Ice is paralyzed water. It's like a promise of freedom, waiting
to thaw. I love that about
winter. The static moments of pure
hope, silver and white, unblemished in a silence as fragile as crystal – you can
live on that. Live in it, if you learn how. I used to watch it from behind glass
like everyone else, but when I became my own furnace, the window opened and my
other four senses came online. You
can't be cold when you're putting out heat. And your soul will put out heat, if you
let it.
If you don't believe me, ask a tree. Trees strip for winter. Strip right down to their x-rays, their
very souls. And you can see each
impulse they followed in their lives, reaching out a limb here, a tentative
finger there, each turn showing where they made a free choice to grow in another
direction. And yet, ultimately
there is structure and form and balance and symmetry and total logic in where
they went. They do it their way and
weather the storms. Trees know the
nuances of individuality and freedom.
Part of what I just wrote is from this
month's column over on Storytellers Unplugged: BLEEDING FRESH, MILES ABOVE
TINTERN ABBEY. It's kind of a photo
essay (11 photos), and I hope not too personal to come across. Here's the link: http://storytellersunplugged.com/thomassullivan/2010/12/15/thomas-sullivan-bleeding-fresh-miles-above-tintern-abbey/
Am skiing a couple times every day/night and
seeming to cram 100 hrs into each 24, yet active “thinking” remains the
consuming passion of my life. I’m a
lousy spectator, but probably a decent observer, if the difference between the
two comes across. Gathering
information means nothing to me if I can't reflect on it. I'm ashamed to have shared so little of
it, both in the experiencing and in talking about it with someone. Trivial as it may seem, I think the
depth and quality of perception and communication as much as anything determines
whether or not our lives are going to waste. Experiencing something and processing it
are entirely different levels of existence. We are not sea slugs merely digesting
food and jangling nerve endings in the currents and waves of life. Feelings are enhanced by penetrating
thoughts and poetic words.
Sharing photos is easier, and in addition to
the 11 in the SU column linked above, the ones below include my son Sean and his
1-eyed dog Tess in her squirrel costume for Halloween, the first snow scene from
my bedroom window this year, a gorgeous lake in Norway sent by publisher Jan
Fredrik-Lockert who is flying me in to speak in Oslo this March (we also get to
ski Holmenkollen during the World Ski Championships!), and the logo “Sullygram
calling…” wittily conceived by the eclectic Doc Foto (folksinger Mark
Manrique). Doc Foto also sends this
hilarious JibJab video:
http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/b5mYjXuaellrIcaXkRe5
And as best I can, allow me to share
tonight's ski in the middle of a beautiful snowstorm. Yes, I was the only crazy out
there. The only one who got to ski
the trackless sweeps and dunes that sometimes engulfed my skis and other times
felt like white velvet beneath my feet.
The blizzard chased skeins of snow along the carved surface, swirling
around my boots like surf.
Something like a foot and a half of new snow fell, quickly congealing
into marzipan shapes while loose diamonds whipped past me at breathtaking
speeds, looking for all the world like dust on alabaster and rising into ghostly
pillars to hold up the night. Alas,
you had to be there. Like my tracks
behind me, the full force of palpable enchantment is quickly gone before I can
adequately describe it.
Sorry I STILL didn't get to a new sax video for
YouTube, but here's what's up now [ http://www.youtube.com/user/Sullysax1#p/a/u/1/d49rY3FQ5ic
]. Hit “subscribe” on the site if you want
to be notified when a new video goes up.
Meanwhile, I'll probably spend at least part of Christmas and New Year's
eves skiing alone in my favorite haunts.
And when I get to a certain snow-capped summit that feels like the top of
the world, I will connect to the Wizard Divine behind the Universe and shout my
prayer of thanks for your friendship.
Thomas “Sully” Sullivan
http://www.thomassullivanauthor.com
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1219261326
http://twitter.com/thomassullivan
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Spouse: someone with whom to spend the rest of your life watching TV. Passion second. Communication third. No thank you.
