The Sealey Challenge, Day 8: Owls and Other Fantasies by Mary Oliver

In some ways, Elizabeth Herron is a good warm-up act for Mary Oliver. 

But today, I felt the need to sink myself into a bigger book of wisdom from someone who was practical enough to fix her own roof but dreamy enough to walk out into nature every day, to spend enough time there, she could just about understand what the animals were saying to one another. 

I saw Oliver read many years ago. Such a small, unassuming woman. Direct, and fierce, funny, humble, and so very wise. For the last couple of years, I've been pining for an elder I could learn from - not exactly a mother figure, but someone who has been around longer than I have and to whom I could turn for direction and advice. Why did I forget that Mary Oliver, still so alive in her writing, is available for just that sort of guidance? 

I recently listened to Ursula LeGuin's The Lathe of Heaven and it affected me deeply. I'd seen LeGuin read in person, as well, in a tiny bookstore, many years ago. Perhaps because the two women had a similar physicality and flame-like intelligence, I conflate them in my thoughts. Which is not so terrible, as I believe they are equally excellent guides for this stage of my life. So thank you, ladies.