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Conversations with Calliope- Gentle on My Mind

By Joseph Langen

 

(Sunset on the Allegheny River)
JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Looking forward to the warmth and sunshine promised by today's forecast.
CALLIOPE: Nothing special on your mind today?
JOE: Nope. It's nice to feel at peace with nothing nagging at me.
CALLIOPE: Do you only write when something is bothering you?
JOE: Good question. I hadn't thought of it that way before.
CALLIOPE: Do you have an answer?
JOE: For the most part, I think I only write when I think something needs to be changed. Sometimes I write about things or people I appreciate.
CALLIOPE: Other that the weather, what else do you appreciate about today?
JOE: A sense of prosperity in troubled times, being at peace in my relationship, having the freedom to do whatever I want to today with no expectations placed on me and endless possibilities for how I spend my time.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you're in a fortunate position.
JOE: I think so. I wish I could find a way to share it with others.
CALLIOPE: I think you just did.
JOE: I guess you're right. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Prosperity in Perspective

By Joseph Langen

 

(Gull at Niagara Falls)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Fine. Our travels the last couple days resulted in Carol finding a new car for a reasonable price.
CALLIOPE: Glad to hear it. What did you learn from the process?
JOE: Good question. I think I learned a few things about prosperity.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: Several years ago I retired from my psychology practice to focus entirely on my writing.
CALLIOPE: How does prosperity fit in?
JOE: When I retired, I realized I would have much less money to live on. I thought about this as Carol bought a new car. I don't know if I will ever be in a position to do so myself.
CALLIOPE: Does that bother you?
JOE: Sometimes it nags at me. I don't have oceans of money at my disposal and can't always do things I would like to do.
CALLIOPE: Is there another side to it?
JOE: I am freed from pursuing money. I have enough to live on and provide my basics as well as some left over for our travels.
CALLIOPE: Are you okay with that?
JOE: Most of the time. Sometimes I wish I had more money to pursue my interests. I usually come back to realize that oodles of money don't always make people happy. Usually I can accept the life I have chosen. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Reorienting

By Joseph Langen

 

(Paphiopedalum Orchid)
JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Working on getting my life back in perspective.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: I was excited about the prospect of starting soon with AmeriCorps and getting involved with people on a volunteer basis.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: I explored the options and have come to the conclusion that the position I most want will not be available until October.
CALLIOPE: Are you disappointed?
JOE: A little. I was hoping to get on with it. But I don't want to jump into something that would be less satisfying just for the sake of doing it.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you are finally developing some patience.
JOE: It's about time. I am learning that I don't have to make things happen. Life has its own pace and every situation has its opportunities.
CALLIOPE: Which are?
JOE: That's a good question. I am in the middle of several writing projects. Perhaps the message is for me to finish them before starting a new adventure.
CALLIOPE: Perhaps.
JOE: I'll get back to work on them while I'm waiting. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- New Horizons

By Joseph Langen

 

(Sunset over Provincetown)
JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I trust you had a nice Easter.
JOE: I did. Carol and I took a long walk exploring the hidden beauties of Leroy.
CALLIOPE: What else did you do?
JOE: I read some of Thomas Moore's Dark Nights of the Soul.
CALLIOPE: Did this relate to your exploration of AmeriCorps?
JOE: Unexpectedly yes.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: I have discovered the possibility of a placement at our local arts council but have not had a chance to explore it yet.
CALLIOPE: How did that relate to your reading?
JOE: I found a passage in Moore's book which fit my search nicely. "The most important thing is to become more acquainted with the realm of art, religion and dream, where images are not merely cerebral but are rooted in the human imagination and in deep-seated emotions."
CALLIOPE: Interesting that you should encounter such a quote.
JOE: Serendipitious, I would say. My writing has focused on my own and others' thoughts and not sought so much to include other realms of personal experience. Maybe that's what has been missing in my writing.
CALLIOPE: Could be.
JOE: I will sit with this idea a while and see what happens. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Exploring Opportunities

By Joseph Langen

 

