Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek a big favorite



Posted: Sunday, October 09, 2011

by askahealer
Detoxing Your Body Safely

The Big Surprise of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek!

When I read this book, it felt as if someone had been inside my head, looking at life out of my eyes.  There were so many passages that spoke in the language of my mind; others that spoke in the language of my Spirit.

I saw that cabin, tasted the oatmeal that she had for breakfast before heading out to explore the creek.  I saw that silly loon that let her sneak right up on it without moving and the muskrat floating down the waterway.

I looked with horror at the truth the microscope told, that the earth is teeming with life forms that really seem to exist only to feed on other life forms.

And, like Annie in the book, I once saw "the tree with the lights in it".  I once rounded a corner just in time to see that moment when the sun flows thru the leaves in such a way that the tree becomes, indeed, "transfigured, each cell buzzing with flame" ... and yes, it is "less like seeing than being, for the first time seen".

So ... imagine my surprise when I wrote to Annie Dillard for permission to do an adaptation of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek for the stage, and she wrote back that "of course, there was no cabin."

What?

Now, that's an amazing writer!

One of my favorite Annie Dillard quotes:

“I had been my whole life a bell, and never knew it until at that moment I was lifted and struck.”

I remember reading that from a spiritual perspective, and it echoed those times I have stood speechless on the few occasions when the hand of God was so palpable in my life that there was no question.

Then, I recall when I quoted that to a woman who had been jaded by life to a great degree and she laughed out loud, taking it to mean that you feel you are a bell til someone beats it out of you.

Wow, amazing piece of literature.  Thank you Annie Dillard, even though I never got to do that stage adaptation.  By the way, the modern dance aspect was NOT my idea.  I'm an actor, not a dancer and would have done it as an intimate conversation with the audience.
Since 1991, this author has worked as a wellness counselor. She maintains several health and wellness portals online, including an holistic wellness library. Writing is in her blood. She wrote a spiritual prophecy book, authored two inspirational card sets and, on the lighter side, has written screenplays and theatrical plays for fun. Neva also maintains a health and wellness blog

My Favorite Book... First Entry
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» left by Jack H. Schick 205 days 3 hours ago.
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Thanks for sharing
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