Yesterday, Maggie Smith (the poet) wrote a column entitled “Cross-Pollination.” In it she said,
“It often feels magical to me, the way our work is constantly in conversation — with the work of others, and with the work we’ve done before, with the world we live in. Everything touches.”
Maggie Smith
I read this quote after everything else happened. It gave me goosebumps.
Here’s what happened. First thing yesterday morning, I read this poem by Jane Hirschfield in THE ASKING.
Next, I wrote this cherita in response:
After I added the cherita to my IG stories and the Stafford Challenge 2024 collection on my profile page, I got ready to go to the health club for my Wednesday workout. But my car keys weren’t in the basket where we always leave them. Nor were they in my purse with the house keys. Or the pockets of the coat I wore on Tuesday. The car was locked, so I must have brought them inside. AJ didn’t have them. They were nowhere to be found.
Around and around the house I went, looking at every possible surface. Then I remembered that I had taken the red insulated bag with drinks and snacks to my day of roster judging the election on Tuesday. Not in the bag.
At this point, I grabbed a flashlight to try spotlighting it. And suddenly, there it was:
Between the cutting board and the sink. Where I put it down so I could put the spoon from the red bag into the dishwasher before taking the red bag to the basement and consequently forgetting about the key.
Habit. Routine. I’ve learned that life runs more smoothly if I make sure I put things away where they belong. A place for everything and everything in its place. Which works, except when it doesn’t. In this case, though, Habit and Routine gave me a Life Imitates Art / Art Imitates Life kind of day.
And goosebumps.
Rose has this week’s Poetry Friday roundup at Imagine the Possibilities.
A(nother) Year of Reading 
Lots of serendipity here… Habit and routine while helpful can also feel confining. Good questions in your poem, and strong visual with “knuckle-rapping metal ruler” ouch, thanks!
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I see a pattern here, Mary Lee. 😉 Thanks for sharing your goosebumps inducing series of events.
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I see a pattern here, Mary Lee! 😉
Thanks for sharing your goosebumps and poetry.
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Enjoyed reading about your goosebump raising day. Yes, everything in its place and a place for everything makes life easier — usually. 😀
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Subconscious mind can get us to put keys away without noticing or to leave keys in an unfindable place without noticing, depending on whether we are following a routine. I have found that I can be like that with driving, following automatic pilot. Thanks for the poems and the food-for-thought!
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So much to think about. Our routines can be comforting as well as demanding, as your cherita seems to reflect. How I hate losing car keys. It always happens when I am in a hurry to get somewhere! I know the relief you must have felt find them.
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I read the same post but it didn’t click until this morning. But I’ll save my story for a SOL post. I do relate to everything in its place and routine that we choose to make things easier. Whenever I leave one school to go to another, I count to four: backpack, purse, water bottle, lunchbox. It works most of the time.
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This certainly touched me in a few places, Mary Lee. I find the ‘routine’ sometimes so awful that I purposely make changes, but the keys, the phone, if not in place, yikes! I love both poems, and that you question, something it seems we all might do, in-between the regular stuff, like a ‘soft warm blanket’!
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Yep, definitely a poetry prompt in here for the Nevermores! Thank you, Mary Lee!
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Mary Lee, it was that kind of day! I love this, and when I went back and read Maggie Smith’s comment the second time, it made even more sense. Thanks for sharing your story.
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Mary Lee, funny how things come together like that sometime!. Also, lots of interesting reflections on habits. That made me think about what is too big or small to be a habit. Something that you do every day seems like a reasonable thing to call a habit, but then what about once a week, month, year? Does a habit transition to a ritual at some point? Does a ritual grow up to be a tradition? Perhaps I am overthinking it! : ) I am glad you found your keys!
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Amazing capture of those delicate connections that make up really good poetry. Chef’s kiss to this one. A cherita packed with questions…and the answers between the sink and cutting board. Bravo.
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I can so relate to routine, Mary Lee, and what becomes habit. Thank you for sharing your serendipity (and your goosebumps).
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This sounds like a magical sort of day! Thank you for sharing the bounty.
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A serendipitous day, indeed, Mary Lee. I imagine you’re getting a lot out of your Hirschfield year!
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This is such an interesting post! After reading your cherita and Jane Hirschfield’s poem, I’m thinking a lot about habit and routine. Thanks for sharing!
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Yes, I notice those overlaps and serendipitous connections often, and actually, I think we DO make this stuff up, in the sense that of all the things we could take in in the course of a day, our brains select those which are meaningful and pile them up in conversant layers. It all depends on what you attend to, don’t you think? I like thinking about Habit, Routine, and their crazy cousin OCD, and how they walk out in the world, as blankets, rulers, etc.
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I keep reading over your post and poem. These lines keep repeating in my head: I’ve learned that life runs more smoothly if I make sure I put things away where they belong. A place for everything and everything in its place.
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It’s true – you can’t make it up! Thanks for sharing such a relatable story! Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
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