Inspirations: of Fitbits, Jesus, and Larger Collections

I have so many threads of random thoughts today.  Let me list some of them and see if a tapestry emerges:

--I arrived home last night to wilted hydrangeas, even though they'd been sitting out on the steps to take advantage of the rains of the last few days.  My first thought was irritation at the neediness of these plants.  But later, I took them inside, and like last week, I put them in the kitchen sink and gave them a good but gentle soaking.  And this morning, they have perked back up.

--The metaphors of the hydrangea situation are so obvious that they might seem like clichés.  Let me move along.

--I am loving the Fitbit.  It has inspired me to move more.  Sure, it's only been a few days, and the magic may wear off, but I'm trying to take advantage of them while I can.  I love all the data.

--I've always loved keeping track of various parts of my life, and the Fitbit really helps with the logging of it all.

--If the last few nights are any indication, my sleep patterns are even more wrecked than I already knew that they are.  I'm intrigued by the sleep stats that the Fitbit gives me, even as I am a bit creeped out by the Fitbit knowing these things.

--Yesterday, I arrived to spin class after having spent time writing about Jesus and menopause.  I thought about Jesus having a Fitbit.  So much to say about the incarnation, so many ways to write a poem.

--I plan to revisit my collection of Jesus poems, along with my poems that write about feast days and their intersections with modern life.  I plan to have a new collection ready to submit to the Two Sylvias Press Wilder Prize in the fall.

--Of course, there's the question about my old collection.  I've been submitting it for years now, and I'm still convinced that it's a strong collection.  I've had at least one editor give me encouragement along with rejection. 

--I'm also thinking of how many books I might have published in my life.  If it could only be one collection of poems, which would I want to leave as my legacy?

--Can't I have 2 collections?  Is that so much to ask?

--And part of me thinks about how my vision has shrunk.  Well, not my vision, but the realities of publishing--traditional publishing.

--Part of me also knows that the reality I see in front of me might not last.  I might put a manuscript away, and in later years, there might be interest.  Maybe it's time to move on.

--I've also resisted the idea of my new collection because it's so overtly religious.  I've worried about all the readers I might not have because of that theme.

--And I know that my religious poems will be strange and perhaps offensive to people who like religious themes.  What if I end up with no readers?

--I certainly won't have readers if I publish nothing.  Maybe I should focus on the work itself, and not who will read it.  I should create collections that delight me and trust that there will be communities that embrace that work.

--Let me go out for a vigorous walk and ponder these things.