REPETITIVE RHYTHMS: POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ASPECTS

 

A series of essays....

REPETITIVE RHYTHMS OF PATTERN: WOOD GRAIN, 
LEAF VEINS, AND FENCING SQUARES.

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

Repetitive rhythms can serve to soothe the weary soul, instill patterns in our mind that help us accomplish great things, and even bring us to the brink of poetic enlightenment! However, if handled incorrectly, they can implant, drop by drop, a sense of immorality and defiance, more formally known as re-education or brainwashing.

Children’s literature applies repetitive rhythm with the desire to encourage and shape a young mind into following the right path into the future. The Little Engine That Could, a book by Watty Piper, with its inspiring motto of “I think I can! I think I can!” has spoken to generations of girls and boys about the value of optimism and hard work. And, whether we want to admit it or not, when push comes to shove we can find ourselves repeating in our heads “I think I can! I think I can” as adults in order to push ourselves up and over a difficult situation. 

Repetitive rhythms stimulate our adult daily lives in many different ways. It may be the music we choose to listen to while crawling out of bed at a set time and stumbling our way into the kitchen to perform the morning ritual of making coffee, and each repetitive act can be as soothing and important to us within our daily routine. We create patterns for ourselves that ground us to the particular life we’ve chosen and keep us on track each day. Can comfortable rituals eventually  become boring? Perhaps, but we tend to offset them by sleeping in late on a Saturday morning or by taking a trip where breakfast is made and served to us by others—for a change. 

Being part of an established routine or being associated with performances instituted according to a rite or ritual have helped us form the pockets of social existence for centuries. As travelers, we’ve come to appreciate the variety of music, food and drink, literature and poetry, routines, and dress that varies from one culture to another. These patterns and rhythms might be exactly why we travel in the first place and why having others share their rituals with us is considered a true gift. 

The sound of drumbeats alongside the repetitiveness of soft leather-clad feet pounding the earth in tribal rhythms that coordinate with the syncopated beats of colorful beads adorning heads and necks and ankles, partially describes our first and foremost American culture. It has been waiting in the wings far too long; denied its original rights as the true indigenous people of North America who stand as proud today as they have for centuries. This society, comprised of art, customs, spirituality, family, and oral tradition, can openly influence this nation and provide a comforting buffer between old and new as time passes; its repetitive rhythms will help to soothe our soul and awaken the love that is sorely needed in today’s world.

Many of us find solace in the unique rhythm of the mighty sea with its breakers crashing onto the sandy shoreline and the violent, foaming seawater coating our feet white before attempting to slide back out into the murky depths beyond. The repetitive pulse of the water keeps time with our own body rhythms and draws us closer and closer to our primitive beginnings. 

Repetitive rhythms have played a pivotal part in our nation’s political overview for the past four years. The president’s verbal and written lies repeated over and over again served as his re-education program of those gullible enough to believe them. The direct summoning up and stroking the hatred of his fired-up believers led to that mob becoming domestic terrorists as they stormed the Capitol Building last week leading to ultimate death and destruction.

The repetition of lies played an important role in stoking the anger and fervor of people who want to believe in something so badly that nothing else said, or no other opinion noted, will change their way of thinking. Our current president is a master of manipulation. His forced indoctrination into a new set of attitudes and beliefs has been nothing short of brainwashing his followers. Repeating his lies of a “rigged election” and exploiting his cries of “fake news” over and over again has perpetuated a repetitive rhythm of persuasive conditioning that has enraptured the weak minded and made them believe in the absurdity of his narcissistic goals. His minions, Rudy Giuliani and others, helped to light the flame of the mob by “Calling for a trial by combat.” 

America and her principals have, literally, come under attack. Within the natural rhythm of right and wrong, good vs. evil—we have no option but to respond.

Part of the legacy of this president, one week after the storming of the Capitol by his militant thugs, will be his second impeachment and further proof that his childish repetition of simple vocabulary and violent, racist implications continue to sow the seeds of hatred throughout this country. May the repetitive rhythms of sound thinking, equality and justice for all ring out loud and clear. We must remember that fear is fleeting and truth will prevail.

Last week was not just a stain on our democracy; last week was a permanent and hideous tattoo on our democracy! White supremacy is our greatest threat and we must face it head on.

Continue to stay healthy and safe. Always take good care of those you love.

Copyright © 2021 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

IN APPRECIATION FOR THE RHYTHM OF LIFE

A series of essays.....

DANCE TO THE RHYTHM OF LIFE
NICE, FRANCE, 2016

.....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

Listen. Close your eyes and listen to the world around you. 

Are you sitting in a public park, walking around in the local mall, having a meal at your favorite restaurant, or reading the morning paper within the familiar confines of your own living room? Where you are truly does not matter! The important thing is that you are listening.

