When my tasks start piling up, I’m fortunate to have a few I can set aside while I prioritize the “must do’s”. My must-do’s lately have been family (and each of our individual and joint activities), work (including increasingly engaging projects), school (semester’s over in a month), relationships (thankful to my confidants while we patiently navigate our conflicting schedules), exercise (consistency is key), and rest (yes, I’m consistently doing both).
My “may-do’s” include gardening (Spring has sprung, and I’m fortunate my family’s meals don’t depend on an abundant crop while I delay seed starting another week), reading (Atul Gawande, Jeff Tweedy, and a lovely meditation on the seasons of life by Margaret Renkl are in a slow rotation when I squeeze it in), and, of course, writing.
I write regularly (and share inconsistently). On paper, my writing takes many forms: Unstructured, free-flow scribbles to unclog what’s stuck. Rhyming script with a cadence, turning feelings tangible on a page. Titled vignettes that summarize complex thoughts/ideas into concise, digestible nuggets.
My silly human attempts to describe the ineffable, plan the unforeseeable, forgive the indescribable.
Sometimes I finish a piece and feel relief, joy, or inspiration. An idea that unbundled itself, a goal that becomes clarified. YES! Others, I seem to write myself into a corner or pile of muck that’s messier than when I started. UGH (oh yeah, that’s the compost).
I don’t always say it exactly how I expected or planned, but often it’s warmer than before. Like “enough”, it’s not an exact science. But it’s usually clear when writing takes me in the right direction.
Warmer.
Writing is medicine.
I’ve been considering this a lot lately. I make time for what nourishes me, including this. I wrote a piece recently that felt just right.
And then I wrote another.
And another.
My rotation of notebooks all seem to be talking around the same ideas. I don’t have a goal in mind, or a “destination”. Sill, each is getting closer (warmer) to…
Center.
Sparks – lighting the way to – The Fire.
I hope today finds you warm, safe, loved, fed, and rested.
Love,
Jessie