Creative? Trapped At Home? Read This

Thoughts for creative people on being forced to stay at home:

Some people talk about writing, others do it.
Same for painting, composing, dancing, drawing, jewelry-making, pottery, clothing design, etc.

These times of pandemic stress, staying home and such, can be hard to get through.

One thought that has helped me is to imagine myself ten years from now, looking back, thinking about how I spent my time during the pandemic. Did I lose a lot of time to stress and worry? Sure I did. But did I also seize the opportunity to be creative?

When you look back from the distant future, you will almost certainly want to think that you didn't squander the time. You will want to recall that you didn't just talk about writing, you wrote. And wrote.

Another helpful thought for me is that I've often had the idea that it would be wonderful to be able to take a sabbatical and stay home from most of my obligations. I've imagined all that I could get done if only I were given the gift of extra time. Well, here it is. Is it all easy? Of course not. But could we use the time productively if we were focused? Definitely.

Every writer who's seen Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical Hamilton remembers the haunting line, "Write Like You're Running Out Of Time." That line is the stuff of anthems, and one of the most memorable from a show that won every theatrical award including the Pulitzer for Best Drama and Tony for Best Musical.

Another line with a similar message comes from Jonathan Larson's musical Rent and the song No Day But Today. Give it a listen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-w_RNchAsk

Like Hamilton, Rent won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Original Score, Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, Obie Awards for Outstanding Lyrics. The list goes on. Why was the show such a huge hit? The message of that song - that NOW is what matters -  helped propel the raves.

The song, and message, can make you cry. But it can also make you get out of your funk and create something valuable.

It's a compelling concept, this notion of turning distress into productivity, this idea of writing like you're running out of time. Don't put it off. Don't wait to start. Don't wait for inspiration. Don't wait for the right feeling or the right place or the best approach or the perfect company. And never ever think to yourself, 'I'll get going on that good idea tomorrow.'

Tahoe Bobcat!

In Tahoe we often see Bear and Coyote. But in 30 years, I've only seen a bobcat twice and both times it was at some distance.

Until this week.

I was looking out my window when a bobcat came up on our deck, walked in front of me, and then hunkered down next to our house.

It was twice the size of a house cat, about 20 inches tall and 30 inches long. It had a short little tail, 4 inches long, and held tucked in.

This guy sensed me on the other side of the window,
and turned just so for a portrait.

When I looked closely at the photo, it appeared that the bobcat's eyes had elliptical pupils. Because I'd always thought that the only cat species that had slit pupils were house cats, that sent me on a research mission. Several internet sources erroneously said what I'd previously thought, that all cat species bigger than house cats had round pupils.

But more research claimed otherwise. According to more detailed and authoritative sources, Bobcats, and their cousins the Lynx, do in fact have elliptical pupils, although apparently not quite the dramatically-narrow slits that house cats have. And when I spent some time on Google Images, I found multiple photos of bobcats with vertically-narrow pupils. Just to be sure, I verified that those cats had all the other characteristics of bobcats, stripes on the backs of the ears, pointed ear tufts, rear legs longer than forelegs, and the heavy fur on the lower sides of their faces that make them look a little like '50's beatniks with sideburns down onto their necks.

Check out those ear tufts!

What a treat.

Going To The Beach In Spring

Yes, Hawaii would be nice in the spring. But the beach that most often calls to me is covered in snow in April. The sun is getting high. The lake is bluer than blue. And the mountains ain't bad, either.

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Beauty In Trying Times

There are lots of ways people cope when stress mounts. Yoga. Classical music. Deep breathing. Enjoying a nice meal or bottle of wine. Connecting with friends and family via digital means. Taking your dog for a walk. Hiking in the mountains.

We are lucky here in Tahoe. The mountains are close. And while we'd sometimes like spring to come a little sooner (a winter storm has just started, and they predict two feet), we appreciate the beauty of snow on the mountains and the blue sky beyond.

Enjoy.

Mount Tallac on the South Shore. Nice.