Living With Your Eyes Open

Lately, I've become uncomfortably aware that what I call "reality" is under siege. There's been a steady stream of unexpected revelations of hidden facts or the unearthing of previously unknown information which has undermined my confidence in the certitude of things. My failing vision is partly to blame for this conundrum. The brain compensates for the loss of acuity by filling-in-the-blanks with "false images". For example, my brain will tell me there's a piano adjacent to a large, potted plant inside a hotel lobby. Upon closer inspection, I discover the "piano" is merely an oddly shaped shadow cast by the oversized plant. Knowing there are times when my eyes will play tricks on me, forces me to be a more cautious navigator. I try to take time to really observe my surroundings because things aren't always what they appear to be.   

Viewing the world through a broken lens is similar to what writers do generally. They find ways to tweak our shared reality by questioning or challenging the beliefs and values we often blindly adhere to. In many respects, to live with your eyes open means you commit to deconstructing reality on a continual basis  in order to see the world with fresh eyes,

One of my favorite bible passages describes an encounter between Christ and a man named Jairus whose daughter was ill.  Jesus accompanied Jairus to his house but by the time they arrived the girl was dead. Upon hearing she had died, Christ replied, "No, she's just sleeping."   Whereupon he entered the house and said, "Tabitha Cumi!", which translated from aramaic into standard English means, "Daughter, I say to you awaken!".  In response , the girl's eyes opened.

As a writer, I'm intrigued by the idea of  dying daily in order to awaken to a new reality. This site explores the creative process, musings and writing inspired by such symbolic death and awakening. I invite you to join me on this journey of self-discovery. Let's find out what happens to a woman writer when Her Eyes Open.

MY STORY: BECOMING THE TAIL OF A LION

After living nearly a year in Ethiopia, I recently returned to the United States. I'm now in a rebuilding stage; sorting out my priorities. One of my top priorities will be to re-do the Haiti Safe House Project. A project which grew out of my desire to relieve the suffering of the Haitian people devastated by the earthquake that struck the island in January 2010. In response to the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Haiti, I established a grassroots organization called OneWoman/OneHouse to achieve a fairly simple goal: to build one house for a single displaced family. When I read reports about the alarming increase in the number of women and girls being sexually abused and exploited by criminals operating unchecked throughout Haiti, I modified my goal. I knew victims needed a safe house where they could heal and rebuild their lives so I incorporated the Haiti Safe House Project into the OneWoman/OneHouse fundraising goal. My target fundraising goal was $25,000; an amount I hoped to raise from the sell of limited edition copies of a bronze sculpture I created with the assistance of Gavin Fifield, a master sculptor based out of Bangkok, Thailand. (See the photo below). While I haven't reached my target goal yet, I will. Faith is an integral part of any important undertaking. I know the resources needed to build a safe house and a family home in Haiti will be found.  

The good news is progress is being made in Haiti but more needs to be done. Conditions remain desperate for many of the most vulnerable people living on the island. The U.S. State Department recently issued a travel advisory for Haiti citing its violent crime rate, the presence of cholera and lack of adequate infrastructure, particularly medical facilities, as justification. In spite of the State Department's gloomy assessment of living conditions in Haiti, there are still plenty of committed individuals, groups and organizations providing assistance to the Haitian people.  Two organizations I'd ask you to consider supporting are:    

1.  V-Day Haiti Sorority Safe House in Port-au-Prince: or,

2. Know The Truth International Ministries, Inc., (Reverend Gerald Robinson).

The V-Day Foundation is raising funds for the establishment and maintenance of 3  safe houses in Port-au-Prince; and, christian volunteers affiliated with  Know The Truth International Ministries  raise money for mission trips to Haiti where they help build houses for displaced families.  

There is an African proverb that says: "It's better to be the tail of a lion than the head of a mouse."  In other words, working cooperatively to achieve a common objective is sometimes the wisest choice. While I work on reorganizing and revamping OneWoman/OneHouse and the Haiti Safe House Project, it makes sense to support organizations I believe are doing great work on behalf of the Haitian people.  I choose to be the tail of a lion.