My pandemic “pod” consists of my husband and me, and my twin sister and her partner. Over the past eight months we have separately established what feels safe for us during the early sheltering at home months and through the openings, closings, and reopenings of our local world coping with the pandemic here in Arizona. Our needs aligned enough to establish our pod. We have dined at each other’s home patios at separate tables and BYOE. Being together has eliminated some sense of social isolation and added family support.
An Invitation
“Come for dinner and a celebration of the Halloween Full Moon, aka a Blue Moon” read their invitation. We got into the idea of costuming along with masks (hopefully next year, the masks will be over our eyes, not mouth), and watching the moonrise from their rooftop that offers a 360° view of the surrounding mountains. Learning this Halloween moon was also the Hunters’ Moon, we decided to make it an evening of entertaining. Dinner, costumes, dancing, and seasonal readings.
Discovering “A Full Hunter’s Moon”
As I searched for a story to read, I made what I think is a wonderful online discovery…a visual, peaceful essay, the “Full Hunter’s Moon” by Robert McDowell. It’s filled with lyrical phrases and descriptions taking the reader along with Mr. McDowell on an early morning walk to a farm. Phrases about two Canadian geese flying and landing “side by side in delightful controlled descent” and waiting “feathery shoulder to feathery shoulder” hit all my senses. I could see them, hear them, feel them. Robert McDowell.
A bonus of this peaceful writing was the shift in perspective about hunters. The poem includes a wish that we all find what we are hunting for. What am I hunting for? Immediately words like, peace, harmony, quiet, tolerance, love slid across my mental radar. I believe what I focus on expands. An affirmation comes to mind: “You already have everything you need.” McDowell’s Hunters Moon essay set me up to peacefully sharpen my focus on looking for, creating, and claiming moments, words, and images of peace and harmony.
Another bonus of reading this Hunter’s Moon piece aloud was that my sister’s partner had chosen the exact same piece to share. A special choral reading under the Hunter’s Moon.
What are You Hunting For?
What will bring you peace? What do you desire? A personal yearning? A need to share kindness, compassion with one particular person? A calling to reach a wider circle of humanity? Read McDowell’s essay. Why not share the objective of your hunt?
Ethel Lee-Miller blogs regularly about people, the power of words, and the writing life. She’s retired from professional writing gigs after 30 years of teaching, coaching, editing, and gathering writers to publicly share their work. She is the author of Thinking of Miller Place, and Seedlings, Stories of Relationships. In retirement she writes to inspire, to connect with folks, and for the pure enjoyment of it. Ethel enjoys sharing stories at Odyssey Storytelling, Zoom gatherings, and anywhere there’s a Zoom mic.