(Antique Cognac Still- Herez, Spain)
JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Still sorting out yesterday's events.
CALLIOPE: Please explain.
JOE: As you know, I signed up for AmeriCorps yesterday and considered one position.
CALLIOPE: I recall.
JOE: The position I considered appeared to be an all consuming one. I would have to put the rest of my life on hold while I pursued it.
CALLIOPE: Too much for you?
JOE: Exactly. I am looking for more balance in my life, not a total change.
CALLIOPE: So you're not ready to give up your writing efforts?
JOE: Not after all I have invested. But I wouldn't mind contributing to society some of what I have learned.
CALLIOPE: How would you do it?
JOE: My idea was to work with teens on creative writing, but there do not appear to be a project opening with this specific focus, at least around here.
CALLIOPE: So now what?
JOE: I will explore what might be available in the arts and focus on creativity. Talk with you on Monday.

Conversations with Calliope- On the Radio

By Joseph Langen

[img_assist|nid=5417|title=Daisies|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=0|height=50] (Daisies) JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How did the radio show go? JOE: Quite well I thought. CALLIOPE: Tell me about it. JOE: I have appeared on the radio before. Although I was not sure exactly what to expect, I didn't feel nervous. CALLIOPE: What put you at ease? JOE: I arrived early and watched the interview before mine. I had also met Wanda Frank, the host of the show and knew her style. CALLIOPE: What happened on the air? JOE: She asked me to introduce myself and my book, Navigating Life. CALLIOPE: Then what? JOE: I had sent her a brochure before the show and she chose several points I had outlined to explore further. CALLIOPE: Anything else? JOE: She wanted to know what were the major influences in what I write now. CALLIOPE: What did you tell her? JOE: I had been thinking about this on the way to the show. I told her I had nine years in the seminary and monastery to think about life, especially my own. Then I worked for thirty-five years as a psychologist helping people make sense of their lives. All in all, a good experience. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Radio Publicity

By Joseph Langen

Whale Mural- Robert Wyland

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What are you up to today?
JOE: In a couple hours I will be appearing on a local radio talk show in Batavia.
CALLIOPE: Have you ever done that before?
JOE: I have, but not about my writing.
CALLIOPE: What's the focus today?
JOE: I will have a ten minute spot in which my book, Navigating Life: Commonsense Reflections for the Voyage will be featured.
CALLIOPE: Not much time. How will you handle it?
JOE: It is in the hands of the interviewer Wanda Frank who has hosted the show for many years. I have met her socially at arts events. She is a respected figure in the local arts community and has directed a number of community theater musicals over the years.
CALLIOPE: What do you expect will happen?
JOE: As she put it, she will pick my brain.
CALLIOPE: And what will she find?
JOE: My reasons for writing.
CALLIOPE: Which are?
JOE: To encourage people to take charge of their lives for the communal good. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Americorps

By Joseph Langen

(Spring Blooms)
JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Invigorated.
CALLIOPE: On what account?
JOE: I have been thinking lately about doing something away from my computer and also about making some direct contribution to society other than writing about it.
CALLIOPE: Did you come to any conclusions?
JOE: I did. I decided to explore Americorps and sent in an application yesterday.
CALLIOPE: That's rather sudden isn't it?
JOE: I don't think so. I have been thinking about something like this and doing some research on it. Saturday I talked with my son in law who is in the program.
CALLIOPE: Does that mean you will be traveling about the country?
JOE: No. There are programs right here in Genesee County.
CALLIOPE: What interests you?
JOE: I have a couple ideas but don't know what projects are open yet. I have been thinking of doing something with teenagers or with ex-offenders.
CALLIOPE: Sounds adventurous.
JOE: I have worked with both before as a psychologist so it wouldn't be anything entirely new. I'll wait to see what they have available. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Lies and Creative Fiction

By Joseph Langen

 

