Big Brain Moments

"Anxiety is the hand maiden of creativity."
~ T.S. Eliot

"The chief enemy of creativity is 'good' sense."
~ Pablo Picasso

"For me, insanity is super sanity. The normal is psychotic. Normal means lack of imagination, lack of creativity."
~ Jean Dubuffet

"Creativity is what helps me escape a lot of my inner demons."
~ Demi Lovato

"When we are angry or depressed in our creativity, we have misplaced our power. We have allowed someone else to determine our worth, and then we are angry at being undervalued."
~ Julia Margaret Cameron

"Artistic temperament sometimes seems a battleground, a dark angel of destruction and a bright angel of creativity wrestling."
~ Madeleine L'Engle

A writer must accept that there is a certain amount of creative madness that accompanies this work of the written word.  Without the open threshold that separates the sane and logical from blissful madness, much would remain untapped from a realm that most often remains an undiscovered mystery.

It is the unexplainable push to plunge and explore - navigating deeper the foreign maze of neural folds into that pristine source of  the undiscovered allowing the vulnerability of the creative mind and its ideas to be unleashed on the page - as if emancipating declarations of thought before the reading sphere.  It is a sensory pilgrimage that often chances the risk of emotional peril revealing words that express, provoke, convey, relay, sell, hide, embellish, lift, conceal, reveal, convince, unveil, build up or tear down, expose or possibly pierce the soul..... 

Most often it is the soul of the writer laid upon the public guillotine.

Will it be read? Should it be read?

Ever.

In the end, there is only fear. How a writer harnesses that fear is the magic - unless the gift of eccentricities are woven within the gene pool. 

The eccentric have no fear.

And all the writer can do is close the eyes, allow the internal music to stream and grant passage for the words to flow.

"It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else."

~ Erma Bombeck

Recognize the risk involved for a dream to be shared. Realize the sacred trust invested in the writer's confidant. 

Guard the dreams; protect the dreamer.

"...it's hard to stay mad when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once and it's too much. My heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst. And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it. And then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude......You have no idea what I'm talking about I'm sure......"

~ Lester Burnham, *American Beauty*

HKJ. South of the Gnat Line. Copyright  © 2014. All Rights Reserved.

Map Skills Required

Stay away from this detour!

Can't help but love the Ziglar!

21st Century Dirt Road Math

21st CENTURY DIRT ROAD MATH

365 days x 1 year ago today = 0 Door Mats

Day-Planning

"Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning."

- Gloria Steinem

"Dreaming is a form of planning." That'll work for me!

Don't Stand Still

Life's Ecstasy...

"Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough." 

- Emily Dickinson

October Cotton Fields

There is nothing quite like walking knee deep through a magnificent cotton field.....this year's crop is almost shoulder high in some places (shoulder high for me anyway).  This is a field full of tee shirts and then some.

Photo: Harriette Keen Jacobs. South of the Gnat Line.  Copyright © 2013

Words can not adequately explain the majesty of the silence while standing in the midst of acres and acres of cotton awaiting its harvest. These fields that surround me here along the Dirt Road have decades and perhaps a century or more's history of cotton that has been grown - much picked and harvested by hand in the years behind us.  To recognize and reflect upon the human hands that have hand-turned the soil here is a must; it is also a must that we never forget.

Walking through October's Cotton Fields. South of the Gnat Line. Copyright © 2013

HKJ

South of the Gnat Line

Copyright  © 2013

All Rights Reserved.

Cabin with a View

“The fireflies start at the ground and merge to the stars up above. It’s really like you’re sleeping under the stars.” - Nick Olsen

Photo by Jordan Wayne Long

This is a must see, must read article about a couple who built a cabin in the woods with an incredible view through a wall of windows.

Be sure to watch the video produced by Half Cut Tea.  Exceptionally touching and inspiring.

As We Number Our Days...

"Life is a gifted opportunity to leave the world better than when we arrived. 

Let's get busy." - HKJ

Please Keep the Light On

"The world always seems brighter when you've just made something that wasn't there before."

- Neil Gaiman

What'd You Say?

"It's a rare person who wants to hear what he doesn't want to hear."

                                - Dick Cavett 

NW Georgia Living Magazine - "Embracing the Change of Seasons"

Sending a huge "Thank you" and shout-out to Laura Wood, Publisher/Editor of NW Georgia Living Magazine for inviting me to write a reflection for the Fall 2013 issue.  I hope you will enjoy the read and be sure to pick up a copy of the magazine for yourself.  NW Georgia Living has all the calendar of events for the NW Georgia region and a variety of articles to read.

"Embracing the Change of Seasons"

Read the entire current issue here.

Feedback is always welcome! Email SouthoftheGnatLine@gmail.com

Surprise, Surprise

Merriam Webster defines the word "surprise" as:

"....to attack unexpectedly; .....to take unawares; .....to strike with wonder or amazement especially because unexpected..."

It is the latter definition that has captivated my thoughts:

"....to strike with wonder or amazement especially because unexpected."

We hear "surprise" everyday. "Surprise! Happy Birthday!" "Why am I surprised.....?" "What a surprise it was...." "She was surprised to learn......" "We wanted to surprise you....."  "Can't we ever surprise you?"  "Nothing would surprise me...." "It caught me by surprise...." "Well, surprise, surprise...."

But do such surprising statements represent the essence of what a surprising moment should be?  This leads me to ponder:

When is the last time you were genuinely surprised and what do you consider surprise-worthy circumstances?

• Winning the lottery?

• Flowers from a loved one or a secret admirer?

• Handwritten notes?

• Dare I ask this: a surprise party?

• An unannounced pay increase?

• A marriage proposal?

• Winning a contest?

• Getting to work on time?

• No cars on I-285 in Atlanta; ....At All..?

• Getting a check from the power company instead of a bill?

• The depths of media reporting on crime?

• The depths of crime itself? (...shock & disgust, yes, surprise - NO.)

• How about manners?

• What about first time childbirth?  There's a potential candidate for "surprise" - especially when involuntary natural childbirth is invoked because your [first] baby tried to enter the world in the car. ....at six weeks early - it was most certainly "unexpected".

• Walking up on a snake in the woods?

• How about an alligator at your backdoor?

• Ever experience the kindness of a stranger? Would that surprise you?

• Not having to repeat yourself?

• Your children [voluntarily] cleaning the toilets?

• How about the IRS announcing there will be no more income tax? 

Here are a few quotes that, while contemplating the concept of this notion, I found circle the neighborhood of how I define "surprise":

"Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us."

 - Boris Pasternak

"Continue to surprise those who would put you in a neat demographic. Be insistently curious."

 - Gordon Gee

"A sudden bold and unexpected question doth many times surprise a man and lay him open."

 - Francis Bacon

"Mystery is at the heart of creativity. That, and surprise."

 - Julia Cameron

"Do not know yourself. I want to continue to surprise me."

 - Arielle Dombasle

"Every day is a surprise. There are confirmations of an interconnectivity and synchronicity which inspire, titillate and confirm the inherent comedy of the universe."

 - Billy Zane

"Wonder is from surprise, and surprise stops with experience."

 - Bishop Robert South

"Society is always taken by surprise at any new example of common sense."

 -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"What a lovely surprise to finally discover how unlonely being alone can be."

 - Ellen Burstyn

"Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise."

 - Alice Walker

"The only thing that should surprise us is that there are still some things that can surprise us."

 - Francois de la Rochefoucauld

I especially like the quote by Arielle Dombasle: "....I want to continue to surprise me."

These are all great thoughts and yet only gently approach what I deem true surprise.  And while the gift of clean toilets lifted up as gift-worthy on any given Mothers Day (in my world) would really be a surprise to me - or at least bring a smile to my lips and cause my eyebrows to raise in wonder (wondering what someone is trying to hide from me....), it does not qualify to belong in the realm of my surprise desires.

