What’s nourishing you these days? And what’s nourishing your writing?
We were speaking about this in our mastermind writing group the other day. A couple of writers shared that the go-to activities that used to nourish/support them during normal times haven’t been as helpful during the pandemic.
Can you relate?
Time alone, at home, used to be one of the ways my introverted self would recharge. But with four of us at home (and two kids schooling online), there’s not a lot of quiet around here.
So I’ve gone outside as much as I’m able. Thank goodness I live in Colorado, where it’s sunny more often than not. Time in nature has been saving me.
I’ve also let go of a lot of nonessential obligations. In the past six months, I’ve stepped out of three professional groups. They’re lovely groups, and one of them was particularly hard to leave, but by late spring it was becoming increasingly clear to me that I couldn’t uphold all my obligations, stay sane and healthy and be present for family, much less myself.
Can you relate?
2020 keeps reminding me to let go, slow down and recharge. That’s what I’m focusing on this holiday season. The past year has been a busy one for me, and I’m taking a bit of extra time to integrate some of the lessons I’m being taught before we jump into the New Year.
I’m also giving myself time and space for more reading. I ordered Alicia Elliott’s A Mind Spread Out Over the Ground this week and can’t wait for it to arrive.
Later this afternoon, I’m on way to the library to pick up a big batch of memoirs on hold so I can poke around and see which ones call to me. (My equivalent to hanging out and perusing a bunch of books at the bookstore during the pandemic.)
Once I know which books call to me, I’ll order my own copy so that I can read it, love it and mark it up.
If you’re ordering books this holiday season, please consider ordering them from Bookshop.org, which supports independent booksellers, or through a Black-owned bookstore you can shop online.
Other books on my to-read list are memoirs by Joy Harjo and Jesmyn Ward. I’m deeply drawn to books about breaking the legacy of trauma these days, so that’s what’s calling to me personally.
What about you? What are you reading?
What’s nourishing you, and what’s nourishing your writing?
Wishing you and your loved ones a kind and gentle holiday season!
Warmly,
Tanja
P.S.: If you find yourself feeling more grief this year than in previous years, please know that you’re not alone. One of the things I learned in my grief journey is that grief brings up old grief, and 2020 has been a doozy. So be gentle with yourself. And if you’d like to pick up a copy of The Secret Life of Grief, you can do so here.
P.P.S.: If you’re interested in joining us for the January cohort of Memoir Mastery, we still have a few spaces left. You can find out more here.