I have always found joy by listening to what is going on around me. And, when I am in my personal environment, I can be so attuned to my surroundings that an unfamiliar sound will catch my attention almost immediately. It's like an experienced mechanic who takes a customer's car for a test-drive and listens intently for inappropriate clanks, rumbles, and squeals over and above any particular complaints by the customer himself.

This morning I awoke to the slightly off-balanced clickety-clack of the ceiling fan above me; its rhythm and timing was exceptionally precise. My fingers tapped out its cadence on the folds of the crisp, white sheet.

Listen. Close your eyes and listen to the rhythm that surrounds you. What do you hear right at this very moment in time? 

The sounds around us create the patterns of regular or irregular pulses; familiar and unfamiliar within our daily routine. I've discussed before the battery powered clock that clicks its rhythmic pulses as I sit here and type each day. If it were to be taken away right now, would I be able to type at all? A familiar routine can empower us; can suck us into believing in its created normalcy, and we are programmed, after a period of time, to expect to function because of its existence. Quite often, we are not even aware of what's happening to us.

Ask a person how their day went after having to skip their daily routine at Starbucks for any reason. You may wonder if their day was compromised because of the timely loss of caffeine or the break in their morning routine. Given time, all of us become, in one form or another, creatures of habit and our 'life rhythm' holds strategic importance to our daily well-being.

PARTAKE IN THE MEAL
CALLED LIFE

When I was quite young, we would never miss the National Geographic Specials on TV, long before it had its own channel on cable television! Based upon the National Geographic Magazine, these Specials took me to places I could only dream about. But, most importantly, introduced to multiple generations, amazing lands, people, customs, and international flavors without us ever having to purchase a ticket to get there. 

I was hooked. My dear Mother knew it and, somehow, knew that subscribing to the magazine was the right thing to do. To this day, I know that the wonder of photography I discovered between those iconic yellow-outlined covers taught me to love the camera and all of its magical powers.

It was the rhythmic clicking sounds of the South African bushman tribes that lingered in my mind and made me want to so desperately visit the Continent of Africa....as I still do to this day! Like the guttural sounds of many French words that are produced in the throat and can sound harsh, the Khoisan African languages, I understood, shared click consonants and the people spoke with such a unique sound that it captured my youthful attention and curiosity.

Having read later as an adult something about the stylohyoid muscle and digastrique muscle contracting, causing the hyoid bone and the connected glottis to raise, and the forward articulation is held, raising air pressure greatly in the mouth so when the oral articulations separate, there is a dramatic burst of air and even the Adam's apple may be seen moving simultaneously. Whew!

All this didn't matter to me back then. I just wanted to listen to the clicks and clacks and watch the rhythmic flow of their colorful robes as they danced to the beat made by their staffs being pounded into the dusty, African soil. The clashing sounds of the beaded necklaces and bracelets they wore added to the glorious symphony of delights that thoroughly engulfed my senses. Such a beautiful experience this was and one I will never forget. Perhaps, one day, I will see it all up close and personal.

Last night, while sitting out on the lanai and thinking of our future move back to Michigan, I wondered about missing the familiar sound of planes coming in to land or take off from the Orlando International Airport. For twenty years their sounds have flooded my senses with various levels of rhythmic intensity. There is pure joy in watching a Virgin jumbo jet float among the clouds as it makes its approach into OIA! 

Dan and I are cultivating new rhythms associated with our lives these days in accordance with a  new lifestyle slated for less than a year from now. Until retirement is firmly set behind us, I approach our life in Michigan as seasonal rather than daily. That time will come soon enough.

SIT BACK AND JUST LISTEN

For now, it is the crisp, swirling leaves that dance dervish-like in our back yard on a windy autumn's day; the soothing crackle of a roaring fire contained within the stone fireplace one frosty winter's evening; the tingle of warmth you feel inside your heart when seeing good friends walking through a spring drizzle coming to say hello and welcome you back; and, the sounds of a summer's evening complete with the neighbor's melodic violin notes wafting like precious animated jewels out of his second story window.

I invite you to listen; check all of the senses while you observe the world around you. Delight in the beauty of the rolling hills of an Irish countryside bathed in its many shades of green. Speak to the locals of a small French village in their own language, whenever you can. Walk around the narrow streets of Paris in the evening and listen to the families having dinner; recognize their polite talk and the gentle clash of silver cutlery being rested on hand painted plates. Stroll through an open market and take in all of the aromas the local cuisine has to offer. And, feel the warmth of your lover's skin while you walk hand-in-hand along the beach as the water engulfs your feet and you sink deeper into the warm, wet sand with each step you take. 

Listen to nature's music playing all around you! Clap your hands and tap your feet as the rhythm sinks into your very core.

You get to decide which beats you wish to follow in your lifetime. But, with a stage as grand and glorious as the world we live in, it may be difficult to keep the field narrow. Wherever you go and whatever you do, always remember to take a moment to sit back, relax and appreciate the rhythm of the life going on around you.

Copyright © 2017 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved

Copyright © All Photos 2017 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved