Poem Share

I stumbled upon this poem that warmed my heart and awoke my inner child. I had to share it.

The Land of Nod

From breakfast on through all the day
At home among my friends I stay,
But every night I go abroad
Afar into the land of Nod.

All by myself I have to go,
With none to tell me what to do —
All alone beside the streams
And up the mountain-sides of dreams.

The strangest things are there for me,
Both things to eat and things to see,
And many frightening sights abroad
Till morning in the land of Nod.

Try as I like to find the way,
I never can get back by day,
Nor can remember plain and clear
The curious music that I hear.

Today I did my usual rest and cleaned than went on my merry way to finally have a creative date. My goal for the creative date was to find a planner and start filling it up. I went to BAM because they have both planners and books galore. Plus something warm to drink which always brings me joy. Unfortunately, I only found planners two with the formats I liked and didn’t want to spend my money on anything else. (To be honest though there was a Dr. Strange mug calling my name.) I was kinda bummed out but then I found some African mythology books I had been wanting to look into and sat down to read them. It was a good choice. It made my visit worth it and gave me a reason to return there in the future.

Overall, I’d say it was a successful creative date.

We make choices but are constantly foiled by happenstance.
Penelope Lively

A World In Us

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.
Anais Nin

I got foodies with my friends and family and it was a blast. It was nice to talk about life and then feel every blanket and sniff every candle in Home Sense. While walking around and talking sh*t on the stinky candles, I kept thinking to myself how I wanted to do this more. I’m grateful for the friends I’ve had the pleasure of growing up with.

The Seeds

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.
Robert Louis Stevenson

This was a good reminder for me today. Before I had my little one, I’d garden every spring. I love watching the sprouts grow into full size blooms. I don’t garden so much anymore and next time I do, it will be some perennials and some nice foliage. I hope I plant the correct seeds the spring and will get to appreciate the low maintenance hardy garden I’ve visualized over the past two years..

Words of Affirmation

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose.
Dr. Seuss

Don’t forget how capable you are to unstick yourself! We don’t stay stuck. We know our value. We know what we bring to the table and we know we can walk away when we don’t like what’s being served because it’s not in line with our values. We speak our truth. We take care of ourselves even when it’s hard and uncomfortable. Because we’re valuable. Because we’re loved. Because we’re human.

There’s more in you than you’re giving yourself credit for.

Earthly State

Sickness is a sort of early old age; it teaches us a diffidence in our earthly state.
Alexander Pope

We aren’t invincible on this earth and the Good Lord has many reminders for us. Death, illness, the need to maintain ourselves regularly in order to function. We are human. We do need a reminder once in a while that we have limitations. At the same time, we need daily reminders about how far we’ve come and that our present moment is valuable. I love my life, I want to keep breathing, and I appreciate the amazing things (even with its limitations), that our bodies can do.

I find that leaning and swaying helps to keep us up right.

Novel Writing Life

Learning to enjoy the complete project, beginning middle and end, is what makes a creative’s life more bearable.
Saschia Johnson

Starting projects is fun and exciting. I love having projects outside of writing because for me, they get finished much quicker than writing books. Some people pump out books and they are great! Maybe someday I’ll be the type of writer that pumps out books too. But what I’m trying to appreciate is the relationship I have with novel writing. I want my novel writing to impact my life in a positive way. I’d like it to sneak into all the nooks and crannies hidden throughout my day.

There’s something about writing a full length novel that allows me to appreciate not only the nooks and crannies but also the lessons that life places before me. This is what helps me enjoy my time novel writing.

Reality to be Experienced

Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.
Soren Kierkegaard

Some nights I have to go searching for the quote that fits just how I’m feeling and other days it’s only a few in. This one hit home though. Instead of trying to solve the problem, experience the details. ::insert explosion noises here::

It’s such a strange thing learning new cultures. You don’t really think about all the mini cultures all around you. Culture is different depending on what stores, friend groups, fan clubs, workshops, churches or whatever else you join into, And then on top of that it gets even smaller as you get to know each group. Stepping into a new culture isn’t about solving problems. It’s about learning to bring your whole self while accepting the selves of those around you.

Needed this!!

One Small Positive Thought

Just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day.
Dalai Lama

There was a time when I didn’t think much about how I started my day. I think how you finish your day is equally or even more important than how you start your day. I haven’t been focused on my nightly thoughts lately. And I’m just remembering that right now. Affirmations are great to start your day but what helps you start the day remembering your affirmations is saying them before bed!!

Oh my goodness. I can’t believe I forgot about that.

I’m Proud of Me -Yay!

A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.
Jane Austen

When I think about how far I’ve come, I get so proud of myself. It feels weird at first to be so proud of myself that I’m close to tears. But I’ve learned to let myself have these moments. In the past, I’d quickly take away the pride that came from my own growth and accomplishments. I’d tell myself that none of it was me and that I should be humble. I think there’s many reasons I took those moments away from myself but what’s interesting is that I never had to take those moments away from myself to learn that it was ok. We don’t have to suffer to be proud. You can be proud of yourself right now. But if you’re anything like me. then you’ll need a little more explanation.

What did it take for me to learn to be proud of myself?

Validating all of my feelings. You can’t be proud of tasks you’ve overcome if you don’t allow yourself to label them as tasks. If you gaslight yourself in times of struggle, you won’t allow yourself to see how powerful and resilient you really are. That leads to my next lesson, forgiving myself.

Stop shaming myself. When I wasn’t trained to validate my own feelings, I didn’t know how to find pride in my accomplishments. Now that I know the things I went through were hard for me and that it’s ok that they were hard for me, annnd that all my feelings were valid and welcome, I can look back and appreciate myself, rather than shame myself for not knowing better. My focus naturally shifts away from shame and more toward acceptance once I allow myself to validate my feelings in those past experiences.

Forgiving those around me for shaming me. Some people shamed me indirectly or unknowingly. Some directly. Either way, I know now that their shame is directly connected to their own limitations of self acceptance and have nothing to do with who I am or what I bring. I’m worthy regardless if someone sees my worth or not.

And so there you have it. The steps it took for me to have a healthy sense of pride in my accomplishments.

Jayne.press