A BLOGGER’S HAIKU
fragrance of lilacs
spring leaves, mauve buds, open, still closed
readers have waited
by Terrill Welch
I recently purchased haiku mind: 108 Poems to Cultivate Awareness & Open Your Heart (2008) by Patricia Donegan. The book is beautifully structured, presenting the poem and a piece of prose about her experience of the poem and a biographical paragraph about the haiku author. Donegan’s book and the lilacs I picked last night were my inspiration for today’s photograph and poem.
Sprout Question: When is your inspiration – just in time?
© 2010 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.
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Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.
From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada
Creative Potager 
Terrill – What a terrific photograph. I highly recommend that you send it to the author of the book. I can well imagine that she would deeply appreciate it.
Sprout Question: When is your inspiration – just in time?
My inspiration usually arrives in quiet. For example, I just now stepped out of a client session where I was doing Cranial Therapy – absolute quiet. I had a huge ahha during the session while she was sound asleep.
Oftentimes inspiration arrives when I’m sleeping. Hence, I sleep with a pen/paper on my nightstand.
GREAT question. GREAT photo!
Thank you Laurie and I will consider sending a link to the author… sometimes they find them anyway:)
I think there is something powerful about creativity when we get out of our own way while drifting to sleep, doing dishes, driving on the freeway, doing cranial work with a client. I call it a time when things go “swish…” and the idea surfaces with grace and ease. Today was like that. I woke with a sense of peace and with a presence of each moment that became my morning… still with no post up and another topic planned for the day. Well, I went with the “swish” and here you have it!
My partner just said that in the photo it looks as if the pear is sitting on top of the book… just so you know it is part of the book jacket.
I love that book, Terrill, I keep it right by my bed. Frequently inspiration comes to me in the shower. Not sure why – it seems to have something to do with being away from distractions… And sometimes when reading a book or a poem…
Good to hear Barbara that you love this book as well. And the shower… do you have water proof paper and pen or water stained notebook by the sink? I am teasing:)
The shower seems to be a top notch inspiration funnel for many and is also somehow different than a bath. Walking in the rain is good as well. I have this outlandish notion that the water is part of the magic. Somehow it cleanses, opens and protects our energy field all at the same time leaving new channels available for us to access within ourselves and within the universe. It may sound rather “nutty” but this is my sense of things. The other time this kind of alignment seems to happen without effort is just at the point of sleep or waking up as Laurie mentioned previously.
That doesn’t sound nutty at all – it makes perfect sense to me! 🙂 Love walking in the rain, too, as long as it isn’t thundering. Then I pay Thor his due and watch from inside….
Barbara that likely just makes two of us sounding a little nutty…. and soon Laurie is going to pipe up as well and there will be three of us and then…. :)))) I never mind the thunder or even the lightening but high winds unnerve me something fierce. I wake up from a sound sleep once the winds get to about 50 km per hour.
Terrill – I like the “swish” description. I, too, thought the pear was set atop the cover. Golly Moses, it looks 3-dimensional!
I know Laurie – when David said that I thought I had better clarify. This 3-dimensional appearance is because of the skill of the photographer and designer of the original book jacket.
My muse enjoys visiting me when I can’t avoid or critize her — when I’m sleeping, when I’m doing housework. I’m negotiating with her and she has promised that their is hope that we will be able to work together at a more productive time — if I will still listen unjudgementally. Stephan King’s book On Writing is excellent and gives some advice on how to work effectively with your muse.
Leanne, a great sprout. Is there anything that you specifically found useful in the Stephan King book on writing? Say 1-3 tips that stand out.
The smell of Lilacs is truly my inspiration……My absolute favorite
Kim
Butterfliesgalore.wordpress.com
Lilacs are one of my favourites as they are so bold about their presence. No second row seat for these babies in the smelling section. (I took the liberty to edit your website reference into a live link.
The pear jumped out for me too. It was really strange. I had to look at it three times.
I must have just got a perfect angle on it so that the pear jumped right off the page.
Great connective work here! The photograph is fresh and beautiful!
When is your inspiration – just in time? When I get out of my own way and allow spirit to flow!
Thank you Jeff and your sprout response had be laughing with recognition.
I listen to On Writing ever so often. Although it has been a while. I will have to listen to it again and get back to you. Thank you for asking, Terrill.
I’ll be looking forward to what you decide to share with us.
i don’t believe anything comes into our lives
a moment to soon or a moment to late.
It always seems to me that everything is “just in time”
A wise answer to our sprout question today Jerry. You response reminds me of the book reading Leanne and I did last week in Victoria. We arrived 45 minutes later than the start of our presentation. It should have been a disaster but as you say – we were just in time not “a moment to soon or a moment to late.” However, we have no desire to do a repeat performance by misreading the ferry schedule.
Barbara and Terrill – Ohhhhhhh, I LOVE walking in the rain (Terrill, you simply know me too well). I absolutely ADORE a good storm! Barbara, like you, I do thunder/lightning from inside simply because I don’t do electrocution well.
Bring it on!
I just knew it Laurie!
I was once up in a big fir tree with my younger brother. I was six and he was four. Our mother was frantically looking for us and running around calling and calling. We finally answer her as the thunder roared and the lighting hit the lake. Very calmly she said “you need to come down right now.” Once we were safely on the ground she went into a full rant “what were you thinking! the lighting could have struck the tree! why didn’t you come in when the storm started!” and so on. We just wanted to get a better look and had climbed that tree many times before. I do try to be more sensible today… but thunder and lighting still has me running out on our covered deck over looking the valley to see what I can see.
Hmm. When is my inspiration just in time? I think when I can turn-off the noise of the world and finally see the wonders that are before my eyes. I always wonder why I did not pay more attention sooner.
I am smiling slamdunk… I love going on the same trails at different times of day because the changes in the light, seasons and weather bring different things to my attention. I think living life is much the same way… at different times we pay attention to different things.
I love a good storm too, although there is a frost warning in lake in the Hills tonight! my hubby is so cute. This morning I back out of the garage and he had a bunch of old blue towels all over the hostas…
Kim
I think he is a keeper Kim… remembering to cover the hostas is a very desirable trait.
hello terrill..
great book profile photograph…
about the sprout question, the inspiration sometimes come when i dont want to think about something. the harder we try to get it, the more difficult to get it.. for example the ispirations of fashion which i want to make, sometime come when i tried to sleep or even in the bath room haha..
xoxo
Glad you came by Wulan… I can see that you accept inspiration whenever and wherever it shows up;)
OK, the logical side of me answers the question as – it is always “just” in time, because you asked WHEN!
But seriously, my inspiration comes first as a little thought that passes through my brain. If I don’t act on it at that moment or shortly thereafter, it comes back, and comes back, as if nagging me to do something about it. So I act on it, because if I don’t my little inspiration nag will not go away. And I love it! It’s as if my inspiration has found a way to get around my external self/life/etc. in this way.
Kat I am so glad you answered the sprout question even though… there was an easy out:) Like that “So I act on it, because if I don’t my little inspiration nag will not go away.” This is what happened to me on the next post “Slippers and Chocolate.” Even after I slept on it – the silliness had to come out.