Here's where to find me....

I'm now blogging here http://karenthompkins.blogspot.com/.  Thanks for reading!

Karen

Just Keep on Moving

Over the years I've visited a number of writing groups.  It's interesting how different each group is structured.  For the most part, it reflects the organizer or leader.  Probably the best way to be a part of a writing group that has almost everything you want would be to create your own.  That never crossed my mind.  Having led a number of groups and projects, I know what it takes to keep a group going and then growing.  At the same time, I think that you can get something from almost any writing group that you attend even if just to meet other people. 

 

Once I got settled in D.C., I decided it was time to start visiting writing groups again.  I checked out Meetup.com to find a group in the metro area.  I stumbled upon The Stuck Creative Meetup which meets in Alexandria, VA and Bethesda, MD.  I loved the name of the group so I was going to have to visit unless it was just too far away.  I'm pretty close to the Bethesda location and the Meetup is at 2pm once a month on a Saturday.  

 

I started visiting in July and haven't missed a meeting yet.   The group keeps me motivated to write.  I would describe the leader Gary as a therapist for creative types.  Most of our discussions have more to do with understanding our motivations to create and not to create instead of practical steps to complete our craft.  He has a blog The Stuck Creative which I've referenced and referred others to more than I've actually read.  I figure he's covering these topics in our Meetups.   

 

Going to the support...I mean...Meetup group reminds me that I am not alone in this struggle to become who I was intended to be.    Pursuing our passions is important to that self discovery.   Part of the frustration is that we don't have a road map nor do we know exactly how our story ends.  Together we talk about how hard it is to realize our dreams when our reality seems in opposition to who we are striving to become and where we want to be.  We also express our frustration with our shortcomings.  I know that I'm amazed at how I can fluctuate between believing that I can move a mountain and then not having faith the size of a mustard seed.   But each month, the Meetup group reminds me that all of this nebulousness really is ok.  Just keep on writing.  I don't have to worry about tomorrow or yesterday.  All I have is today.   All I have to do is keep going, keep moving and keep creating.   

Re-Tool...

 

When I was in graduate school, one of my professors and mentors - Dr. Fleda Mask Jackson- taught me the concept of re-tool.  Re-tooling is a process or activity by which we renew ourselves- our mind, body and soul.  Fleda says one of her re-tooling activities is gardening.  For some, it may be exercising, getting a massage or spending time with good friends over a delicious meal.  Sometimes I like to go on long walks without music and just allow my mind to rest and my senses to be stimulated by the natural environment.

 

Last night I re-tooled in another way.  I went to the 6th annual Baltimore Jazz Education Project held at The Center for The Arts at Towson University in Towson, MD.  My brother has served as the Musical Director for this project as well as one of the primary organizers since it began.  As taken from Greg Thompkins' (my brother) facebook page: 

 

The purpose of the fund is to provide jazz education to underserved youth through the funding of individual musical instruction in selected Baltimore City Public Schools. The jazz education program at Patterson Park Public Charter School in Baltimore is supported by this fund.

 

As part of the fundraiser, Greg featured some of his young saxophone students.  This year, there were two little girls playing their saxophone.  They looked to be between 10-12 years of age.  He also featured a 9th grade student that has been with him for 4 years, Chase.  Chase is featured in the video clip above.   I took this clip using my phone so that will completely explain the video quality.  When you see these kids it will definitely make your heart happy. 

 

Here is a picture of Chase with an attendee.  She was giving him all of this advice of what he should do on stage to feel the music.  At the end of all of that I told Chase that he might want to check with his teacher (Greg) before doing any of that stuff. 

Lady telling Chase how he should feel the music onstage

I spent time with my family.  I brought my parents along and they had a really good time.  It was nice to see my brother Greg in his element and seeing how much he is admired and appreciated.  All of this love and admiration was extended to us as well being his family.  It's always good to see family members through different lenses.  He is an amazing instructor.  It's obvious that he is teaching his 60+ students much more than learning how to play the saxophone.   It caused me to reflect upon the village of teachers, friends and relatives that helped to raise me.  It gave me hope for the next generation. 

Chase's dad, me and mom


I had to include this picture because the only one ready for this picture was Greg.

me, mom, dad, Greg

One of the little girls featured during the performance.  She has been with Greg for 2 years.

Greg with Chase

 

May you find your own way to re-tool.  Wishing you peace, blessings and all good things!

Headed in the Right Direction

This is what I did on Monday night instead of writing.  Sometimes I just want a good ole southern meal.  I came home on Monday evening and made fried pork chop, greens (kale) and rice with gravy with onions.  Sometimes, its worth it just to take the time to make a delicious and comforting meal. 

The next night I was able to get in some writing and I am going to do a little tonight.  My sleeping pattern has been a bit precarious for over 10 years.  Sometimes I sleep well and sometimes I don't.  Now, when I wake up in the middle of the night I just work on my manuscript or do a little journaling.  I refuse to take sleep aids so I just trust that my body will adjust itself accordingly.

 

I went to my writing support group last weekend.  I always gather pearls of wisdom from the participants and the leader Gary.  It was my third meeting and I was talking to the group leader and asked him if his name was Ge or Geo and he said...Gary.  I don't know where I got those names from and it is kinda sad that this was my third meeting.  The group is called The Stuck Creative started by GARY.

