ways of falling

how many ways are there to fall? fall as in: to give into the emotional and physical gravity of things? there is much more than simply falling in love. you can fall into a new place, a new life, into a person, into an art form, into a way of being. into yourself.

since changing lives so drastically — from the spare and restrained containment of my japanese life — to the hot and sticky decadence of this italian one, i’ve been reflecting on the fact that falling is an art form in itself. falling is a way (deliberate or un-deliberate) of letting go of the ego, of control, of constraint. i’ve fallen into my italian life — with its cream-filled pastries and sun soaked walls — and spent a week trying to recover from the disorientation of travel, and to decipher dream life from reality. and after falling into this new life, I remember to deliberately seek myself again.

I look for old ways to fall into myself, and see this inward falling as a thing to treasure, too. ways of falling into myself, or in-fall, as f calls it:

• writing in my journal

• finding the words to describe this experience, in poetry

• being present with my body in movement (yoga, mainly)

• sitting in stillness and meditation

• collecting and sorting through all the things (tangible and intangible) which belong to me — things I’ve thought, created, dreamed up of

• conjuring visual work and beauty on paper

• listening and being present to the experiences within

these kinds of in-fall are necessary daily — and the act of loving oneself is to love the world that you discover upon, not just once, but each time you meet it again. several times a day.