Mary! This piece is as laugh out loud funny as it is profound. Perfectly imperfect is what we signed up for when we decided to beam ourselves into a meat suit. The meaning you made from this experience, along with the memories you and Maddie made together are what make this life so precious. Just the wonder of experiencing your daughter as a curious 8 year-old and an accomplished woman simultaneously is worth the sometimes arduous journey.
Our Princeton NJ labyrinth walk was serene, the lessons subtle and still reverberating...I will smile all day remembering your vivid description of your labyrinth journey and the moving poem that inspired it!🤩
Dear Mary, this article is absolutely, incredibly, wonderful! Between laughing my ass off, and shedding some tears, you made sense out of that whole labyrinth experience for me. When I read your poem the morning of the labyrinth walk, I texted Katie (aka “the Rev”) to tell her that I had a really good feeling about this whole thing. All the stars were lining up perfectly. Then they all crashed to earth in a few moments’ time. On the drive home I could feel the tears starting. It was such a letdown. When thinking about it later, because I was trying, like you, to make sense of it, I asked myself, how could I have misread the signs so badly?? But thanks to you, “I can see clearly now, the rain is gone”. And even though it’s cloudy and cool here today, “it’s gonna be a bright, bright sun-shiny day.” LOL.
In fact, my oldest son just popped in to wish me happy Mother’s Day, and he said, “Hey Mom, how was your labyrinth thing?” I said, “Oh, thanks for asking, it was great!” Just like you had an opportunity to share a special hilarious experience with Maddie at your labyrinth, I had a few moments to share with Chris what I had just learned about mine.
Speaking of Maddie, she is lovely. You look like sisters. I did, however, have to look up the meaning of “super-sketch”. (haha, my age showing). And I loved her “yoj , evol, edutitarg”.
Oh, and subsequently, I’ve heard from other distant friends that they weren’t able to participate, for various reasons, but now I don’t even care. Too bad, they missed a great time!
Thanks for all the nice sentiments. You are one phenomenal person yourself! and one hell of a writer! XOX
Love this! I meant to go but.. this reminds me of a song from one of the preschool music CDs we used to have.. “it’s all how you look at it. and really, how you look at it, it completely up to you”. How much our experiences change based on how we choose to perceive them. I have been trying this and mostly getting there.. life is truly what we make of it. Happy Mothers Day!
I too walked a labyrinth with Rev.KatieGrace and 8 other sweet souls & it was a smallish one meant for one person at a time on its narrow paths...so once 10 of us were in it, we had to dance around each other and sometimes step off our own path to make way for another and some confusion & laughter ensued...I love the simplicity of these labyrinth lessons : show up, surrender to what is, laugh, and keep going...& to that I would only add “dance with the unexpected” :)
Hmmmm... how 'bout AOC as she used to wait-truss at Live Bait! (she's already playin' inta their hands anyhow with her green "agenda") She's double on my poopie list--she didn't even pay the regular folks that "worked on her" (costume, makeup, assistants...) for that MET Gala graft event.... But I'm SURE we kin find lotsa other "worms" out thar fer bait!
May 19, 2023·edited May 19, 2023Liked by Mary Poindexter McLaughlin
Grinnin' from ear ta (h)ear here--I wuz wond'rin' what you've been up ta (bein' bee-hind on my stack-ables), an' am mighty glad I took a look-see !!!
Soz I think we kin all say that life (even pre-plan-dubbuk!) presented ya with turds while our nogginz sought out loftier paths (...ya didn't need no labyrinth neither, a basic NYC sidewark wuz all it took! yer walkin' along thinkin've AHRT an' things POE-etic! an' yer feet hit one'a them pre-digested landmines, possibly more potent than a flip-flop-n'-fly toe-stub!). AND YET...ya keep her posit-tivity (like ya do! me too!) an' ya set yer sights on the larger EX-PERRY-ANTS (peers--includin' daughters!--with ya, peerin' visually an' mentally too--LOOKIN'! with all've us like "ants" workin' an' wantin' that harmony.... a good word, eh?), AND ya "do the do" inspite of the stinky loaves (pinched--yuk human 'er ani-mal--eewwwww!) n' fishes (5 day old...) which are "gifted" to us (really!) along with other "wunders" mostly unexpected that have been "plopped unceremoniously before us" along the way--whuther they manifest in physical disappoint-mints 'er other-wayz.
Obsta-culls all, that we sur-pass with our stories! Our in-terp-writ-tations!
AND as ya said so elly-quint-ly, ya make meaning--yer own meain' if the intended one ain't doin' it (like the lappy-rinse ya found!)--and ya LAUGH. Wull ya gave me a good 'un today! Gracias milady!
Happy Belated Mama's Day too, by the by, cuz it's this "stuff" we mamas 'r made've! (An' no AI confabulated thing's gonna replace us!).
It's that "re-silly-antsy" (ok, not whut I 'spected, but we "do it!" all the same!), it's that adventuresome spirit!, it's a touch've bravery (in the face of 9'o'clock nooze-type fear an' WHAT THE HECK did'ja bring me to--been thar!), it's bein' "game" (makin' it a game!), it's inventin' meanin', it's turnin' this otherwayz muey-funky experience inta wonderful writin' piece! vs just an 'excuse fer complainin' an' it's SHARIN' this with the Uni-Verse (emphasis on the verse that unites us!). It's about givin' birth to IDEARS no less than we've done with our children! What tee-rific life lessons! (Clearly absorbed by yer lovely daughter!)
And they are uni-verse-all! Sure n' soundly appreci-ate-id by those've us that don't go in fer yoga (I'll take Yogi Bear tho), 'er medi-tate-'in (tappin', jiggin', 'er even a random whacky hand-jive's more my kit bag!) cuz it's about gettin' thru the slings n' arrows of life an' extractin' every lil' bit've YOJ outta it, with a plucky GRIN.
I'd'a liked yer teacher Betty ;-)
As fer labyrinths, somewharz in my unpacked boxes we have two bee-u-tea-ful hand-held-handmade ones! When my older'un was a little mite an' got upset, I'd have her trace her tiny fingers on path of the labyrinths as a calmin' thing. An' it worked! It's like "breath time" ya know? Wuther the circle an' spiral wuz the magic (wull, ya know about spirals an' structured warter an' all the vortexes with life force stuff...) OR wuther it was jus' 'bout takin' the TIME ta FOCUS n' breathe... it helped! An' yup, like in life there 'r dead ends an' blurred markin's an' poop and NO BOOK've INSTRUCTIONS but ya figgered it out Mary--an' ya extracted all the goodness of this wackydoodles ex-peer-y-ants, and made it inta a good writin' piece whut besides! Chapeau! (an' not just yer sun-hat neither!)
Mary! This piece is as laugh out loud funny as it is profound. Perfectly imperfect is what we signed up for when we decided to beam ourselves into a meat suit. The meaning you made from this experience, along with the memories you and Maddie made together are what make this life so precious. Just the wonder of experiencing your daughter as a curious 8 year-old and an accomplished woman simultaneously is worth the sometimes arduous journey.
Our Princeton NJ labyrinth walk was serene, the lessons subtle and still reverberating...I will smile all day remembering your vivid description of your labyrinth journey and the moving poem that inspired it!🤩
Dear Mary, this article is absolutely, incredibly, wonderful! Between laughing my ass off, and shedding some tears, you made sense out of that whole labyrinth experience for me. When I read your poem the morning of the labyrinth walk, I texted Katie (aka “the Rev”) to tell her that I had a really good feeling about this whole thing. All the stars were lining up perfectly. Then they all crashed to earth in a few moments’ time. On the drive home I could feel the tears starting. It was such a letdown. When thinking about it later, because I was trying, like you, to make sense of it, I asked myself, how could I have misread the signs so badly?? But thanks to you, “I can see clearly now, the rain is gone”. And even though it’s cloudy and cool here today, “it’s gonna be a bright, bright sun-shiny day.” LOL.
In fact, my oldest son just popped in to wish me happy Mother’s Day, and he said, “Hey Mom, how was your labyrinth thing?” I said, “Oh, thanks for asking, it was great!” Just like you had an opportunity to share a special hilarious experience with Maddie at your labyrinth, I had a few moments to share with Chris what I had just learned about mine.
Speaking of Maddie, she is lovely. You look like sisters. I did, however, have to look up the meaning of “super-sketch”. (haha, my age showing). And I loved her “yoj , evol, edutitarg”.
Oh, and subsequently, I’ve heard from other distant friends that they weren’t able to participate, for various reasons, but now I don’t even care. Too bad, they missed a great time!
Thanks for all the nice sentiments. You are one phenomenal person yourself! and one hell of a writer! XOX
Love this! I meant to go but.. this reminds me of a song from one of the preschool music CDs we used to have.. “it’s all how you look at it. and really, how you look at it, it completely up to you”. How much our experiences change based on how we choose to perceive them. I have been trying this and mostly getting there.. life is truly what we make of it. Happy Mothers Day!
I too walked a labyrinth with Rev.KatieGrace and 8 other sweet souls & it was a smallish one meant for one person at a time on its narrow paths...so once 10 of us were in it, we had to dance around each other and sometimes step off our own path to make way for another and some confusion & laughter ensued...I love the simplicity of these labyrinth lessons : show up, surrender to what is, laugh, and keep going...& to that I would only add “dance with the unexpected” :)
I’m so grateful to have found your Substack. Thank you for sharing your experience. I’m with you. ❤️
Hmmmm... how 'bout AOC as she used to wait-truss at Live Bait! (she's already playin' inta their hands anyhow with her green "agenda") She's double on my poopie list--she didn't even pay the regular folks that "worked on her" (costume, makeup, assistants...) for that MET Gala graft event.... But I'm SURE we kin find lotsa other "worms" out thar fer bait!
Grinnin' from ear ta (h)ear here--I wuz wond'rin' what you've been up ta (bein' bee-hind on my stack-ables), an' am mighty glad I took a look-see !!!
Soz I think we kin all say that life (even pre-plan-dubbuk!) presented ya with turds while our nogginz sought out loftier paths (...ya didn't need no labyrinth neither, a basic NYC sidewark wuz all it took! yer walkin' along thinkin've AHRT an' things POE-etic! an' yer feet hit one'a them pre-digested landmines, possibly more potent than a flip-flop-n'-fly toe-stub!). AND YET...ya keep her posit-tivity (like ya do! me too!) an' ya set yer sights on the larger EX-PERRY-ANTS (peers--includin' daughters!--with ya, peerin' visually an' mentally too--LOOKIN'! with all've us like "ants" workin' an' wantin' that harmony.... a good word, eh?), AND ya "do the do" inspite of the stinky loaves (pinched--yuk human 'er ani-mal--eewwwww!) n' fishes (5 day old...) which are "gifted" to us (really!) along with other "wunders" mostly unexpected that have been "plopped unceremoniously before us" along the way--whuther they manifest in physical disappoint-mints 'er other-wayz.
Obsta-culls all, that we sur-pass with our stories! Our in-terp-writ-tations!
AND as ya said so elly-quint-ly, ya make meaning--yer own meain' if the intended one ain't doin' it (like the lappy-rinse ya found!)--and ya LAUGH. Wull ya gave me a good 'un today! Gracias milady!
Happy Belated Mama's Day too, by the by, cuz it's this "stuff" we mamas 'r made've! (An' no AI confabulated thing's gonna replace us!).
It's that "re-silly-antsy" (ok, not whut I 'spected, but we "do it!" all the same!), it's that adventuresome spirit!, it's a touch've bravery (in the face of 9'o'clock nooze-type fear an' WHAT THE HECK did'ja bring me to--been thar!), it's bein' "game" (makin' it a game!), it's inventin' meanin', it's turnin' this otherwayz muey-funky experience inta wonderful writin' piece! vs just an 'excuse fer complainin' an' it's SHARIN' this with the Uni-Verse (emphasis on the verse that unites us!). It's about givin' birth to IDEARS no less than we've done with our children! What tee-rific life lessons! (Clearly absorbed by yer lovely daughter!)
And they are uni-verse-all! Sure n' soundly appreci-ate-id by those've us that don't go in fer yoga (I'll take Yogi Bear tho), 'er medi-tate-'in (tappin', jiggin', 'er even a random whacky hand-jive's more my kit bag!) cuz it's about gettin' thru the slings n' arrows of life an' extractin' every lil' bit've YOJ outta it, with a plucky GRIN.
I'd'a liked yer teacher Betty ;-)
As fer labyrinths, somewharz in my unpacked boxes we have two bee-u-tea-ful hand-held-handmade ones! When my older'un was a little mite an' got upset, I'd have her trace her tiny fingers on path of the labyrinths as a calmin' thing. An' it worked! It's like "breath time" ya know? Wuther the circle an' spiral wuz the magic (wull, ya know about spirals an' structured warter an' all the vortexes with life force stuff...) OR wuther it was jus' 'bout takin' the TIME ta FOCUS n' breathe... it helped! An' yup, like in life there 'r dead ends an' blurred markin's an' poop and NO BOOK've INSTRUCTIONS but ya figgered it out Mary--an' ya extracted all the goodness of this wackydoodles ex-peer-y-ants, and made it inta a good writin' piece whut besides! Chapeau! (an' not just yer sun-hat neither!)