Meaningful Mud's Monthly Mu - February 2025
"like sundown on the human heart"
Hey there,
And welcome to Meaningful Mud’s Monthly Mu February edition.
For the faithful who read last month’s edition, I apologize that this blessed February we meet once again at the ocean, albeit near it and not in it. I promise (with a small p) that next month we will explore a different terrain.
So either I have terrible shoulder flexibility (which I do), or my wetsuit is extremely poorly designed, or its maker is deeply concerned about the texture of our public life and the fabric of our societal relations, but owing to my wetsuit’s inconveniently placed zip, which begins at my lower lumbar vertebrae, each visit to Mother Ocean involves my having to ask someone to zip me up (dearest readers - I have failed you all - anyone out there who can craft a sentence about a zip, where both its common noun and verb properties are conveyed, and not use the word zip twice, shall get next month’s March edition free in his/her inbox).
When not swimming with friends, this hurdle transforms my rather regular morning routine into an animated adventure. Fired up, ready to go, half zipped, and fully relying on the good of man, I am forced to approach strangers on the beach or, when required, to venture onto the promenade to enlist the help of my fellow city dwellers.
Whilst the bulk of these interactions are brief and business-like, occasionally, if I am lucky and the air pressure is just right, these exchanges morph into conversations, touching upon the weather and the water; and if I am extremely lucky and the wind direction is on song as well, we might even discuss yesterday’s weather and water; or in the not-too-infrequent event that my vulnerable request reawakens a dormant memory of unbridled youth, nostalgia, and the one that got away, at 07:30 in the morning I could find myself absorbed and entangled in an impassioned soliloquy about life, living, love and regret; or if the stars really do align, every so often I am the humbled recipient of an encouraging pat on the back, sending me on my merry way.
As I make my way through my day, sitting at my laptop or cleaning the dishes; amidst my woeful ponderings of having eaten far too many dates and frozen bananas since being awake, reprimanding myself that I desperately need to change my ways - if not now when? - I am visited by these morning moments, which unfailingly elicit a smile, a sigh, a chuckle, a nod of the head; gently whispering to me that I am tethered to, a part of, and belong to something larger and more alive than I really know or can fathom.
Whilst my unreachable zip is undoubtedly frustrating at times, it is wonderful in equal measure, rescuing me from the trapping myth of self-sufficiency; unequivocally reminding me that our cultures that decide and dictate the agreements of our day to day and how we are to be with each other, which have made it easier than ever to avoid and evade and shut ourselves off from the elements, which train and feed one side of us at the expense of our other multitudes, cheapen our relationship with the world, robbing of us of connection, day in and day out.
But friends, do not mistake the monologue above for my promoting an unhealthy set of codependent relationships or my advocating for state policy changes that require your salad be dressed by a stranger. All I am saying, or trying to at least, is that we could all benefit from the giving and receiving of some metaphorical zipping.
So on that note, I wish us all a month of zzziiiippppp (I hope the onomatopoeic deities are on my side when you read this).
And lastly, may we always be stuck in Meaningful Mud!
Take care all and thank you for being here.
Tyler
De Noche
By Pádraig Ó Tuama
By nighttime and streetlights,
I examine the light of the day
joined by the city's traffic sounds
coming through the window.
Asking where the heart
was buffet and bolstered;
what little moment
held the unexpected moment;
the kindnesses received and the
kindnesses withheld;
the injustices perceived
and the focus on the self;
what small surprise
showed arrogance or assumption;
naming desolation and consolation
and all the little junctions of the day.
And then, at night, I make a promise
by the traffic and the streetlights,
that tomorrow, at the same time,
I'll meet the night again.
The menu ain’t the meal but give it a bash anyway
Sharing with you all a recipe for healthy homemade cookie dough. I am still undecided as to whether this recipe is the cause of my two pack remaining elusive or whether I’m the closest I’ve ever been!
What you’ll need:
1 and 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
3, 4 or 5 tablespoons almond butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon maple syrup/date honey
1 and a quarter cup chocolate chips (feel free to use dark chocolate)
Instructions:
Add all your ingredients, except the chocolate chips, to a food processor/blender and zzzuugg until a thick dough forms.
Fold in your chocolate chips.
Thank your divine and enjoy.
“…We have so little of each other, now. So far
from tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange.
What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, these
fleeting temples we make together when we say, ‘Here,
have my seat,’ ‘Go ahead—you first,’ ‘I like your hat.’”
- Small Kindness, Danusha Lameris
“I met a man today and he smiled back at me
Now there are thoughts like these that keep me on my feet
That keep me on my feet.”
- Sloom, Of Monsters and Men
Sonic Suggestions
I stumbled upon this song and have been playing it weekly ever since.
Hope you enjoy the tunes.
“I’m wearing dark glasses today because I am seeing the future and it is looking very bright.”
- David Lynch
Thank you once again for stopping on by. It is not taken for granted!
Please also consider forwarding this little offering to a loved one, friend or stranger and feel free to reach out should you wish to share any comments, critiques or suggestions. I would love to hear from you all.
Wishing you all a friendly February!