 

I had been a little frustrated realizing that I may not be able to finish this manuscript by February.  One nugget of wisdom shared by Gary was of course I can go ahead and set a date further out so that I don't drive myself crazy.  Ok...not all that deep.  Believe it or not, I needed someone to tell me that which makes perfect sense.  The second was that maybe I should approach my writing from solving a dilemma each time I sit down instead of measuring my progress from the amount of time spent writing, the number of paragraphs or pages written. 

 

I know that the manuscript will be done when it is done.  As long as I keep chipping away at it I believe that the timing will be perfect and that it will be the right time. 

 

Lately, I've been motivated by this India.Arie song  "Headed in the Right Direction"

(chorus only)

Headed in the right direction
I can see the light of day
I've got love as my connection
There's an angel showing me the way

Headed in the right direction
I can see the light of day
I've got love as my protection
There's no need for me to be afraid

Headed in the right direction
I can see the light of day
I've got faith and intuition telling me that I will be okay

Headed in the right direction
I can see the light of day
Now I've found my pearl of wisdom
There's no need for me to be afraid

Headed in the right direction
There's an angel showing me the way
I have found my inspiration
Headed in the right direction

Back to Blogging Again!

Yes, I'm back. 

 

I've been struggling about whether or not to start blogging again.  It's hard for me to put stuff out into the blogosphere and thus the world without first wanting it to be a finely crafted publishable piece that I've edited a kabillion times.  In that sense - I think I've missed the point of blogging.  It's perfectly A-OK to use it for stream of consciousness.

 

But this time around, I am using my blog to support a larger piece of creative work that I began over 10 years ago - a manuscript.  I need a place to document this process of finishing this manuscript.  Also, I know that there are many a people out there in the world trying to get their creative and/or lifework done.  Maybe this can serve as inspiration to those trying to GET IT DONE in spite of all of the wonderfully and not-so-wonderfully distracting things going on both internally and externally in our lives.

 

I spent a full 30 minutes thinking about whether or not to start a new blog but then I was starting to fall down a very dark hole of what blog host site to use, the name of the site, colors, photos and on and on and on some more.  I decided to climb out of that hole and use what I already have.  Besides, this blog has been a part of my writing life.  And...I like the name breakfastatkaren's.

 

Until next time- Peace, Blessings and All Good Things!

A New Year and a Goodbye :(

Happy New Year! 

As I have spent the last few months ushering in many new things such as a new job, a new place to live, a new city and a whole new way of life - I've discovered that it was time to let some things go.  It is time for me to say goodbye to Breakfast at Karen's.  I just have too much going on to maintain the blog in the manner that I would like.  I will continue to write at my own pace and pursue opportunities to share my work.  I may even blog again in the future but probably not in the near future.  :)

It's a new year and four beautiful seasons begin.  Isn't that a beautiful thought?  I stole it from an unopened set of New Year's cards (by American Greetings) that I discovered while unpacking.  Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!!!

Wishing you peace, love, blessings and all good things!  Karen

Lost in a book

I’ve rediscovered my love of reading.  Once again, I feel like that little kid sitting on the floor of her pink bedroom.   My long and sometimes ashy brown legs would be stretched way out against the light green carpet.   I was lost in a book.

I remember this intensely pleasurable reading taking place during the summer of my childhood.  My mother, a school teacher, would be home with us during the long summer months.  As soon as we mentioned that we were bored, Ma would say Bored?  Ok.  Go get your things.  We’re going to the library.  Her tone suggested that we were in some sort of trouble.  I loved to read so I was always a little confused by this parental display.  She piled her 3 kids into the back of the green Chevy Nova and off we went. 

The authors of my childhood were Beverly Cleary, Maya Angelou and Judy Blume.  Not too long after that I discovered James Baldwin.  I don’t remember my mother scrutinizing my stack of books which is why I could slip in James Baldwin at a fairly young age.  At that time children were really children.  This was before cable and the only source of corruption was the Brady Bunch, Threes Company and Fat Albert.  Even if my mother saw me reading James Baldwin she probably thought I was trying to learn about my black history.   

Somewhere along the way I lost my love of reading.  It probably started with all of the volumes of required reading for college and graduate school.  This was followed by jobs that required more reading.  When I got home in the evenings, the last thing I wanted to do was deal with more words.   But I kept reading anyway.  There were moments that I enjoyed but it felt a lot like laundry.  The main difference is that I could remember a time when I loved reading and that memory buoyed me along from book to book. 

It made no sense for me to approach a book like a kid trying to get through a plate full of peas. So I stopped trying.  I would read what I wanted and when I wanted.  I would read an article here and a blog there.  Sometimes I would read parts of books with no goal of completion.  This went on for a few years. 

Last May, I was with my walking buddy Arlene and we decided to visit a new library we noticed passed on our way to Arabia Mountain.  We casually walked around the library marveling at the architecture.  Eventually we got to the books to check out their selection.  Suddenly I had this urge to read which took me by surprise.   I ended up choosing Jonah’s Gourd Vine by Zorah Neale Hurston which was first published in 1934.  I loved the wonderfully flawed main character of preacher John Pearson.  The dialect was challenging and delightful.

I then turned to my own bookshelf for the next selection, Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin.   I savored every word.  When I finished the last chapter, I declared once again that Baldwin is the best.  Now, I’m reading Anne Lamott’s book – Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life.  She has some very practical suggestions that I find quite helpful.  I’m amused by her use of lavish sarcasm.

I continue to read as I can.  I take my time.   I lay across my bed with only a night lamp on and sometimes I burn a candle.  And the sensation is the same as it was a long, long time ago.   

Rediscovering Reading at the Stonecrest Library, Lithonia, GA