Let Me Tell You a Story

We craft our lives like an artist crafts a painting, or a choreographer crafts a dance.  Over time through our experiences, we accumulate enough bits and pieces to create the fabric of our lives. 

As a quilter, I always look at one’s life and one’s community as a large quilt.  I believe we are always taking pieces and adding it to the whole.  It’s never finished because we’re never finished.  We can continue editing, adding, and interpreting how we create the story of our lives.

I’ve studied and researched narrative for over fifteen years.  I’m always taken with the way individuals and communities pick and choose the pieces they want to incorporate in their story(ies).  Our stories are unique.  They are as unique as our DNA.  Each time we tell a story there is a bit of a shift.  We put our stories through strainers each time they are told because more targeted stories allow us to convey the deepest of emotions.

When we hear someone way, “If I could see what’s in your head”, let them.  the world is waiting for your tale!

For more art and prompts, I’ve posted over 1,100 collages, follow me on

Instagram/Threads: @drfiber

Feast for the Soul: Day 39: What’s Excess

The fifteen columns I’m sewing for the scrap quilt are completed.  The pattern is a herringbone pattern.  In order to sew the columns together it’s necessary to trim the edges.  This will remove the jagged edges, making a smooth edge to sew.

Trimming the edges isn’t hard, but paying attention to make the edges even can be a bit challenging.  My seams aren’t always straight, so I’ve come up with some creative ways of making the corrections.

As I cut away the excess I’m thinking about waste.  The pattern requires this amount of waste, but it’s still waste.  Often times I’ve considered how to use the excess.  In this instance there isn’t anything to be done but say goodbye, thank the fabric for its help, and be grateful I’ve been able to take a scrap and use as much of it as possible.  It has fulfilled its soulful mission.

I’ve been able to make the distinction between excess as in too much.  When I think of excess in this manner I’m thinking about indulgence.  There’s a luxury to having too much and even wasting what’s not needed, even if it may serve a purpose at a later date.  Today, I’m looking at the excess as when something overhangs the dimensions.  

I guess there are trade-offs.  Some would have discarded all the scraps as excess.  They would have discounted or lacked the creative energy to utilize the excess.  I chose to keep it thinking down the road, it would have a purpose.  It could be incorporated into something bigger than the small piece it is.

I’ve enjoyed the journey of the scrap quilts.  Tomorrow, as the Feast for the Soul comes to a close, I’ll reflect on the journey.  Blessings to all who have joined me thus far!

For art and prompts, I’ve posted over 1,100 collages, follow me on

Instagram/Threads: @drfiber

Trash and Treasure

How creative are we?  I’m not speaking about artistic; I’m thinking about how inventive we are?  I watch lots of videos where people take old furniture or clothing and “upcycle” it.  It’s breathing new life into something ready to be demolished, discarded, or disenfranchised.

Is it possible to reimagine something into being?  If we move it from the physical realm, like the examples I mentioned, what about questions we have about our lives?  What about situations we’re in causing suffering or dis-ease?  How do we go about repurposing these situations into lessons instead of obstacles?

Do we know how to take things apart, picking what is salvageable and apply it to the new?  When I hear a person disgruntled at work, I ask is there one thing you love about what you do, or who you do it for?  I often ask people what’s one thing you learned about yourself today?  How is it relevant to any or all what life throws at you?

I believe humans are incredibly innovative beings.  We know change didn’t happen overnight.  Evolution took a very long time to get us where we are today.  I know you’re thinking, we don’t have that much time?  With the time we have, what do you believe is possible?  What’s one thing you can do differently today resulting in improvement or change.  It can be as simple as sending a note to someone and brightening someone’s day.  

We shouldn’t allow our Divine powers of ingenuity go to waste.  See how you can stand in the space of being a visionary.

For more art and prompts, I’ve posted over 1,100 collages, follow me on
Instagram/Threads: @drfiber

Vision

I often catch a rerun of Friends late in the evening before bedtime.  It’s the point in the day where the dog quiets down, there’s really nothing else on television, and bedtime is imminent.  One of the episodes making me laugh is when Rachel and Phoebe are in what may become Ross’ apartment and across the way she sees Monica and Chandler begin to have sex.  She starts screaming, “my eyes…my eyes.”  How many times in the life do we witness something we can’t un-see?

