CAN A LIFE BE SUMMARIZED?

Books and films and stories of all kinds, as well as experiences, can be summarized with a twist or straight forward, as factually as possible. I am musing at the idea of how to summarize my own rather colorful life, and, as the puzzle pieces begin to be assembled, I cannot assume mine to be "one life" since the variations are so disparate.

There are periods that resemble dynasties, ruled by different parts of me, parts so distinct from one another, and in different locations often in different languages, seeking to rule different talents and forego others that would have been dominant during another period. I am leaving that, perhaps, as a run-on statement!

I am beginning to look for a trend, or Ariadne's thread, to pull it all together. No one has requested this of me, by the way. It is just that I have recently learned about the Chinese tradition of burning objects at an ancestor's grave that may be needed in the other world. Mexicans do something similar on "Day of the Dead".  They lay items that were loved and appreciated by the deceased, on top of the person's grave ----often with a framed photo of the individual.

There have been several divisions in my life span which, on the surface, seem to obliterate one another. However, the underlying emotions remain---the driving force that forged these multiple changes remains constant as I look back in reflection. My search to express love, perhaps even greater than receiving it led to my creation of a personal map.

The occupations: Poet, acting and directing in live theater, modeling, camp counselor, social worker, traveler, language teacher, translator, editor, gay rights initiator, recreational director for   the severely disabled, and those personal roles that occupy much of our emotional development: friend, lover, wife, mother, business partner. Albeit there has been marked divergence in these last roles!

The thread is unwinding into a steady direction: to pour out my love of life into everything I enjoy and everyone I have become close to. Ahha! A thread unfurled to receive love which all of us cram for, to release it,  letting it flow into an independent river whose banks surround me, my trend has been discovered. This muddled dilemma no longer seemed to be so inexplicable! I omitted the strict religious life I took on for a few years in order to offer deep love to a family member.

Looking forward to a few more years during which a new spool of thread may entwine the former ones, Hear Ye!

MISS RHEINGOLD