What Is It You Plan to Do?

Mary Oliver published the poem "The Summer Day" in 1992.  Some might be familiar with the final line, What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? With that, you now know the origin of this blog's name.  Why did I choose that name?

I love that poem.  I love writing poetry, and writing anything, in general.  Some of my writing has been published, but that is not my ultimate aim.  I write to express myself, to process my experiences, to steer the boat on which I am navigating life.

I'm fortunate to not need to make a living as a writer because I'm a teacher.  I teach... writing!  It was my dream to become an English teacher, and I did, and I have been doing so for over 30 years.  So, why start a blog now?

A few months ago, I traveled to Morocco.  My husband, daughter, and I have traveled frequently to many of the most wonderful places.  Again, I'm very fortunate.  However, this trip stirred something in me about my life.  Let me say that the country is beautiful, and the people were warm and welcoming everywhere we went (Casablanca, Fes, Marrakech, the desert, and more).  I grew to love and appreciate the sounds of the call to prayer and the language of the people. I returned home with the grain of an idea on my mind, a voice that became louder and would not be silenced. 

In Oliver's poem, she writes,
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down 
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do 
with your one wild and precious life?

 I asked myself what I plan to do with the rest of my working life and the next phase of life as my daughter is now a grown woman.  I determined that I was "called" to return across the ocean for a summer to study the Arabic language and write poetry, enveloped by the people, sounds, and aromas of the land with which I have fallen in love, to see what doing so would bring to me.

I leave in two weeks on my wild adventure.

I ask you, then, what is it you plan to do with your one life?

Comments

  1. Martine HJune 13, 2018 at 12:57 PM

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  2. UnknownJune 16, 2018 at 5:34 PM

    So beautiful, Ellen. Thank you for sharing your vision and your adventure. Looking forward to more!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ellenh63June 21, 2018 at 11:40 AM

      Thanks, Jolynn. You are one of those women who have inspired me by pursuing your dreams.

      Delete

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