love me, if there is no way around it, then love me forever.  Do not love me for a moment, and then leave me with a broken heart.” She does not want to be loved because she once gave him “A sense of pleasant ease on such a day” (6).  A day will only last for a day.  This line speaks of a moment in time that passes.  Women do not want pleasure for just a moment.  They want something of value that will last.  They want something they can treasure forever and that they can be certain will always be theirs.  They want something that they can trust, something that will say, “Don’t be afraid; at no time will you be alone.”

            Women know without a doubt what it is that they want.  They want a rare love that is more dependable than they are.  They want a love with an endurance that would outlast their lives.  They want constancy and faithfulness that is unconditional.  Women want love that depends on nothing but love.  If those who would love will love as this poem instructs, they will do well, and finally women will have what they desire.

Work Cited

Browning, Elizabeth Barrett. “Sonnets from the Portuguese, Number 14: If Thou Must Love Me”

Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Robert Zweig. 5^th Compact ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2012. 556. Print.

A Powerful Woman Restrained-Maria J. Speake

(Image found at http://lh3.ggpht.com/-gujDGil975s/Sa5Ewsh24DI/AAAAAAAAAQU/48BrwVItu2U/j0401527.jpg)

            Women are passionate, creative and powerful creatures.  John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” takes a look at one woman’s struggle to be who she is within the confines of the world in which she lives.  Elisa Allen is a strong and gifted woman, but she finds herself restrained by society.  She is confident in her gifts and speaks with excitement about what she calls her “planters’ hands” (353).  She has an amazing ability to work with plants which seems to be an innate part of her.  We learn that Elisa yearns for something beyond her life on the ranch, and that she may have even contemplated taking action to attain that something.  However, by the end of the story she seems to have sadly resigned herself to the idea that she will not ever experience life outside of the ranch.  Steinbeck’s story demonstrates how women’s spirits can be damaged when they are restrained by the expectations and confines of society.

            Elisa is physically and mentally strong.  According to Steinbeck, “her work with the scissors was over-eager, over-powerful.  The chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and easy for her energy” (350).  This passage tells us that Elisa is strong enough to do much more than just grow flowers.  She is capable of more than society expects of her.  When her husband speaks to her about the strength of her coming crop she replies with smugness on her face and in her tone (351).  She knows her crop, is going to be strong.  She is sure of herself and her abilities.  When she first speaks to the traveling man, she directs him with confidence about his route and about his team’s abilities (352).  She is not intimidated by the man and she is sure of her own wisdom.  Although Elisa is powerful in mind and body, she does find herself limited by the ideas of others.

            Elisa expresses her discontent about the limitations placed on women by society when she speaks to the traveling man.  She talks about his kind of life and says, “It must be very nice.  I wish women could do such things” (354).  She doesn’t say, “Woman should do these things”, or “Women could do these things”.  She says that she “wishes”.  This shows her understanding that women are limited in the things they are allowed to do.  But what is keeping them from doing those things is not lack of ability, but the expectations of society as a whole.  The traveler seems to represent the society of Elisa’s time.  He immediately dismisses her feelings and responds, “It ain’t the right kind of life for a woman” (354)  He is making a judgment that he must believe he is qualified to make, or perhaps he is simply echoing the attitudes of the people of his time.  This response seems to make Elisa angry, and there is a moment in the story where one might believe that her anger has empowered her to take action, and to go live this kind of life, perhaps on her own.  Elisa alludes to this idea when she says, “You might be surprised to have a rival some time.  I can sharpen scissors, too.  And I can beat the dents out of little pots.  I could show you what a woman might do” (354).  Elisa seems to be thinking seriously about hitting the road for a different kind of life.  One wonders if she’s given any thought as to how a change like this might affect her marriage.  Certainly in the 1930’s, or any other time for that matter, a man would be unlikely to leave his livelihood to join his wife on such an adventure.  Elisa’s idea seems to have been brought on by her indignation at what the traveler said to her; however, the author implies that the idea doesn’t fade and it seems to stick with her throughout most of the day.  When the stranger leaves, she watches him go and notes, “That’s a bright direction.  There’s a glowing there” (354).  This is in stark contrast with the description of Elisa’s surroundings.  Steinbeck describes the fog, “On every side it sat like a lid on the mountains and made of the great valley a closed pot” (350).  This “closed pot” (350) must symbolize Elisa’s feeling of being closed off from the rest of the world, and the brightness alludes to her way out.  Elisa seems at her strongest at this moment and could be entertaining dreams of escape and adventure.  She seems to be struggling internally with her own desires and with the expectations that others place on her.  While Elisa does have moments of great empowerment, in the end she seems defeated.

            By the time Elisa leaves for her date she is transformed, strong and radiant, but on the road she sees something that changes her demeanor.  The traveling man has tossed away her beautiful chrysanthemum sprouts and left them on the road.  The author seems to be telling us that the chrysanthemums, like Elisa’s desires and dreams, will never grow to be what they could have been because they have been discarded and trampled.  When Elisa sees this she seems defeated.  She goes limp, and she cries weakly (356).  Her strong spirit has been injured, and so she decides to make do.  She tells her husband, “It will be enough if we can have wine.  It will be plenty” (356).  This implies that though she wanted much more for herself, she has settled for what she has.  She has given up.

            Like the traveler, society has presumed to know what kind of life is right for a woman.  However, as Elisa demanded of the man “How do you know?  How can you tell?” (354)  The truth is that no one can know what is right for a woman, except herself.  Women are full of gifts and passions that must be expressed freely.  Women should not be restrained by society or by anyone.  If they are restrained the powerful and beautiful spirits that they possess may be damaged or destroyed.  That loss would be too heavy a price for the world to pay.

Work Cited

Steinbeck, John. “The Chrysanthemums.” Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing.

Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Robert Zweig. 5^th Compact ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2012. 350-356. Print.