Boomeresque:Definition
1. Adj.: Describing a person born between 1 Jan. 1946 and 31 Dec. 1964
2. Adj.: Description of a person, place or thing possessing Baby Boomer je ne sais quoi
3. See also, Boomer, Esq.: A Baby Boomer who is also a licensed attorney (See, e.g., About).

Zentangle Diva’s Challenge #232 – I’m Not that Zen Edition

by Suzanne Fluhr on August 24, 2015 · 16 comments

Zentangle Diva Challenge #232 Betweed

This week, guest Zentangle Diva, Holly Atwater, challenged us to listen to an audio Zentangle meditation and to produce a tile created without any preconception about what the tangles are supposed to look like; in other words, to truly embrace the Zentangle method of creating art “one stroke at a time”. Recognizing that some of us might just not be Zen enough, she also offered the option of creating a tile using the tangle Betweed, one of my favorites.

Guess which challenge Ms. Closet Type A chose?

Zentangle Diva Challenge  #232 Betweed

 

 sunset on Saint George's Thoroughfare, Brigantine, New Jersey.

After the sunset on Saint George’s Thoroughfare, Brigantine, New Jersey.

Holly also explained that she especially felt the need for something to help her with inner turmoil this week as she sent her youngest daughter off to college. Since this is a topic that seems to be affecting quite a few Baby Boomers this month as schools start their fall semester, I’m sharing my take on that situation in this essay: First Day of College – First Day of the Empty Nest.

I may try one of Holly’s audio Zentangle meditations another time. As a recovering lawyer, deadlines (even ones to respond to a Zentangle challenge), still feel antithetical to achieving a Zen-like state. For achieving inner tranquility, I do best with being able to look out my back window at this after the sunset view.

 

How have you reacted to sending a child off to school– be it, nursery school or university? Do you have a “go to” calming method that seems to work for you? If you tried the audio Zentangle meditation challenge, how did it go?

{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }

Patti August 24, 2015 at 10:39 pm

We flew from CA to Washington D.C. to take our son (only child) to college. We spent 10 days in D.C. helping him settle and enjoying the D.C. highlights. The day came for us to say good-bye. Abi and I boarded the plane and I cried all the way to Dallas where we had a plane change. As we were leaving the plane the flight attendant (who couldn’t help but notice my blubbering) asked if all was well. When I explained my tears, she told me she was dreading the day and her son was only 8-years-old. We both laughed but we both totally understood.

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Suzanne Fluhr August 24, 2015 at 10:56 pm

I don’t know why, but I didn’t cry all the way home (or even part of the way) when we dropped our son off at the University of Miami. He was always a pretty independent kid, so maybe he had more or less prepared me. As it turned out, I think I had more communication with him when he was away. He called me practically every day, even if it was just to ask me about the past pluperfect subjunctive of some Spanish verb.

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Yorkshire tortoise August 25, 2015 at 2:30 am

I loved the centres to your Betweed, great tile. I do belong to the baby boomer age but managed to avoid the baby side of it so at least I don’t have any feelings of loss when they go to school:-)

I think your mother could embroider a tangle. I think it would be easy to chart unless you do something really complicated. I doubt shadows could be transferred but the basic outlines would work. If she does do one you must show us the results.

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Maggibee August 25, 2015 at 5:11 am

Hi Suzanne
I like your Betweed tile; it reminds me of Greek windmills and that’s always a good thing.

As for sending kids off to school, we only had the one who went away to university and it was every bit as daunting for us as for him. He chose to be 300 miles away and we encouraged his independence. I taught him some basic cooking, ironing and economic shopping skills and we left him on the doorstep of a rooming house waving like mad.

It was a damp and silent drive for a few miles as we both surreptitiously mopped our eyes. And he was fine for the most part, even if he still managed to rack up debts in the process.

The other one I remember was when our two daughters, both younger than him, were going to primary school. The younger of the two was not old enough to go so she would walk her older sister to school. They insisted they didn’t need me (Aged 4 and 6 respectively) so I had to follow at a discreet distance to make sure they were OK, hiding behind trees or in gateways if they looked back, otherwise they sent me back home because they were grown up enough to go alone.

