Up: [[Sharing]] Related: Created: 2023-08-27 I’m reading the introduction to the book I just received, *Exploring Poetry of Presence II* by [[Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer]]. She offers a great explanation of what makes writing a mindfulness practice that is making me realize that’s exactly why I want a ‘project’ and what I want from it. Rosemerry talks about scanning the world all day, every day in search of a poem. That heightened awareness, that paying attention. Yes! I want that. Do I need a public project for it? No, I don’t. I’m already gradually, ever so slowly, getting more and more of the awareness, the attunement throughout my daily life. She also said that writing gives her the opportunity to frame and reframe an experience, to look at it from different perspectives. Yes, all forms of self-expression and my therapy give me that opportunity. Some reading does too. Which means changing how I see the world, changing what I think, how I behave. Self-expression is the vehicle for transformation. Rosemerry didn’t say that, I did. It feels profound right now. And then Rosemerry said the most important thing of all. It’s not actually about the words or the images I paint. They’re just what’s pointing to the mystery. As Rosemerry says, the proverbial fingers pointing at the moon. *When we put the practice first, then the dark and light come pouring in and we are stunned by our own aliveness.* (Foreword) Yes! That is the Be Amazed part of the program folks. And it’s the part I’m most afraid of losing through Tell About It. Does it need to be my own Red Book, my private cathedral? Maybe that plus something with others, But if there is something with others, it can’t be anything like publishing on Medium where I pay attention to word count and writing headings that grab attention. My question has to be, What is the most natural thing I can do? I do not want to do anything that requires me to pursue agents, publishers, anyone who will change the mysterious into the commercially viable. It’s like the movie ‘King Richard’ that I watched last night. He turned down the machine that was convinced it knew how to produce young tennis stars. He made sure his daughters, Venus and Serena, got an education, had the chance to be children and teenagers, grew up with strong values. I want to just do the work and see what happens. But I do know that doing the work in absolute secrecy and privacy means that nothing can or will happen. Back to the question, What is the smallest and the most natural way to share? Social media, like Instagram or Twitter, would be smallest but neither appeals. The way that Phil Kastelic shares is very nice. Simple little beautifully written emails that don't require response. Ditto for what Rosemerry does. A poem a day. But I look at my Beams (see [[Deciding to Write Beams]] and they are all too personal. I could only do something like Phil and Rosemerry if I could avoid the totally personal. And do I want to do that? I’m not at all sure. Right now, I doubt it.