Friday, January 02, 2009

richer or poorer - sunday scribblings


Some days she woke up and the world was a vast, white desert. After managing to extract herself from below the weight of the bedcovers, she would contemplate the day ahead of her mixing her cereal with milk absent-mindedly. Everything seemed incredibly present and yet fuzzy, her thoughts, unweaving like a big grey ball of wool, followed repetitive patterns that made her sigh in frustration.

Days stretched similar and never-ending but time seemed to fly by all the same. She felt worn out by time, like a rock sitting by a river with a strong, relentless current. The wear was invisible but she could feel it in her bones. 

One day she awoke with a start, heart racing and short of breath. She opened the shades and looked outside to find a lively mix of people, cars and trees. After a moment of gathering her thoughts, she jumped out of bed. She left the house without having breakfast. Suddenly the world was full of subtleties, full of layers she was able to uncover, of details she hadn't noticed before. She had to detach from the immensity of stimulae and only focus on certain details, as every small thing seemed so vivid, every cell of her body felt more alive than ever. 

She reached her destination, gave most of her savings away and, in exchange, got a ticket, a plane ticket. It wasn't a simple ticket or trip. It was the manifestation of the idea she had, of the dream she was recovering, of the wishes she had for her future. From that day on, she was poorer in her wallet but everything in her experience (what she felt and what surrounded her) was dramatically richer.

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Happy New Year!
*Image from everystockphoto.com

27 comments:

phish said...

if you bought a plane ticket, where would you buy it for?

i loved the persp. you put on the rich/poor angle. it is, after all, what all of us want to do. and yet are halted by reasons not too far beyond the wallet.

Michelle said...

I love this! Excellent!

Anonymous said...

that photo fits your piece in a very succinct way. i like that! and i like your writing as well.

Anonymous said...

riches are relative to our perceptions of wealth

anthonynorth said...

This is written almost as if a life-changing mystical experience, complete with the clarity of knowing and vision.
Very well done!

Anonymous said...

That gorgeous photo sets the mood of journeying into the unknown. Marvelous new year piece. I wonder if you've contemplated such or acted as if you did receive that plane ticket and then changed your life accordingly? Very perceptive.

Shadow said...

poorer in the wallet maybe, but richer in all else!

Anonymous said...

Poorer by pocket, richer by experiences!


For richer and/or poorer

Anonymous said...

i can really relate to this. you describe the humdrum feelings well, and then how she was able to change perspective and take initiative was wonderful! i hope that i will someday take that initiative too. thanks for the inspiration.

paisley said...

what a glorious message of hope.....

Devil Mood said...

Phish: Ah, you've put me on the spot now ;) Can I go over there so we can have a cup of coffee and no cigarrettes? :D

Hi Michelle, thanks!

Chrispito: The photo was more for the fuzzy part, but it also fits the dream part, I suppose.

Rob Kistner: Absolutely!

AnthonyNorth: Oh thank you! :)

Gel: To tell you the truth, this is a small sample of a story I wrote a while ago, but yes, this kind of thing has been contemplated.

Shadow: True!

Gautami: Indeed!

Floreta: I'm very glad that this reached out to you. I hope you can do it.

Paisley: thank you so much.

Tammy Brierly said...

I want to wake up like that again. Loved this!

Happy 2009!

present said...

To have such a transition... beautiful.

phish said...

of course! i would love to have you for coffee. and i shall even look the other way if you sneak in a cigarette or two.

but i am so happy that so many of us, all very different people, find your post inspiring and beautiful.

and if you try, its not very difficult to listen really :)

madelyn said...

you will be traveling this
year...i can tell:)
happy new year beautiful girl!

Beau Brackish said...

Wonderful piece of writing and so immediately relatable so I sit here pondering the pros and cons of a possible vacation. Are monetary constraints offset by the richness of experience that comes with travel?

Tumblewords: said...

I love this - the photo is wonderful and the story is superb. I've felt this way and indeed I've made this escape a few times. Well written...

Anonymous said...

Well, shoot, Ms. Mood! With all that commotion, I thought your girl here had awakened to find the Publishers Clearing House dude, Ed McMahon himself, and the Dream Team, ready to award her a few millions!

Devil Mood said...

Tammy - I really hope you do!

Present - True. :)

Phish - No need, I don't smoke. I was saying because you quit. ;)
I'm even happier, if people aren't just saying it hehe

Maddie - You think so? That would be nice :) Happy New Year!

Herb Urban - You'll be much richer when you come back!

Tumblewords: Oh wonderful, glad you could relate.

MissAlister: haha I wouldn't know how to write that!

Michelle said...

Your comment on my blog cracked me up! I think you're not the only one who has confused me with another Michelle, but I'm sure she's grateful for the traffic and any comments that are left!
Cheers & Happy New Year!
Michelle (aka flutterbean)

Head Cookie said...

Whatever brings you happiness is what will always make you richer great post.

Devil Mood said...

Michelle: I'm glad I noticed, otherwise I wouldn't have visited you. ;)

Jadey: Thanks, that's true.!

murat11 said...

DM: Love the fuzzy dream within dreaminess of this piece and the way it resolutely unfolds into, well, even more dreaminess, only this time it ain't fuzzy in the least. You walked this out and around beautifully.

Anonymous said...

Enjoyed the glimpse into your story. Thanks for answering my question.

Devil Mood said...

Murat: It's difficult to get out of the fuzziness, or to be more precise - to dream without fuzziness.

Gel - Yeah sure ;)

Niall young said...

"Did you ever think that just by jumping on a plane..all you cares would dissapear and be reborn again?"
Words from a song by Marillion...it would be great to be able to just do that....wouldn't it be funny if the person you flew away to meet had the same idea and you crossed in the skies?

Devil Mood said...

Niall, ahaha yeah, it would be really amazing.
Marillion are right, you can't run away from yourself.