Just recently, someone asked me what I do for fun; without hesitation I answered, "Every day is fun."  After I said those words, it led me to think more and more about that.

I'm known to often say, "Happiness is a choice," therefore, regardless of the things that I can not control [around me] and [in the world], I will choose happiness every chance I get.

I choose to seek out that every day there is something worth celebrating, some simple, small joy worth smiling over: the sheep running to me when I walk into the pasture; Bebe, my barn cat always happy to see me when I feed the chickens and geese; the change of season here along the Dirt Road; discovering where the Passion Flower vines will bloom this year; the Blue Heron allowing me to stand close-by and watch him fish the creek; the roll-call of the Barred Owls at night; loving the fact that my boys, all big now and often stinky and sweaty, will kiss their Momma in front of their friends - all moments to be savored and cherished.

Then there is fun out in the world of people with people.  Everyone was once 4 and 5 years old - little innocent and wide-eyed children. Much can be said about what's wrong in the world today - but shouldn't we be looking for what is good?  Is good that hard to see anymore?

Is it the *good* that surprises you?  Not me; it's there - it's always been there.  It may be dusty or surrounded by clutter or even muddied like an unattended child whose face reveals precious freckles when wiped clean....  Good is there....we have to be more diligent in looking for it and sharing it.

Meanwhile, surprise is waiting; I believe it's smiling slyly all the while knowing its unpredictability.  Real surprise is a beautiful thing.  I can not expect it or look for it - that would undermine its worth and ultimate purpose.  So here are my defining thoughts on 'surprise':

Surprise is that moment resulting from someone's words or gestures or a moment suspended in time, so rare and unexpected, it intimately takes your breath away and is For.Ever. etched upon your Heart.  

[HKJ]

Harriette Keen Jacobs
South of the Gnat Line
Copyright © 2013
All Rights Reserved.

Universal Mission Statement

"Be Good & Do Good." - HKJ

It's really that simple.


...and plant more Daisies.

HKJ

Copyright © 2013

All Rights Reserved.

Sunday Solitude

It’s the last Sunday of the month.

At second glance, it’s the last day of the month.

I hadn’t noticed.

At 11 a.m., the thermometer read 87 degrees.  This time last summer, we had already hit 100.  I’ll happily accept 87 and smile over it.

Last night while putting the sheep and goats to barn-bed, there was an amazing cloud bank in the northern sky that ran east to west as far as I could see.  The lightning flashed and danced miles away. The fragrance of the oncoming rain was so heavy I believe I could've spooned it from the air like ice cream.

It never rained.

The back porch has been a welcoming retreat this morning ‘til late this afternoon…..

…….despite the accompanying Red-winged Blackbirds.

My least favorite of the winged species, they hide in droves [like a collective conspiracy] and wait for me to come outside to squawk and cackle at me.

Indeed, they do.

Jake, the man-dog, is sleeping on the patio beneath the porch; his presence made known only by his occasional exhales.

The view of the chair on the dock is rather tempting from my vantage point here on the back porch.  As sure as I move into it the breeze will cease and the resident gnats will hijack my thoughts.

I can hear our infamous and all too handsome Kingfisher working the creek northward.  The cricket and cicada choirs have quieted with the heat of the day setting in.

There is a single Red-winged Blackbird out in the yard who is determined to impede on my thoughts – he and his flittering girlfriend.

Still, the chair calls and I weigh my options as I notice the dark clouds moving in from the west.  I may as well as I just realized that my morning coffee is sitting here cold and long ignored.

As the late afternoon settles in, the rain arrives escorted by

ever.

so.

gentle.

Thunder.

It’s a moment calling for Norah.

Melancholy.

HKJ

Copyright © 2013

All Rights Reserved.

Sounds of the Dirt Road

Saturday morning sounds around the Dirt Road Farm:


Distant neighbors driving cattle;

the call of my lamb;

bleating of the goats leaving the barn;

chickens conducting their morning routines;

softness of a distant train announcing its passage through;

and overhead the silence of the moving gray skies... 

The skies - they narrate the day.