Called to be Ordinary

"Down, down into the midst of ordinary things."
~ Virginia Woolf ~

Simpkin Goes Out (c. 1902)
Helen Beatrix Potter (1866 – 1943)

Message to the 14-Year-Old Me

Believe in yourself.
You can do anything you set your heart on –
except A level physics, perhaps.
Well, all the sciences really.

DIY is a bit of a no-no, too.
See also: driving; skiing; map reading;
cooking pasta in the right quantities;
relationships; origami.

Don’t even think about running
your own business. Or singing in tune.
Best to steer clear of all activities which require
good hand-eye coordination.

Forget ice-skating, tending house plants,
dealing with spiders, the correct spelling of the word
‘enjambement’. I could go on.
But do not despair – for given time

and with a little luck on your side –
you can achieve a basic level of competence
in a limited number of simple, unremarkable things,
you just need to believe in yourself.

by Brian Bilston (b 1970)

French Postcard, 1913
Caption: "Porte Veine" = "Bringer of Luck"
~ Artist unknown ~

There are Mornings

Even now, when the plot
calls for me to turn to stone,
the sun intervenes. Some mornings
in summer, I step outside
and the sky opens
and pours itself into me
as if I were a saint
about to die. But the plot
calls for me to live, be ordinary,
say nothing to anyone.
Inside the house,
the mirrors burn when I pass.

by Lisel Mueller (1924 - 2020)
from her collection Alive Together

Krampus Cat Postcard, 1901
E. Dölker

And here is a picture of a cat!