(Fantasy Sculpture Garden- Nantucket)
JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I missed you on Saturday.
JOE: Sorry. I got busy early and never got back to the computer.
CALLIOPE: I guess you are entitled to a life.
JOE: I guess so. But ideas churned in my mind yesterday and woke me up very early this morning.
CALLIOPE: What's churning?
JOE: My column for next Saturday among other things.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: I had a recent experience of being lied to as a way of explaining away an act of poor judgment. It made me think of all the lies I have read about in the news lately to cover tracks and avoid responsibility.
CALLIOPE: But there is another side as well?
JOE: I think so. Fiction is also a way of playing with the facts but doing so in a way to entertain and even teach from writing about what might be rather than what is.
CALLIOPE: An interesting way to put it.
JOE: I think so.
CALLIOPE: So what's the difference?
JOE: Lies are ways of deceiving others and avoiding responsibility while fiction is an imagined reality to which we can relate and use to make sense of the human condition. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- A Cup of Insecurity and Humility

By Joseph Langen

 



(Amish Buggy and Wagon)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you this morning?
JOE: In my cups.
CALLIOPE: Do you mean drunk?
JOE: No. I am continuing with Julia Cameron's Vein of Gold exercises.
CALLIOPE: Oh. And what cup do we have today?
JOE: Insecurity and Humility.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: I won't bore or depress you with my childhood insecurities.
CALLIOPE: How about the humility part?
JOE: That might be worth exploring. I think my sense of humility developed in response to my childhood insecurities. Now I approach everything in my life including my writing in a humble way.
CALLIOPE: What does humility mean to you?
JOE: I keep myself in perspective and don't become arrogant about my abilities or opinions.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a good trait for a writer. Do you think it keeps you from taking chances sometimes?
JOE: Perhaps. It's not always easy to keep a balance between risk and humility but I do my best. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Renewed Creative Energy

By Joseph Langen


(Oatka Creek)
JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Energized. But do you have to start your inspiration so early?
CALLIOPE: What do you mean?
JOE: You know exactly what I mean. The ideas you placed in my head at 4:30 this morning. I had to get up and write them down to be sure I wouldn't forget them.
CALLIOPE: I wanted to make sure I didn't forget them either. What ideas did you receive?
JOE: One was the difference between lies and creativity in dealing with literal truth. The other was whether our national bird should be the eagle, turkey or phoenix.
CALLIOPE: That's exactly what I remember. Do you want me to take the chance of forgetting and inspire you later in the day?
JOE: No, I just wondered. I'm ready for inspiration any time. But you sure keep me on my toes.
CALLIOPE: That's the nature of my job and our relationship.
JOE: Well said. I accept the terms. I guess I can always go back to bed later if you wear me out.
CALLIOPE: Glad you understand.
JOE: I think we understand each other. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dross to Gold

By Joseph Langen

 


(Dunkirk Golden Sunset)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Continuing to focus on the positive.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: Julia Cameron suggested an exercise in which I listed ten criticisms that tended to paralyze me in the past.
CALLIOPE: That doesn't sound too positive.
JOE: I'm not done. Then I considered them for hidden positive elements they might contain.
CALLIOPE: That's more like it. Then what?
JOE: I listed them on a decorated page and will post it above my computer.
CALLIOPE: What were they?
JOE:Radical thinker, unconventional, flexible, nurturing, different from the herd, free from control by money, divergent thinker, carefree, provided for by God and untroubled.
CALLIOPE: How did you get to these?
JOE: It doesn't matter. I have left the criticisms behind and will take these strengths with me.
CALLIOPE: Are they just wishful thinking?
JOE: No. I have seen each one in my life and will take them with me as reminders of how I am at my best. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- A Cup of Loneliness

