Up and Down Habits of Mind
On a visit to the Indonesian island of Bali, the dance of good and evil held my interest. I puzzled over the cultural and religious reminders the Balinese people hold regarding this central belief system.
Good and evil dress up in Bali. The winged lion of good, known as a Barong, fights the evil witch, known as Rangda. If I understand what the Balinese I met told me, this dance keeps their world in balance. Thus all things visible and invisible are viewed as sacred, from the lowest free roaming dog (thought to be possessed by demons) to the most magnificent mountain peak.
The habit I most love in the Balinese is their deep love and curiosity for the natural world. Nothing escapes their attention, nothing is too small to receive worship and respect.
Curiosity is the best habit
Curiosity pulls me forward into life, into writing new fiction and nonfiction, draws me to new books and writers. Of course, curiosity involves looking and listening. Curiosity has sparked new friendships, prompted me to read other bloggers, seek new photography to view, new poems and short stories to read.
Barong and Rangda-Bali Two Opposities
My Most Annoying Habit?
I love paper, all kinds. I hoard facts, conference notes, dozens of drafts of my fiction, poetry and unfinished work. I keep business cards. When I can no longer stand the piles of paper, I scoop them up, drop them into a box then stack the boxes in my office. What’s quirky about that? Self inflicted guilt hits each time I walk past those piles.
I hope to master the art of scanning and tossing, so that my office is a land of peace and productivity. But now, from my point of view this photograph demonstrates how messy my office looks to me.
Image shared by Gratisography.com
Does that look quirky to you?
My thanks to Michelle W.
WordPress blogger who suggested today’s writing prompt.
To join the fun, go see and write something quirky.
Daily Prompt: Quirk of Habit
Which quirky habit annoys you the most, and what quirky habit do you love — in yourself, or others.
Photographers, artists, poets: show us QUIRKY.
Curiosity also helps me in my writing. The more I read, the more I learn, the more creative my thinking gets. I also have a bad habit of having a ton of paper and notes. I even have tablets in my car so that if something pops into my head, I can jot it down (not when I’m driving, of course).
WOW. We really share a number of personality traits. I keep several notebooks in my car. I’ve even been known to jot down scraps of dialogue or ideas for drafts in progress.
I know, I KNOW- I should never write while driving.