A list of all this week’s participants is given at the end of this post
So, I chose ‘catharsis’ as this week’s word… A catharsis is a purging or release of emotions/tension, and whenever I hear the word catharsis I always think of Coda, a poem by Dorothy Parker:
There’s little in taking or giving,
There’s little in water or wine;
This living, this living, this living
Was never a project of mine.
Oh, hard is the struggle, and sparse is
The gain of the one at the top,
For art is a form of catharsis,
And love is a permanent flop,
And work is the province of cattle,
And rest’s for a clam in a shell,
So I’m thinking of throwing the battle-
Would you kindly direct me to hell?
Because, in truth, it sums up perfectly how I generally feel when I reach the point of catharsis. Thankfully it’s not often I feel that way, but I think I’m just about there now. Since September I’ve been keeping going partly through momentum, and mainly through sheer force of will. There hasn’t been time to give free rein to my emotions, and I’m not my usual balanced self. Something’s going to give eventually! I’m still overwhelmed with grief, and I think I’m still trying to push that to the side by focusing on other things instead – but I’m running out of things. First it was renovating my bedroom, then it was landscaping my garden and building my new studio, then it was going on holiday, and now…? Now I’m concentrating on catching up with work (gardening), commissions, and all my little personal projects – but I’m running out of steam. I’m finding it harder and harder to concentrate on things, and I think it’s soon going to be time to give in: to release and recharge.
Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog for this week’s Weekword. Don’t forget to pop by and see all the other participants too!
- Sally at Sow & Sew
- Heather at Cranky Stitch
- Joye at Joyefulart
- John at The Healing Seed
- June at Junebug’s Musings
- Elena at My Quest
- Sally at Diario
- Emily at Ready for an Adventure?
- Christine at Silver Linings
I’m also tagging the person who’ll choose the next Weekword, and it is … Heather! Get your thinking cap on Heather, you’ll need to post on your blog on Monday to let us know what the new word is 
eeep! am i too late to join?
It’s never too late! Have added you to the list
Great weekword and so appropriate to the universal energies at the moment. There are many who feel betwixt and between, half catterpillar, half butterfly (guess what end I got!)
I love that poem, my partner is an artist and I will share it with her as I am sure it will resonate within her also.
So sorry about your grief.
I too will be posting… probably later this evening? or tomorrow morning!
Thanks…
Added!
Big hugs. Take time for your feelings – no point putting them to one side, they don’t go away. It gets easier. xxx
I truly love that poem. It speaks right from someone who knows.
I hope that you come out the other side of your catharsis feeling rejuvenated. It is a tough journey.
I finally got my week word post out, sorry it is late. My story is about how I dealt with grief through painting. I know, it is really hard, and sometimes you just have to keep doing things you lose yourself in.
Great post. Sometimes you have to run and sometimes you need to stand still…the wisdom lies in knowing which is most beneficial at the right moment.