I call them “dragonfly whispers”. I have been getting them lately…those nuggets of inspiration waiting for me when I wake up in the morning before my brain kicks into high gear, already worrying and planning the day ahead. They are like a tiny whispered voice, and as I thought about that, it reminded me of a book I treasure called, “The Boy Who Made Dragonfly”. In it, a Hopi Indian child makes the world’s first dragonfly out of corn husks and silk. Having been accidentally abandoned by his tribe as they set off on their annual migration, the dragonfly he creates to comfort his little sister comes to life. It becomes a guide and intermediary to the Other Side as he struggles to survive and take care of his younger sister at the same time.
The tiny voice of that “dragonfly” whispered in my ear this morning, reminding me of something I could do to ease our current financial situation. At the time I heard the idea way back in December, I thought it was brilliant, but was too busy to pursue it. Now, like a dragonfly that suddenly sees prey out of the corner of its eye, I can veer off and back to this project that just might bring in the much needed income to get us through the month.
I have been too stressed to remember this project up until now. I know that stress is the “mind-killer” – to steal a phrase from the Ben Gesserite from the movie “Dune”, but how to break through that stress was another matter entirely!
The breakthrough came last night.
I went to record an episode of “The Event Horizon” – a science fiction author podcast by my station manager Gene at Krypton Radio. His guest was Robert Seutter – author, broadcast technology specialist and most importantly to me, a wonderful Celtic Storyteller. Gene had prefaced our meeting with the information that he is a mythology specialist and that fascinated me. The first thing I asked him was if he knew any myths about dragonflies. He did indeed, one I had never heard, and from that moment on, he had my rapt attention.
We went to dinner afterwards with the local chapter of the Browncoats – a kind of “Firefly” appreciation group of very friendly fans. Speaking to Robert was a joy and further fascination as he and my husband found they had both attended USC’s School of Cinema Television within very close proximity of each other by a couple of years. It was so delightful to see they had something in common!
It was a wonderful night and for the first time since the stress of an impending move had descended, I completely enjoyed an evening out. It helped me reboot my brain back into a functional, happy and creative mode and for that I thank Robert Seutter immeasurably, but what he did for me was important beyond even the enjoyment of the evening. Like I mention in my post about Making Breakthroughs Depends on Listening to Other People, one often has to get the input of the wonderful, creative people in their lives to advance and flourish, flying past the negative, soul-sucking routines of our personal lives that keep us trapped in impossible situations. Remember this if you remember anything out of this post, it may not be what they say that gets you flying in the direction you need to go – it might just be the feelings and experiences they gave you when their paths crossed yours that will make the difference.
