Tag Archives: research

if I can’t dance…

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I’ve been doing a lot of research about the 1930s. I want to better understand the lives of my ancestors (and the world) during that turbulent time in history. Old movies, photographs, interviews, books, and music are allowing me to time travel in a way that’s marvelously connecting me to the past.

I ordered this vintage dress from eBay for twenty-five bucks. The way it moves far surpassed my expectations. Somehow this dress makes me feel connected to my maternal grandmother, Mildred who died before I was born. I’ve been told she was quite a dancer.

If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution.

—Emma Goldman (1869-1940) women’s rights activist/anarchist

A big thank you to my daughter Willa for her photography of me goofing off in this magical swingin’ dress.

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geography & identity

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I’m very curious about how our interior geography affects our moods and choices in life.  I find myself at nearly 50 years old realizing that I need a lot of spaciousness to feel most comfortable in my own skin.  I truly understand how growing up and forming my identity on the prairie instilled an interior geography within me. I want to understand this better.

There is an eternal landscape, a geography of the soul; we search for its outlines all our lives.

—Josephine Hart, Irish novelist

I layered these images of flying into South Dakota and the Town Neck Beach approach in Sandwich, Massachusetts.  The vastness of the ocean gives me the same feeling of ease that the prairie gives me.  It doesn’t matter if I’m driving country roads in South Dakota or kayaking the Cape Cod Bay.  The inner feeling is the same.

I just ordered this book:  Geographical Psychology: Exploring the Interaction of Environment and Behavior by Peter J. Rentfrow, PhD.

“The research described in this volume indicates that personality, political ideology, well-being, happiness, human virtues, and personal concerns are related to several important geographic social indicators.”

I can’t wait to delve further into more understanding about this subject.  As always, I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas.