I have nothing in mind but a doodle done years ago and
Grow across
A disused door.
I am reminded of it by frequent encounters lately with symbols like this:
May has been Mental Health Awareness Month since 1949. I was born in 1949. I do not think this was mere coincidence.
May is now about 1/2 over-with, hence my fractional observance. Mid-month is an appropriate celebration to those of us who are half nuts.
Life is a responsibility, and it is up to half-sane people like me to set a good example.
Go thou and do likewise.
Why, Geo., surely you're not feeling the pressure of LIFE IN SOLITARY, are you? Stay well, my friend. Actually I mis-typed that and it said "...my fried." Hmmm.
ReplyDeleteOh Bruce, I'm definitely feeling restless in SOLITARY, but so far only my brain is "fried". You stay well too, my friend.
DeleteFully sane folks aren't nearly as much fun.
ReplyDeleteYour painting is pleasing to the eye, and your poem is pleasingly and deceptively simple. Good job, Geo.
Thanks, Jenny! I try to balance deceptive simplicity with simple deception, even though they might be the same thing.
DeleteHalf-sane? Bragger.
ReplyDeleteI wish. I really, really wish.
Ok, admittedly I'm not always half-sane, but sometimes --on a good day-- I manage it.
DeleteEven though working nursing since 1976, I have always been a solitary witch … Much love. Stay happy. Stay healthy, friend Geo. c.
ReplyDeleteDear Cat, Nursing and your magical personality make a good combination. Love and good wishes appreciated and reciprocated.
DeleteHalf a sanity is exactly enough! We wash our clothes with ivy leaves so it is allowed to grow anywhere until I need it for laundry :-)
ReplyDeleteIvy leaves and water, not just the leaves...
Dear Lisa, 1/2 sanity is more than enough, but ivy leaves must be further diluted. Norma is sensitive to saponin and prefers soap and her own solution of lavender. She smells pretty good. I know this could compose an irreconcilable difference, might hold up in court. Our eldest will turn 50 this year --siblings not far behind-- and all would object.
DeleteLavender just coming into bud here - it is a good thing to smell of :-)
Delete(so is dung, just in a different way)
One must be half sane to be brilliant.
ReplyDeleteI hope you and Norma are doing well, Geo.
And vice-versa, dear Arleen, to both sentences.
DeleteI've been a half-toke over the line since '46, and one thing I like about being a geezer is now I'm just 'eccentric' instead of nuts.
ReplyDeleteAh Mike, you sent me back to an old New Age spiritual: Shipley's and Brewer's "One Toke Over The Line".
Delete"Like everything else
I been through,
It opened up my eyes."
My eyes opened 3 years after yours.
Being half nuts is so much fun. We get to see things differently and enjoy them more.
ReplyDeleteThe associative regions of mind certainly qualify and should never be completely suppressed --especially while answering questions from traffic police. But I find them useful when puzzling myself to sleep at night.
DeleteIt would be nice to have more people taking responsibility for their lives--only it seems orange tops are exempt.
ReplyDeletewww.thepulpitandthepen.com
Dear Jeff, I have it from someone who claims to be the president's valet that, when he removes his jacket, the bushy tail-tip slips off his head and he resumes life as a giant squirrel. This satisfied my curiosity regarding his interest and encouragement of nuts.
DeleteI think I can stay half sane if I work at it but maybe I'll let some ivy grow over my sanity just to see what happens. Don't worry. I'll tether myself.
ReplyDeleteMio caro Consigliere, The ivy is already there if you're considering the project. I am in the thick growth and welcome you. No need for tethering; we've been climbing the same wall.
DeleteIs sanity a relative state of being? Who defines it? If it is a crazy world, as many say, what does that mean? And, do you drink half and half?
ReplyDeleteDear Tom, as to sanity, (relative state?) in the covenant, the contract between God and humanity, I can do no better than quote Chico Marx (A Night at the Opera?): "You can't fool me! There aint no Sanity Clause!"
DeleteHalfway through mental health month already.....I need to hurry if I'm going to be at least half sane before the month, and the deadline, is up.
ReplyDeleteOh dear Delores, I've found nothing contributes more to sanity than to stop rushing around until it arrives --sanity: no expiration date means no deadlines.
DeleteLoved your doodle, I have a thing for Vines and of overgrown Gardens where Nature takes back that which Man has tried to claim. So, we are indeed halfway thru Mental Health Month... and my last half of Sanity is almost depleted so I will not meet the deadline anytime soon of regaining Sanity. But, some of the best people are completely Mad and a whole lot more Interesting than the Boring ones. *Winks*
ReplyDeleteThanks! Glad you enjoyed post. Decidedly, a capacity for randomizing and fun are as important to mental health as reason and compassion.
DeleteI'm not sure any creative, imaginative person is sane. I think half sane is a good place to be. Your painting and poem are inspiring. Perhaps I could attempt that kind of deceptively simple poem. It might help me with writing succinct description! All the best to you and Norma!
ReplyDeleteIntriguing thoughts, much appreciated. I agree that a whole mind has business on both sides of the door, but should not become static midway. I'll cite the beautiful, intelligent writer, Louise Huebner (named by her city government "Official Witch Of Los Angeles") who famously titled one of her books, "Never Strike A Happy Medium". She was fond of double-entendres. Some Louises are!
Delete