The first question I ask is, “If I look will I see?”  I differentiate the two because often we superimpose our own stories on what our eyes witness.  Without the narrative, we’re free to assign meaning and judgment.  

The second question is, “If I don’t look, is nothing there?”  This is very much along the lines of if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?  I pose this question as a means of exploring our fuzzy spots.  The places in our lives just outside our periphery.  The places where we may have a “feeling” and “intuition”, but because we didn’t witness it in real life, we question ourselves.  The knowing within is a good place to ask ourselves what we see and what it means.  

What have you seen recently giving you pause?  How have you assigned meaning to what you’ve witnessed?  How about what’s just beyond your reach, have you had experiences of “seeing” without seeing?

For more art and prompts go to Instagram: @drfiber

The Clock is Ticking

When we speak about time it can be vague or specific.  It can be attached to things like deadlines and goals.  It can be metaphysical as when discussing time travel or alternate dimensions.  It doesn’t matter how you address it, time is ticking.

Have you ever received a parking ticket because the time ran out.  In this case there is a connection between time and money.  The more we put in the meter, the more freedom we must roam away from our vehicle.  We’re aware of how much time we have on the meter and yet some of us, consciously choose not to put more money in the meter.  For me, those are the gamblers.  The folks who are playing the odds on whether they’ll get a ticket.  Then of course there are those who are unconscious.  They “lose track of time” and when they return to their vehicle there is a ticket on the windshield. 

Our lives are both similar and dissimilar.  We’re born and we are given time.  A big difference is we’re unaware of the time on the meter.  As teenagers we believe we’re invincible and will live forever.  Eventually, we hit an age where we speak of having fewer years to live than we have lived.  We can’t account for mishaps like accidents so unknown factors surround us.

We also must be active and “feed” the meter of life.  We are encouraged, sometimes threatened, to take better care of ourselves for fear of illness (shortening the time on the meter).  Our emotional and spiritual health feed the meter.  It may not feed the time on the meter, but I’m a big believe in the quality of our lives improve.

How do you want to spend your time?  What can you do to improve the likelihood of a longer life?  What’s available to live a more fulfilling and soulful life?

For more art and prompts go to Instagram: @drfiber

Past, Present, and Future

As we close out Women’s History Month, once again we must acknowledge the contributions women have made in all walks of life.  This is an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments, spotlight the aspirations of young girls, and work together setting an agenda for a more inclusive society. 

Helen Reddy sang the women’s anthem, “I Am Woman”.  A song bringing forth what we already knew, women are extremely capable no matter the path they walk. It was a rallying cry the way Gloria Steinham creating Ms. Magazine gave voice to so many and created a safe space for women to be heard, understood, and encouraged.

It’s amazing to me how we haven’t ratified the Equal Right Amendment.  Some say because we don’t really need it, women can do anything they want to do.  Unfortunately, it’s not the case.  Today we still see women hitting glass ceilings.  We know from the Department of Labor; women earn less than men.  It’s interesting how there are more women in the world and yet they are still treated as a minority.  

What will it take for women to live lives of equality and equity?  How will we overcome our prejudice(s) against women who are making enormous contributions in our world?  Have you spoken to the women in your life to see how they’re feeling?  How are they coping with these challenges?  I believe it’s the place to start!

For more art and prompts go to Instagram: @drfiber

Your Platform

Getting ready to write my dissertation, I took the class on dissertation incubation. We sat together discussing our ideas, crafting research questions, and seeing how we could add to the body-of-knowledge in our chosen fields. When the professors were discussing the cornerstone of the dissertation, they said, “The dissertation will be the soapbox upon which you’ll stand for the rest of your career.”

Why would is it the case?  Some is the sheer amount of work to complete the dissertation.  It takes up so much of one’s physical and mental time, not allowing it to pave one’s personal road would be like a hobby.  I heard those words and at first a little skeptical, and yet over time, I’ve found they were right.  The lens through which I pass most of the information I encounter is through the lens of narrative.

