A place where you can be human.
“Happiness is not a goal… it’s a byproduct of a life well lived.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
I like to be happy, and so that means I have to be intentional about the way I live my life. I like a peaceful in-between where I’m content and working toward something great. One of my favorite things is feeling rested without having to chase it.
What does a well-lived life mean to you?
“When the week begins, think of how you will end it. Start your week with joy.” ― Ernest Agyemang Yeboah
It’s a new week with new challenges ahead! What are you planning for this week? How do you want your weekend to end? I know the top three things I want to appreciate.
I hope you have a great week ahead.
“There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!” — Percy Bysshe Shelley
New England has had such a beautiful fall so far. I’ve been enjoying the weather, my walks, my drives, and especially my views. This is just the beginning of my three favorite seasons. I look forward to the growth and learning just around the corner for me and my family. I think this year is going to be fast-paced, especially once the momentum starts picking up speed. Anything could happen, but what I do know is my tribe is exactly the one I want walking with me through this life.
“A writer only begins a book. A reader finishes it.” ― Samuel Johnson
Experimental fiction, what is it? It is a way to defy traditional writing formats. It is fun. It does come with challenges. You have to understand traditional literature in order to intentionally defy the rules. I like that over lifespans we have created many different ways to tell a story. First, it was only oral telling. Eventually, we had symbols for numbers that slowly evolved into writing mostly on scrolls. Then the printing press, books and novels, photographs, phones, radios, video, and now the internet along with AI. There’s no doubt about it, our storytelling has evolved. All these different ways of storytelling have their own rules and expectations within their field. Experimental fiction writers are the brave creators who venture to break down walls. My intention with experimental fiction is to invite infinite possibility and a bit of rebellion into our lives. I’m a lover of rules, but at the same time, those rules can’t be so rigid that they take away from the human experience.
-Ladies this is for You-
“Every word a woman writes changes the story of the world, revises the official version.” – Carolyn See
This is inspiring to me today. The world goes round and round, but when a woman writes, the story changes. I value the voice of women. I think they have been unheard long enough. I think women should have more opportunities, time, and money to spend on themselves and with other women. I believe that if we invested in our women so that they can thrive, they would heal the world.
Ladies, have you given yourself time or money lately? I felt terrible learning to go on those artist dates. I even stopped for a while but now, Sunday is a hot date with myself that I’m committed to. Let it get easier to love you.
By Georgia Douglas Johnson
The phantom happiness I sought
O’er every crag and moor;
I paused at every postern gate,
And knocked at every door;
In vain I searched the land and sea,
E’en to the inmost core,
The curtains of eternal night
Descend—my search is o’er.
This poem hit home for me because I had a brief moment today where I felt anxiety about not being where I want to be. I had to reassess and get back into my present moment. Happiness is in the present. Plans are great, but they aren’t the deciding factor. for my happiness. I am the deciding factor. What do I have right now that I don’t need to search out? Talking myself through that and putting on some random tunes got me back on track.
How are your life plans?
“If a writer stops observing he is finished. Experience is communicated by small details intimately observed.” – Ernest Hemingway
There’s plenty of words to add intimate details, but it’s the feeling you want to convey. Tiny details are great. I appreciate well-timed details that pace the story, but at the same time, details can take away from the story too.
What do you think about detail?
This weekend was jam-packed with celebrating my husband’s birthday and our anniversary. Now I’m tired from trying to keep up. I’m excited that this is my last year in my thirties. I look forward to growing older and wiser. The way to a good life surely is good friends and family. I wouldn’t trade any of em for the world. They are so incredibly valuable to me.
“A word has power in and of itself. It comes from nothing into sound and meaning; it gives origin to all things.”
― N. Scott Momaday, The Way to Rainy Mountain
“The forces of my writing -the power of my words -could swallow me whole if I let them. But I’ve learned to taper them. Tape them to walls and use them to patch holes in my heart and my thighs and the small of my back -the place he never brushed to gently guide me -a girl unguided -picking up rocks to leave a trail for no one to nowhere -But up is somewhere -I can’t leave rocks -gravity -That’s why I leave words.” -Saschia
My inner work this week is to focus on letting go of old beliefs.
It feels like I’m walking in uncharted territory. It took me a couple of weeks to get into a new routine, but I think I’ve gotten a good idea of my energy levels along with the actions I’m ready to focus on. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from the administrative end of a nonprofit, it’s that things can come along slowly, especially with a smaller workforce. Since I’m on a new path in uncharted territory, that means old ways can be released and left back where they originated. I hope innovative ideas for sustainability come my way.
How are you with letting go of old beliefs?
Jayne.press