Every Day Is a Poem Jacqueline Suskin (knowledgeable books to read txt) 📖

it. What is the first thing that it makes you think of? What is the first word that comes to mind? Does it offer you a memory? Does it connect you to something ancient and human? If you look at it and think, This is just a spoon that I use to eat soup, that’s fine. But I bet you can notice more. Where did this spoon come from? Where did you buy it? Why did you choose it? Do you like eating with it? Is it too small or too big? How long do you think humans have been using spoons? Is a spoon sacred in any other culture? How can a spoon be sacred? Apply this exercise to any object in your home and suddenly you’ll see that everything holds so much meaning. Start writing these personal definitions down and see the value that’s already overflowing in the commonplace. This is the infinite collection of meaning that surrounds you.

WRITING PRACTICE

CREATE YOUR PERSONAL MYTHOLOGY

If we want to saturate our lives with meaning, we can create our very own mythologies to carry with us wherever we go. The way we do this is by assigning importance and definitions to objects and symbols. This is a very old human practice. Think of five things that are undeniably significant to you. Let’s say you choose family, home, love, fun, and health. Now, assign an object or a symbol to represent each of these things. Family can be connected to the black bear because when you’re all together you’re like a family of bears, cozy in their winter den. Home can be connected to the sycamore tree because there is a giant one in the front yard. Love can be symbolized by a red heart. Fun can be the image of a mountain because you love climbing and that’s your place for fun. Finally, health can be symbolized by the sun because when you’re warm and bright, you feel most vital.

The bear, the sycamore, the red heart, the mountain, and the beaming sun. These are your symbols that you can carry everywhere with you and expand upon in writing. For example, take the black bear. Why do you like it? What meaning comes up when you think about it? Do some research; find out what this animal means in your culture. Pull together the aspects that move you most and write your own definition. What words do you associate with this creature? What does it look like? This will highlight a personal, poetic importance for you, so that every time you see this animal or think of it, an intimate meaning will arise. This same practice works for plants as well.

No matter where you are, you have access to a mythology that applies to your personal narrative. This gives greater meaning to your reality and can be very helpful in the midst of hardship or uncertainty. These symbols, together or alone, can remind you that who you are is built on a large foundation of potent meaning.

There are many animals and plants that help me navigate the world. I’m always alert, noticing which creatures cross my path, which plants are blooming when, so that I can interact with the symbols of my mythology as much as possible. This practice supports my mental health and adds a wealth of importance to my life. When I see a hawk, I’m reminded that I’m at home anywhere. When I’m at the beach and I see a dolphin surface, I’m reminded of my wisdom and freedom. When I see mugwort growing by a stream, I call it my friend and its silver leaves remind me of my dreams. When I see equisetum growing in the forest, I’m reminded how old the earth is, and I settle into a state of deep respect. Strung together, my assortment of consequence is a bountiful book of meaning that I can access whenever I desire a restored sense of connection.

Everything around you can have a lore attached. You can create a story of what it means to you. This can be applied to anything. To holidays, to cooking, to colors, to doing the laundry. It can hold importance if you say so, if you imagine it, and each aspect of your lifestyle can weave into an intricate mythology of purpose.

Heart Rock

On the bank of the Trinity River

I find a heart shaped rock,

perfectly smooth

with a big scar in the center.

I used to fill my pockets with treasure:

pebbles, shells, bones and bark.

Now I just hold each one

and put it back where

it came from, a prayer

to remain in place.

But this worn stone,

with its distinct injury slightly

shining in the sun, comes home

with me. It sits in the center

of my altar and I coddle it

every morning. I cup it gently

and it exists as a unruined symbol

of ongoing work, the might

of mending that is left

in my hands alone.

What symbols, creatures, or objects

hold significance for you?

POETIC MINDSET TIP

KEEP YOUR MEANING UP TO DATE

Meaning helps us pay closer attention and take care of the world around us. Meaning is what makes everything matter. I’m in awe of the new meaning that humans create daily, as well as the ancient meaning that we cannot seem to shake. Meaning is personal, it’s individual, and it becomes collective. It’s our job to refine our own beliefs so that our actions carry the force of all our nuance, the power of our educated preferences, and the tone of our unique perspectives. Through the poetry of making meaning, we’re illuminating personal and shared mythologies that inspire us all to be better humans, showing one another how to benefit from the complexity of consciousness. It’s important that we put in the effort to refresh the things that we deem significant, to update our values as we change and