I’ve found it incredibly important and helpful to understand one’s social experiences before rushing to judgment.  One’s life experiences and opportunities set the stage for the stories we tell and how we act in the world.  It’s as if we’re watching a dramatic production, and interpretation of one’s life every time we step outside of our homes.

What stories do you tell?  Have you been a proxy for the voiceless?  How do you craft your experiences into the stories shaping your thoughts and actions?  

For more art and prompts go to Instagram: @drfiber

Will We Be Saved?

Ever wonder what it would be like to wear a cape, leap tall buildings in a single bound, or simply provide enough food for those lacking sufficient nutrition?  Look at the big blockbusters in the theaters, so many superheroes. The hero is always fighting evil, wrongdoing, and injustice.  They have found ways to overcome personal and societal obstacles to make everything right.

Is this real?  Have we found ourselves in a tug-o-war between right and wrong with no clearcut means of resolving the issues?  How do we right the wrongs or bring order to the world?  First, we must believe it’s possible.  We need to explore and then understand how we arrived in this place. We must be open and willing to unearth the underbelly of society and like a wound, flush it out and let it heal.

So, does any of this sound interesting to you?  Do you sit around wondering how to relieve suffering?  Create a sense of equity in our world?  Take “hate” out of our vocabulary and look at what’s behind our frequent use of the word…often it’s fear.

If you feel this way congratulations…You are a superhero.  You have the magic and potential to change the way of the world.  I watch a lot of people explore and pontificate on Facebook about various social wrongs.  I think they like to hear their own voice or read their own words.  If you ask most of them, none of them give money to these causes, donate their time, or join these groups/organizations in protest marches.  

This is what separates wannabes from superheroes.  Superheroes know it doesn’t take much to have one’s own energy join with others to become mighty.  Superheroes put into action what is in their heart.  You are a superhero.  Let’s see you in your cape!!

For more art and prompts follow me on Instagram: @drfiber

I Thought You Knew

There are times in our lives when we may feel like we’re being left out of the loop.  I’m not talking conspiracy theory. I’m talking about when the phone tree doesn’t quite make it to your branch.  The times when someone assumes you’ve heard about what happened to a person, or something going on in the world.  

Ever feel as if you’re being told part of the story, but not the whole story?  Is it intentional or is someone looking to spare you pain and suffering?  There are lots of reasons why you may not know something, and one is how we interact with the world.

How engaged are you to those around you and your community?  I’ll give you an example. The spiritual director where I attend services left after a six-month tenure.   This past week the board called a meeting for anyone in the community to attend to learn more about what’s going on within the community.  As it turns out, since the Community Meeting in March, there has been tension revolving around anger issues, and what transpired at the community meeting.  

The board felt by not telling the community what happened they were protecting the community.  Protecting them what?  That has yet to be determined, but it wasn’t malicious, it was meant to be loving and protective.  It doesn’t eradicate the rumblings within the community and the sidebar conversations where members were making assumptions which as you know can be a time of crazy storytelling.

Are we afraid to ask questions, dig deep, unearth what lies beneath the surface?  When we are in tune physically, emotionally, and spiritually we can develop new levels of attention and focus.  We’re able to feel we can speak from knowing instead of conjecture.  This is how we come from a place of inner power.

For more prompts and art follow me on Instagram: @drfiber

Held

Can you remember the last time you were held?  Close your eyes.  Take a deep breath.  See if you can recall a time when you felt nurtured, maybe even cradled in love.  We’re social creatures and thrive on connection and touch.  We yearn to be hugged.  Don’t you think part of the ritual of shaking hands is about the exchange of energy between two people?

Being held implies a bond of some sort.  It’s a knowing you are seen.  As Father Greg Boyle from Homeboy Industries says, “The kids in the gangs are used to being watched, but not seen, and rarely cherished.”  The idea of connection on the physical/emotional level gives each of us an opportunity to exhale.  It gives us the freedom to express our uniqueness.

When I was in graduate school, working on my PhD, I had two people who challenged me in many ways.  I was like a toddler who didn’t want to be picked-up, squirming and working hard to be released from their grasp.  No matter how I hard I pushed trying to set myself free, they held me close in thought, encouragement, and love.  

I know what it feels like to be held and on a daily basis, I try and make others feel the same way.  

For more art and prompts follow me on Instagram: @drfiber