By Joseph Langen

(Spring Briers)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Pretty good. I started on the next assignment Julia Cameron suggests in Vein of Gold.
CALLIOPE: Which is?
JOE: Picking out some of the themes from my narrative time line and wring about them in more depth.
CALLIOPE: And you chose loneliness as the first?
JOE: I did. This theme keeps recurring in my thoughts ever since I wrote about it last week.
CALLIOPE: What have you learned by examining it in more depth?
JOE: I'm not finished yet, but I am starting to appreciate the depth of my isolation.
CALLIOPE: What do you think led to it?
JOE: Part of it was my father's treating me as if I was not worth anything, or at least that's how it felt to me.
CALLIOPE: That would certainly make it difficult to trust others to accept you.
JOE: Exactly. I also think that moving from the world at large to an artificial seminary environment cut me off from most anything I had learned to value in myself.
CALLIOPE: Any other factors?
JOE: My father's valuing commitment. Once you said you would do something you did it. I think I stayed in the seminary for nine years to satisfy him to some extent.
CALLIOPE: What are the implications of all this for you?
JOE: That's what I haven't finished yet. Perhaps I will have more to share with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- A New Day

By Joseph Langen

(Morning- Leroy, NY)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Good. Yesterday I finished working on my narrative time line.
CALLIOPE: Any further discoveries about yourself?
JOE: I think I am getting a better understanding of how my life has progressed.
CALLIOPE: What has been your pattern?
JOE: I have experienced periods of feeling competent and alive amid some long stretches of loneliness and feeling rather worthless.
CALLIOPE: Sorry to hear it. How are you feeling about yourself now?
JOE: Happy to say, I have overcome the doldrums and feel happy with who I am and what I have become.
CALLIOPE: Glad to hear it. How does what you have learned in this process affect your outlook on the future?
JOE: I'm still working on that and will keep you posted?
CALLIOPE: How about the effect on your writing?
JOE: That remains to be determined as well. I hope to spend some time on both these issues over the weekend.
CALLIOPE: I'll be interested in seeing what you come up with.
JOE: You'll be the first to know. Talk with you on Monday.

Conversations with Calliope- College Years

By Joseph Langen

 (Fishing Boat- Antigua)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Still wading through my time line. I just finished writing about my early twenties.
CALLIOPE: Any new discoveries?
JOE: I think my realization about not having close high school friends influenced my relationships after leaving the seminary.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: I was lonely and desperate to have a girl friend. Since I had no experience in relationships with girls as most boys do in high school, I was like a fish out of water.
CALLIOPE: How did it end up?
JOE: Not very well. My first date was set up by a friend who also left the seminary. She turned out to speak no English and my Polish was nonexistent.
CALLIOPE: Did it get better?
JOE: I met a nutty girl and one who turned out to be mentally ill.
CALLIOPE: No one in their right mind?
JOE: One, but for only for a single date. She was a lovely girl, and we resonated well. Unfortunately she lived in the country, I had no car and could not get to her on my own. The person we relied on for a ride had no sense of what we both wanted and liked to tell jokes and drink in bars. It just didn't work.
CALLIOPE: Sorry to hear that. Do you think these experiences influenced your writing?
JOE: I think so but that's another story. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Life Context

By Joseph Langen

[img_assist|nid=5104|title=Outdoor handball court|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=0|height=50]

(Outdoor Handball Court- Dunkirk, NY)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Good, but little perplexed.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: I have been working on the narrative time line we talked about yesterday.
CALLIOPE: You mean the structured interview about your life events?
JOE: Exactly so.
CALLIOPE: Is that what perplexed you?
JOE: Yes. When I wrote about my early years I discovered how happy a child I was.
CALLIOPE: That doesn't sound perplexing.
JOE: It isn't. When I got to my early adolescence, I realized how lonely and isolated I was.
CALLIOPE: You don't remember that?
JOE: I think I buried it from my consciousness. When asked to name my best friend from that time, I couldn't think of anyone.
CALLIOPE: That's sad.
JOE: I agree. I can't change anything about it now, but maybe it will help me understand myself a little better. Talk with you tomorrow.

 

Conversations with Calliope- Back on Course

By Joseph Langen

[img_assist|nid=5091|title=Sunrise on the Allegheny River|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=0|height=50]

(Sunrise on the Allegheny River)

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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Feeling much better about myself and my life direction.
CALLIOPE: What brought about such a quick change from yesterday?
JOE; I wish I knew for sure. Maybe I was just in the doldrums for a while.
CALLIOPE: Any other possibilities?
JOE: Several. Admitting I was stranded probably helped. Several good things happened yesterday as well.
CALLIOPE: Such as?
JOE: I managed to fix my e-mail problem on my own and turned out not to have a virus on my computer after all. It gave me a sense of accomplishment.
CALLIOPE: Anything else?
JOE: I wrote my column for Saturday on Yvonne's life and was proud of what I produced. I also started working on my narrative time line as suggested by Julia Cameron. I feel this will give me a sense of context for continuing my writing at this stage in my life.
CALLIOPE: You sound grounded again.
JOE: Perhaps not an apt metaphor for a sailor. Back on course sounds better.
CALLIOPE: Point taken. I'm glad you are sailing again.
JOE: Me too. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Finding a Direction

By Joseph Langen

 

(Mayan Road- Cozumel)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. On Saturday you sounded stuck. Any progress?
JOE: I would say so. I found some time to reflect on where I am right now.
CALLIOPE: What did you discover?
JOE: I came to a standstill in my writing recently when I started reading Vein of Gold by Julia Cameron.
CALLIOPE: I thought that book was designed to stimulate your creativity.
JOE: It is. I started feeling more energized until I came to her recommendation of writing my history.
CALLIOPE: And that paralyzed you?
JOE: I'm not sure it is quite a matter of paralysis.
CALLIOPE: What is it then?
JOE: I have been mindlessly plodding ahead with little sense of direction, flitting from one project to another.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: I think I need a better sense of direction. As I thought about it over the weekend, writing my story might help me regain my momentum.
CALLIOPE: Is that you next project?
JOE: I don't see it so much a project as a refocusing. I will try and see where it leads me. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Waiting for Spring

By Joseph Langen

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Waiting for Spring.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it?
JOE: I feel as if my mind has been fallow lately, like a a field not yet plowed and planted for the new season.
CALLIOPE: How did you reach that conclusion?
JOE: It just occurred to me this morning while I was writing my journal.
CALLIOPE: What did you realize about yourself and your writing?
JOE: I don't feel creative ideas tugging at me anxious to be written.
CALLIOPE: What about the computer virus problem you wrote about yesterday?
JOE: I think it was just an excuse for not doing anything. I could have turned off my computer and written on paper.
CALLIOPE: No doubt. What do you think is paralyzing you?
JOE: I hadn't thought of it as paralysis but now that you mention it, I suppose that is what I am feeling. I think it might be a philosophical problem. My chosen goal is to help others understand themselves and take responsibility for their interactions with others. Lately it seems many people are giving up any concern about each other and just grabbing what they can with no concern for their own integrity or effect on anyone else.
CALLIOPE: Sounds depressing. Do you plan to just give up?
JOE: I'm not that desperate. But I do need to get refocused. I just need to figure out how. Talk with you on Monday.

 

Conversations with Calliope- Human and Computer Virus

By Joseph Langen

(Frozen Culvert)


JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I missed you yesterday.
JOE: I thought you might. I have been wrestling with viruses.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: A cold virus has been stalking me for the past month or so. It laid me flat for a while but lately I have been overcoming it.
CALLIOPE: Is that the end of the story?
JOE: I wish. Just as I was starting to get back on my feet, it seems a virus might be infecting my computer.
CALLIOPE: How can you tell?
JOE: I can't for sure. A few days ago I started having trouble with e-mail messages. I received them erratically but then got a message after they were received that my provider didn't recognize my password.
CALLIOPE: It doesn't sound earthshaking.
JOE: It isn't but it is annoying.
CALLIOPE: What do you plan to do about it?
JOE: I tried every antivirus program I could think of with no results. Finally I made plans to take it to a shop for a professional look.
CALLIOPE: How did that go?
JOE: It was canceled because my man came down with his own virus (human type.) I'm waiting for him to recover. In the mean time I'll try to get back to concentrating on my writing. Talk with you tomorrow.

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