A place where you can be human.
đđ˝Small Talk: Today’s the big game! Are you going to watch.
âđ˝Gentle thought: You can decide to take charge of your life at any moment.
đ In case you missed yesterdayâs post, hereâs a quote I shared.
âShe paused again for an instant; she was looking at Winterbourne with all her prettiness in her lively eyes and in her light, slightly monotonous smile.â Daisy Miller, Henry James
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âShe paused again for an instant; she was looking at Winterbourne with all her prettiness in her lively eyes and in her light, slightly monotonous smile.” Daisy Miller, Henry James
This past week made me realize I need to shift the way I’m showing up in my life.
I absolutely love Daisy Miller by Henry James. She’s this woman who’s just wild about life. She doesn’t bite her tongue and shows up when others might find that to be inappropriate. In The Portrait of a Lady he creates a similar character. I used to be a bit frustrated that he chose these bourgeois women, but I just loved his characters. They left a mark.
Here’s the truth: I loved those women for the freedom they have, their spirited personalities that light up the room. They are flirty and challenging and fit in only just enough to stand out from the crowd.
I’m going to challenge myself to step out a little more.
I love my home, especially my little writing corner in my bedroom, but I need to find more ways to live a little.
Life is asking me to rise to the occasion, and I think I’m going to do just that.
If you decided to rise to the occasion, what would you do?
“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone; it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new.” -Ursula K. Le Guin
Valentine’s season has always been my favorite. I like hearts and pink and red and sweet treats. I love love notes and romance and candlelit dinners. It’s not just one day for me; it’s a whole season. I don’t have many plans this year. I mostly just want to finish my last semester of college. But I don’t have to let Valentine’s go by the wayside. I found my ways to enjoy the season. First, Luther Vandross has been playing all week! Second, I have been appreciating quotes on love. I have to think up some other free ways to enjoy the Season of Love.
How do you feel about Valentine’s Day?
đđ˝Small Talk: Did you have any dreams last night?
âđ˝Gentle thought: It’s good to practice slowing things down. Saying things like, “How can we look at this from a new angle?” or “Let’s think about this,” makes room for intentionality rather than reactivity.
đ In case you missed yesterdayâs post, hereâs a quote I shared.
âI donât remember my dreams too much. I hardly have ever gotten ideas from nighttime dreams. But I love daydreaming and dream logic and the way dreams go.â -David Lynch
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“I don’t remember my dreams too much. I hardly have ever gotten ideas from nighttime dreams. But I love daydreaming and dream logic and the way dreams go.” -David Lynch
I love dreams. Actually, my love for dreams is, if I remember correctly, what got me into Carl Jung in the first place. He grew on me. At first, I didn’t like him much at all. Now I admire the work of his that he shared with the world. The difference between Lynch and me is that I do use my nighttime dreams as inspiration at the least. I love weirdness. I love writing my dreams into something. I don’t remember most of them, but I have a dream tracker and I do my best to record what I can remember of my dreams.
Do you keep track of your dreams?
âIt is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.â
â Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness
I hope this summer comes with a lot more fun. I have had my head down just trying to finish school, and it takes a lot of my time and energy, never mind funds. I’m fine, everything’s fine. EVERYTHING is FINE.
With that being said, I have been 110% better at appreciating the little things when I’m feeling super stressed. That’s what I’ve learned from these past two semesters.
What things do you do to manage your stress?
“Story matters. Writing is important. Stories make the world go around. Many things begin as words on a page. It matters to the world. And it matters to you. Don’t let anyone rob you of that. Don’t rob yourself of it, either. Don’t diminish. Don’t dismiss. Embrace. Create. Accelerate.” -Chuck Wendig
I finished Writer’s Quest and the ebook version is ready for purchase.
I am officially a novelist.
Some books teach you how to write.
This one asks why you ever began.
Writerâs Quest is a literary exploration of the inner life of the writerâthe doubts, the devotion, the quiet moments where identity and creation blur. Moving through reflection, story, and psychological inquiry, the book traces writing not as a skill to be mastered, but as a calling to be answered.
Unfolding in three distinct movements, the book mirrors the creative journey itselfâeach section opening a deeper threshold of inquiry.
This is not a manual.
It is not a formula.
It is a journey inwardâfor those who sense that writing is less about producing work and more about becoming someone who can carry it.
Written for writers, artists, and seekers of all kinds, Writerâs Quest speaks to anyone standing at a creative threshold, wondering what must be surrenderedâand what must be claimedâto continue.
If you have ever felt that the work was shaping you as much as you were shaping it, this book is for you.
“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” -Leo Tolstoy
There’s two things I learned from writing this novel: patience and keeping my work in a sacred space while it’s still in development. The patience was hard for me because I often think that it consumed a lot of my time. Truth be told, if I hadn’t started a nonprofit and also worked with veterans during that process, I think I would have felt more upset about the time it took.
But I have to say there were so many little things I had to learn. It makes me laugh to think of all the tidbits of wisdom I gained.
đđ˝Small Talk: It’s Monday! How do you feel about Mondays?
âđ˝Gentle thought: Rest creates more productive workers. So does self care. Have you been taking care of yourself?
đ In case you missed yesterdayâs post, hereâs a quote I shared.
âThe most important thing is not to let yourself get impatient. You have to figure itâs going to be a long process and that youâll work on things slowly, one at a time.â â Haruki Murakami (Norwegian Wood)
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âThe most important thing is not to let yourself get impatient. You have to figure itâs going to be a long process and that youâll work on things slowly, one at a time.â â Haruki Murakami (Norwegian Wood)
One thing at a time.
The world really tries to make you into a machine. Pump out work. Lose weight fast. Change bad habits in just 30 days.
Why can’t we take our time?
Why can’t we sit in the process and feel our way through? It’s one thing to put it off because you’re scared. It’s another thing to take time learning the environment. Learning what feels right and taking time to speak up when things feel wrong.
Give yourself permission to stop and smell the roses. Give yourself permission to take it slow. Florence Given just shared a podcast the other day titled The Art of Lingering. At one point, she says just practice taking a seat on a park bench somewhere and just sitting. That’s what I want in my life. I want to linger around in my work and my parenting. I want to watch bees build nests and listen to the water rush by.
I’m beginning to think I was created for the writer’s life.
Jayne.press