Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)
I received a book shaped package late in this weekend past. I was not expecting any packages, as Phyllis is the roger in the family and the mail is always for her. I don’t say that to complain or invoke a seasonally charged ‘awww’ from my Readers. I mention it to set the scene. (You know that the world, for us clarks, always has the potential to be… different? No! screw that! for a clark, everything is different and odd and unique and other-wordly, at least they are when we take the time to pay attention to the world around us.) In any event, Phyllis says, ‘there was a small package in the mail for you’, and I’m like all, ‘oh…ok…’ so she puts it on a chair in the living room and walks away saying, ‘the return address is…’
(…hey you rogers! you scotts!! yeah! you! want to know what a clark’s world is like?) …jumping off the couch, our dog Una walks over and starts to sniff at the package and picks it up by the corner and the final tumbler in my brain clicks into place. zoe! Naturally I laugh. Una has decided that the package is for her. She starts to run around the dining room table with it in her mouth and settles down back by the couch and begins to open the package. (Those of us with canine family members know that dogs can be quite adept at opening packages without damaging the contents. However, I decided it might be best to do it myself.)
I did. It was a book. It was a real book, as those of us who love books would immediately recognize. Hand-bound of paper made deliberately by one person for another. for those of us who have always loved books there is something so… real about the ‘fact’ of this book. Intended for use as a journal, I suspect that it will remain ‘a hand-bound book, made with paper that was hand-made with care and deliberation by another’ the only one like it that I have ever owned in a lifetime of enjoying books. Not that it cannot be written in, but I suspect that I will simply keeping it as a connection to another person… to other people who I don’t know but are as much part of this possession as the ‘CF’ that is stamped in round metal pieces on the front cover until the time for writing in it comes as I know it will.
Readers of the Doctrine know that I am a total fan of the early work of Castaneda, zoe’s gift is, for me very much a manifestation of ‘the path with heart’.
zoe writes a blog ‘rewritten‘ you should go there and read the Posts there in all their rather free ranging variety ! lol
I am glad that I know zoe.
About clarkscottroger
Love it! I also hope you have a wonderful start to your week. :) Gifts from friends, for clarks, are so fun. :)
That’s EXACTLY the way it is around here. Both John and I, being clarks, packages are unusual around here. Haha.
And those rogers…they continue to simultaneously ruffle my feathers while attempting to play nice. LOL
Cyndi
yeah totally agree… I think one of the reasons that clarks are such good gift givers is that they can be in the mind of another (as opposed to deciding ‘well, this is a gift that everyone would agree is the perfect gift’ as a roger might)
…they didn’t make up the expression ‘what a thoughtful gift’ for scotts and rogers! lol
aw www, I just decided to stop in because I’m not lurking as much this morning As I am trying to get back to work today. And I’m glad I did stop in I mean. I’m so glad you like the book and I hope you find some reason to fill it someday. now that I’m coming to the end of this paper stock it just seems like you might be a logical recipient of such a gift…it could have used a little longer in the block. It looks like it may have settled a little funny in the mail along the front binding. Looks like it got a little gluey in there. But that’s the charm of handmade I guess
so I guess I just wanted to thank you for your continued friendship, and the ability to make me think at a time in my life which doesnt invite one to thinking as much….and to know that I really respect what you’re doing with the doctrine and I think it has a real place. and further I think you have an amazing capacity to be open minded to the new guard. Which is not easy for someone who has been hooked up with this thing for long as you have. Who thought you could be such a stellar example huh clark?
lastly way to go Una! apparently doggie smell transports well through the US mail system. Skippy heisted my bag before I left for the post office and I actually had to go back home when I realized I didn’t have the package with me. It was in his dog bed with my mittens and a couple other things… 4 warn you but I’m not going to proof read this because I need to get moving so let me just say Happy Holidays thank you so much for your kindness and friendship and I’m sure I will talk to you soon. Zoe and skip
How awesome! I love paper and books myself (e-readers don’t have a chance with me!!), and sometimes I buy a beautiful journal, just because it looks so nice, even though I know I’ll never write in it :-)
Stephanie
Yeah, totally agree, even though I have a kindle, I really love the journal but I’m totally intimidated by my hand-writing (or lack thereof), but the spirit (of this gift) I just sit and smile at it on my desk. (I think I will make the first ‘gesture’ and write the date on the first page.
…everything will follow from that.
you could always do what I do. I mess up the page I keep going until I get to the next one.I just re read my previous comment and it was pretty good for typos except for its supposed to say that Skippy hiested my bag….
zoe
it’s that frickin spel ‘no-don’t-worry-we-know-what-word-goes-best-here’ check As I mentioned before, I have not ever owned an actual handmade book…but there will come a time, once I get the date in…when I will start changing the book into a journal. how long should I keep a weight on it?
3-5 more days….I didn’t think it would shift as much as it looks like it did…that streak on the front is buggin me…perfectionism….
zoe
will do… not seeing a streak, will take your word for it, I really like your gift. It is mine now to carry on.
Very, very cool, making a book. A lovely gift to give Zoe, especially to a clark!
Funny that, I’ve received journals as gifts over the years but also could not bring myself to write upon their pages.
I’m thinking it was fear of “messing it up” – writing something stupid, writing in ink and making a mistake. That sort of thing..
There is a romance about the blank page, a journal waiting for words. Guess I never felt worthy to mar the paper of an official “journal”:)
now that you mentioned it …I’ve always written in pencil. especially a natural paper because it’s imperfect anyway so erasures don’t really show up the same way…it just looks more like the fiber of the paper….yeah I guess I too am more cautious with them than I think.
D’awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwh