About

I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. (Jack London)

I’m Rachel.  I’m a solo parent, eldest child of four and software daycare development manager striving to live an authentic, soulful life, preferably one that includes art and writing, frequent travel, tree hugging and dancing under the stars (not with the stars). Punctuated with laughter, mayhem and random conversation. While loving and being loved as a good mother, sister, friend, daughter. I lost my way a while ago and am slowly finding my way back by spending more of life engaging creatively, because as smarty-pants Picasso says:

Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.

In his speech, This is Water, author David Foster Wallace (RIP) shares the parable of two fish swimming along a river and being asked by an older fish “how’s the water?” and after he leaves they turn to each other and say “what the hell is water?”  Water representing, in Wallace’s words “one of the obvious, ubiquitous, important realities [that] are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about.”

I’m still trying to see and talk about my water. I’m working on being a superb meteor, despite the risk of burning to ashes.  I thought about the everyday life dust being washed away by Wallace’s water, the obvious truths, and I thought “hmmm… that dust might be useful!”  Maybe John leCarre knows where it’s at:

Writing is like walking in a deserted street. Out of the dust in the street you make a mud pie.

So there you have it.  This blog is some of my dust mixed with some of my water, a throwing of mud pies out into the interweb. I don’t expect it to be consistently brilliant or creative, or even consistent in its subject matter because the last thing I’m likely to be is consistent if my goal is to evolve. Pardon my dust. Eat my dust. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Another one bites the dust. All we are is dust in the wind. Whatever.

“I’m shakin’ the dust of this crummy little town off my feet and I’m gonna see the world” (George, It’s a Wonderful Life)

Watch out.