Bring your box full of darkness on an adventure!

The Uses of Sorrow (by Mary Oliver)

(In my sleep I dreamed this poem)

Someone I loved once gave me
a box full of darkness.

It took me years to understand
that this, too, was a gift.

Come in, come in. So good of you to come!

Please make yourself at home: “mi casa es tu casa,” as we said where I come from. “My house is your house,” indeed, especially for our month together.

Oh, and, that there white cat is Luna. You may see her around from time to time. Don’t worry if she slips out the door behind you. She’s a go-where-you-please kind of curious cat, yes.

Oh my! I see that you’ve brought along a box full of darkness of your own. That’s great. What? You don’t so much like what’s in your box?

That’s OK too. “A Month of Living Curiously” is the perfect place to bring a box full of darkness, and indeed, I know I even asked you to bring it with you. (And I do so love a guest who takes an invitation at its word!)

So, look around. Take off your shoes. Have some tea.

And if you’d like, go explore. There’s boots of all sizes in the mud room in the event you should want to go traipsing through the fields. The woods are lovely too, by the way, as dark and deep as they come!

And feel free to pluck and eat anything in the garden. I especially would recommend the forbidden apples. (They are The. Best. Who can blame Eve.)

There’s rocking chairs and a big swing on the porch. Feel free to spread out on any of the tables with paints and brushes or pencils or clay. Or pile up your arms with books from the library.

So, really, just you make yourself at home!

You should know that there will be poets coming and going at Curious House this month. They happen to be some of my favorite teachers of curiosity (though I’m sure they might raise an eyebrow or roll over in their graves at being called “teacher”).

Mary Oliver, as you can see above, happens to be here right now. I hear that T.S. Eliot may be stopping by for a few days. Pablo Neruda is a frequent visitor of Curious House as well. As is Rumi. And Rilke. And Leonard Cohen. And Myra Shapiro. And Antonio Machado. And Kevin Young. And I hear that Jacques Prevert, French poet and playwright is in the area. And Billy Collins. Oh my. I really don’t even know who else. We’ll just have to be surprised.

What’s that, dear? You’re curious about what other curious guests’ boxes of darkness are about? If they’re as dark as yours?

Hmmmm. I don’t know. But it sounds like you think yours is pretty dark there.

Hmmmm, yes. I hear that. It’s been troubling you for some time. Oh, excuse me, years! Yes, it’s been around for years, and recently it’s been waking you up early with worry. Yes.

Oh my, yes! I do see where you’ve been pulling your hair out. Yes, that’s how frustrating that box full of darkness has been for you. Oh, and that’s why you’re here alone? You think that box messed up your love-life? Yes, I hear you.

You’re in the right place. Welcome, you and your box full of darkness, to “A Month of Living Curiously”.

Today I invite you to find (or make) something that will serve as your reminder of getting curious about your box full of darkness.

Me? What did I pick? Why, the moon! Like Luna she appears and disappears. And since the moon’s not mine by any means, you can certainly share the moon as a reminder to pause, notice and get curious, if you like.

I also quite like the church bells that chime on the quarter hour. The gong-ing of the bell often brings me back to now. And now is the best time and place to get curious.

Feel free to drop me a line. Tell me about your box of darkness. Or not. Tell me about your reminder-to-be-curious thing. Or not.

Until you hear from me again, curious friend, or until I hear from you, remember: “Mi casa es tu casa!”

Heidi & Luna

P.S. Today we’ll just be settling in and making ourselves at home. Other curious guests will be arriving throughout the day, and indeed, maybe even through Thursday, March 5th.

They, and you if you haven’t and want to, can sign up here. Also, if it’s only a financial limitation that would keep you from joining, drop me a line. We can work something out. I know it can be a bummer not to be able to afford something you really want to do!_