Funnel

Funnel: a tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for guiding liquid or powder into a small opening. (Oxford Languages) 

As often happens on a run, seemingly random thoughts come into my head and I start mulling them over. Next thing I know, I have the start of a poem. This past Sunday, as I went for a short run near my brothers' farm in Iowa, I was thinking about the priorities in my life and how other things were getting in their way. How can I pare down "all of this" to "just this" and honor my priorities? The visual of a funnel emerged. 

When I get overly busy, when work commitments drain hours and energy, I find less time to write and read. Exercise is almost always an honored priority, but it also takes a hit some days. Because we can't get more hours in a day, what I focus on is how I start my day and also conserving energy so I am left with some later in the day. This is more challenging for me now as I recover from surgery, but it has always been difficult for me. 

I made writing a morning priority several years ago. It has made all the difference. The other hours are about pacing myself, applying "good enough" and employing patience more effectively. Some things take care of themselves if given time. 

With funnels on my mind, I got back from that run last Sunday and jotted down a few lines of what became this poem:

The Funnel

Pour it all in  . . . 
pains and pleasures,
pressures and priorities,
deepest cares and shares,  
struggles to juggle.  

Pour it all in. 
Give a meaningful shake,  
offer quiet contemplation, 
patience, and time to settle. 

Shake it all again. 
More gently this time, 
but no less meaningful. 

When it settles, 
see what emerges.
Start there. 

10/3/21  LV

I also found this funnel in Mom's kitchen. Neither my brother Artie or I could recall what she used this one for. I had a plastic one in mind that I know she used. 

And I found this one out in the garage. Artie identified it as a fuel funnel, used to put diesel in tractors.

I enjoyed the run, the writing, and the search for some actual funnels. The words and the visuals bring home my priorities to a quieter, more energized mind.  I'll start there.