per·i·pa·tet·ic
ˌperēpəˈtedik/
adjective
  1. 1.
    traveling from place to place, especially working or based in various places for relatively short periods.
    "the peripatetic nature of military life"
    synonyms:nomadic, itinerant, traveling, wandering, roving, roaming, migrant,migratory, unsettled
    "I could never get used to her peripatetic lifestyle"
  2. 2.
    Aristotelian.
noun
  1. 1.
    a person who travels from place to place.
  2. 2.
    an Aristotelian philosopher.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Water That Moves: A Catalyst for Commotion in Motion

Fountain at Lake Ella Park in Tallahassee, 9-15-2012
You know what they say about a body in motion? It not only tends to stay in motion but could also become a catalyst for commotion. Well, that last part is not what "they" say. It's something I added. I put myself in motion this last weekend to visit Daughter in Tallahassee. There were plenty of reasons for the visit:
  1. I hadn't seen Daughter in a few weeks.
  2. It was my turn to make the 3-hour-each-way journey by car.
  3. Recent telephone conversations with Daughter have been almost as sketchy and unsatisfying as some versions of text messaging. "How u been? OK. Me 2. Wassup w/wrk? Same ol same ol. Same here. OK. Luv u. Luv u 2. Bye." (Would you believe I can't bring myself to text like that? I have to spell it all out. It can be agonizingly slow, but old writing habits are hard to break.) 
  4. A massage CEU course was being offered at Core Institute on Saturday. Interestingly, it dealt with movement--the Feldenkrais approach to it. Huh? That's what I thought when I received an e-mail from the Big Bend Chapter of FSMTA. Something massage-related I'm not familiar with and two credits for my effort and curiosity? I'm game. Count me in. Same for Daughter. Plans for the weekend? Too bad. Mom's comin' for a visit.

The trip wasn't all about serious stuff like learning. Really? You can learn a lot from a soul that's been dipped in the icy waters at Wakulla Springs. There must be something in the minerals or the constant movement of the water.


Whatever it is, someone needs to bottle it and call it "Commotion in Motion." Or maybe "Endymion Energizer."

Endymion

The rising moon has hid the stars;
Her level rays, like golden bars,
Lie on the landscape green,
With shadows brown between.

And silver white the river gleams,
As if Diana, in her dreams,
Had dropt her silver bow
Upon the meadows low.

On such a tranquil night as this,
She woke Endymion with a kiss,
When, sleeping in the grove,
He dreamed not of her love.

Like Dian's kiss, unasked, unsought,
Love gives itself, but is not bought;
Nor voice, nor sound betrays
Its deep, impassioned gaze.

It comes,--the beautiful, the free,
The crown of all humanity,--
In silence and alone
To seek the elected one.

It lifts the boughs, whose shadows deep,
Are Life's oblivion, the soul's sleep,
And kisses the closed eyes
Of him, who slumbering lies

O, weary hearts! O, slumbering eyes!
O, drooping souls, whose destinies
Are fraught with fear and pain,
Ye shall be loved again!

No one is so accursed by fate,
No one so utterly desolate,
But some heart, though unknown,
Responds unto his own.

Responds,--as if with unseen wings,
An angel touched its quivering strings;
And whispers, in its song,
"Where hast thou stayed so long!"

(Henry W. Longfellow, 1807-1882)

14 comments:

  1. How nice to get a workshop and some mom-daughter time in all at once. It looks like you had fun! I'm a Longfellow fan too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Awww, you all look like you are so happy! What fun to have a mother-daughter workshop.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It must have been a great weekend for you - to visit your daughter and participate in an interesting workshop at one occasion. Seems you had fun.

    Drooping souls need commotion in motion, don't they? :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Looked like you had a lot of fun! You two make a good team!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. You look really happy with your daughter! It made me smile and made me happy too!! I'm interested in "the icy waters at Wakulla Springs". It sounds very tempting. Aaah Endymion. Being a remarkably beautiful young man might usually be a tragedy...

    ReplyDelete
  6. You do look like you had fun! And fun is GOOD! I love the poem. Longfellow is under enjoyed these days and it is so good to see his work used.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Happy Mother and Daughter! You sure had a great time with her.
    I wish I could understand the poem Endymion more clearly. Am I right in saying that what you mean by "Endymion Energizer" for my daughter is the rising sun or setting sun or wild animals she saw during her trip in Kenya before she had to undergo the operation after that?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks, everyone! We did have a great weekend together. A visit is always too short. I'm glad you all liked the Longfellow poem, and I agree with Ciss B. His poetry is under-appreciated and often overlooked.

    Cosmos, I'm sorry if I was confusing with the inclusion of Endymion. His name means to "dive in," but the fact that he's always sleeping means that he never leaves the ground or enters the water. I was having a little fun with the idea of a timid suitor (afraid to dive into commitment/marriage). Too many young men are content to be "sleepy" these days:) I hope your daughter is doing all right after her surgery.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you W2W for correcting my misunderstanding^ ^; My daughter is one of those who are yet to see wide-awake soul mates. Her surgery went well. Though she still has to continue the treatment,she is all right. Thank you for your concern.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hello W2W,

    Thats a very different post from you, i should say. I got the feeling of living your life when read between those lines, especially since you narrated it in a frank way adding the innocence of daily life .That text message conversation part was hilarious..Lovely Picture with your daughter..

    ReplyDelete
  11. Dear Walk2write,
    coming back from our holidays I find your interesting post.
    It is good to be able to see one's child so often! We had ours now on vacation - enjoyed that so much! Feldenkrais is an interesting method, do you use it?.
    To write sms in abbreviation is a thing that I won't do neither - I also hate it when people don't make time for (German) "Liebe Grüße" but write LG instead.
    Britta

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm a hopeless texter as well. I spell it all out and punctuate it. If I try to use text-speak I just make myself look ridiculous. I loved that poem by the way. Haunting. Longfellow is a favourite of mine.

    ReplyDelete
  13. That must have been refreshing (even if you had to travel 3 hrs one way)

    ReplyDelete
  14. You're welcome, Cosmos. Your daughter will probably find her soul-mate when she least expects it.

    Glad you liked the post, Tomz. I think I know why you thought it was different. I don't usually talk about tech stuff like texting. That's probably one reason why I included a classic poem. It's comforting, and modern things make me nervous.

    It's good to hear from you, Britta. I am just learning about Feldenkrais, mostly for my own benefit, such as improving my posture and body mechanics while massaging clients. The one class definitely helped me, and I'd like to learn more.

    Hello, Mr. Graeme! I'm so glad you stopped by. I've been away for the past week and not able to respond to comments or visit my visitors like I normally do. I will make amends. So I'm not the only archaic texter, spelling everything out and punctuating too? That's good to know. We should probably form a society. Maybe we already have.

    Thanks, Haddock. It was refreshing (the visit as well as the dip in the springs) and something I'd like to repeat as often as possible.

    ReplyDelete