Thursday, March 21, 2013

 
 So much of what Vita Sackville-West wrote resonates with me....
 
Vita: Painted by William Strang
 
“Days I enjoy are days when nothing happens,
When I have no engagements written on my block,
When no one comes to disturb my inward peace,
When no one comes to take me away from myself
And turn me into a patchwork, a jig-saw puzzle,
A broken mirror that once gave a whole reflection,
Being so contrived that it takes too long a time
To get myself back to myself when they have gone.”
Vita Sackville-West
 
 

 

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I feel exactly like this too, M. Love this post.

monica

Margaret Buffie said...

Thanks, m. Kindred spirits....

Jo Marshall said...

That's a perfect day, I agree. Vita's a wonderful poet, Margaret. I'll look for more from her. This reminds me of Cooley's 'looking glass self' explanation of personality - 'we are what we imagine others think we are, and we continually strive to be what we imagined.'

It's always good to be alone and get back to ourself. Thanks for the reminder!

Margaret Buffie said...

Jo, I think you make a really interesting observation re Cooley. I think many people, at times, are aware that their character or persona is perceived differently than they "see" themselves -- depending on who they are with. I know I do. It can be very frustrating, especially if we don't recognize the persona they see and are interacting with. This can also cause the jigsaw/broken mirror feelings which no longer allow us to see our full reflection. It can cause conflict of the "soul" and make it harder to get back to ourselves. As an introvert, this has always been the hardest thing for me when dealing with people. This is why being alone is often very healing for me and why I wrote a blog on "Solitude." Solitude is what helps people like me put ourselves back together. Mmm, this may require another blog posting.... Thanks, Jo.