Both in their thirties now…

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Jacqueline Gum August 25, 2015 at 7:29 am

Not having kids, I have never had to suffer this experience, other than be there for so many friends who have. So I kind of feel like I have experienced this is an odd sort of fashion…most of these kids I have known since birth, so my heart ached right along with them. But I know it’s not the same at all. And I love that tangle… as always!

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Suzanne Durville August 25, 2015 at 9:41 am

I love your betweed. It has so much depth and the pearls add a nice touch. I loved your essay on the empty nest. Both my kids have been gone a while (daughter’s starting her 3rd year of vet school), but this is the first time no one came home to spend the summer (internships…). Moving from having them in school and visiting to having them living their own lives (and well, bless them) is yet another type of transition. Thanks for the great essay and the memories of how “The Great Kid Launch” began.

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Holly {ha! designs} August 25, 2015 at 10:32 am

Suzanne…

I loved reading your essay! Thanks so much for including the link here… It was a fun read and perfectly expressed!

Your betweed tile is lovely! I adore the additions you made with the black pearls, the striped columns and tangled pinwheel type interiors. Gorgeous! The shading is beautiful as well. I hope that one day you’ll put your Type A back in the closet and give one of the audios a try! You know… it’s good to step outside your comfort zone once in awhile! Thanks again for participating in the challenge AND for sharing your experience of the “college drop off and resulting empty nest.”

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Maddy Resendes August 25, 2015 at 11:58 am

Having an only child with special needs – our empty nest time will likely be a longer time coming. However, we understand that it is important to have her very happily and comfortably situated before we’re gone! A daunting, but essential task.

Much as I love my daughter I am reminded of the contrast I imagine between an empty nest transition and how happy most of us are when school begins in the fall and we get a few quiet hours to ourselves – even if we’re working!!

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Jo August 25, 2015 at 8:02 pm

I love your Betweed, it’s beautiful. I kind of fell into a semi meditative state being drawn into it – really! I think this is something I have to get into, although I’m sure I’d lack your talent. It led me into thinking about the empty nest, and how I felt a few years ago when I waved both of mine off into the big bad world. It was like losing a limb at first. Thankfully the limb grew back in time, and now we are very connected on a different level as adults, and I have to say it’s a much better footing and much more loving and productive than the late teenage years relationships we had just before they left home 😉 And … Thanks so much for your lovely comment on Lifestyle Fifty yesterday x

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Jean Chaney August 25, 2015 at 11:35 pm

Love the Betweed. Completely understand why you skipped the meditation. Love the photo. When my youngest, of four boys, was moving out, I told him that he could stay forever if he wanted to. But, I told him, if he moved out he could never move back in because his room was now MINE! He said he was sure and within minutes I was turning it into the perfect art studio for myself. No tears, just a tiny dance maybe LOL!

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Annemarie August 26, 2015 at 2:36 am

Lovely, just that, lovely!

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ChristineC August 26, 2015 at 5:32 am

I like composition and shade of your tile. Beautiful !

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Annie August 26, 2015 at 6:41 am

I began my family late in life, so still have three at home. The eldest is 17 and so maybe next year, I will have one leaving the nest…
I’m not always very Zen but quite enjoyed the first audio – it was the shortest and I did JUMP into doing it without all the material I needed – and I like the tile I created. I have done Betweed so many times that I couldn’t think of anything new to do with it but love yours and there are a few others that have really inspired me to give it another go too.

Axxx

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Diane Clancy August 27, 2015 at 9:13 am

This is a lovely Betweed!! It is dancing!! I am glad that when my daughter left for college, I already was involved in a lot of things so I had other focuses!! 🙂 🙂

~ Diane Clancy
http://www.dianeclancy.com/blog/2015/08/my-diva-holly-atwater-betweed-challenge

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hungrycorgistudio August 29, 2015 at 9:24 am

I like the twists and turns of your tangle and tile. It’s very engaging! Sarah

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Yukari August 31, 2015 at 12:41 am

My oldest is a junior in high school and I think it’s going to be traumatic for me to let go. It’s going to be just as sad as my youngest started junior high this year.. And I don’t have a good coping mechanism.. Maybe just art..

I loved the audio challenge! I’m one that likes to get things right so I was quite surprised how much I enjoyed it!

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