Observation Time

Yesterday.
I sat in a pile of crunchy leaves,
if only for 10 minutes,
to relieve some stress and
sketch a bit.

Today.
I sat in the cafe' with pen in hand
to record that which occurs
whilst we are busy with our own
entrees.

I'd almost forgotten how
sometimes,
 poetry throws a rope around my neck,
relentless,
and won't allow me to do
live
act
breathe
until I encounter it.

Life in language,
life in my breath,
life in poetry.

So,
let it be.

authors and their personal lives.

Something that David and another memoirist named Augusten Borroughs both provoke in my mind is the idea of how writing memoirs affects the author's family. David wrote about this, describing how his family sort of walks on eggshells around him, avoiding any negative experiences that may be hyperbolized and later recorded in a memoir. Augusten has written many memoirs about particular family members and his childhood and the negative influences of both in his life.

I can only shiver to think of how my mom would react if I ever dared to publish some of the things she's said or done to me.

These men must be very brave; to blatantly write about such personal matters as their comings-of-age, their identity issues concerning their sexualities, and the people who rotate in their lives like the planets around the sun.

Maybe I'll be that brave one day.

Sorry, but that is all for today.

Much love to you all, dear, courageous ones.

favourite things...

A list.

writing like the British.

proper grammar.

laughing so hard i cry.

'hot' dates.

finding peace & contentment in what i read.

feeling infinite.

coffee & reading on a rainy day.

folding clothes.

pumpkin spice anything.

sweaters & skirts.

puffy dresses.

making people smile.

all food, but not mushrooms.

finding goodies in unexpected places.

small, extremely puffy animals.

& being reminded of the good in life when it gets you down.

make a list of your own; you'll be glad you did. :)

Honestly, after reading many of the stories we've read for class, I just feel so... down. I can appreciate them, but sometimes I need to be uplifted! Last week, I simply felt too weighed down by things in life to read about anyone else's problems and traumas, as terrible as that sounds, and this week, I felt glimpses of the same thing. 

Question: Does anyone who publishes creative non-fiction have any good life experiences?

I've never seen myself as a person who needs literature to be uplifting or have strong, positive moral content, but I suppose that this week, I've just needed to be reminded that life isn't completely meaningless (especially since I've started an Ecclesiastes Bible study with my boyfriend last week!). 

Maybe some of this stems from the fact that I used to be an existentialist, and I need some reminders that there is some good in life. Mayhap some of you could post a couple of your favorite things in the comment box? That would be lovely.

On another note, The Coffee House in Lincoln is a wonderful place to do some thought provoking. Especially with a latte' in hand. :)

Much love to you all.

mr. bun bun, chocolate chip cookie dough, and cinderella.

My thoughts have been occupied as of late by an idea that has formed after observing young men and women's coping maneuvers with grief:

do we cope in certain ways because that is how we coped as a young child?

For example: a lovely friend of mine watches Disney movies whenever grief or stress arises.

Note: this friend is a young man.

Another: a friend of mine spent the entire weekend holding her teddy bear close to her bosom, even when going out for a nightly meal of a Dairy Queen Blizzard in her pajamas and slippers.

And yet another: a young lady cries as much as she needs to, coddling herself with chocolates and nap time, never ceasing to curl up in a blanket and watch Cinderella rather than doing homework.

Note: the lattest is yours truly.

Still, writing is my primary coping mechanism, but only after much training to force myself to choose this method rather than something more scarring.

No pun intended.

I don't believe there's anything wrong with running to Target to buy a familiar ice cream flavor or curling up with a tearjerker that you already know all the sappiest lines to. Coping is necessary, more necessary than many would like to believe. 

As is rest. Some, including myself, may see rest as a weakness or a waste of time. But really, it's a necessity that later allows for the week to be conquered with more vigor, and, once in a while, more calories. :)

“Dottie, you need to learn to take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone else.”—ex-boyfriend number four

If I have learned anything this week, it's that we all need to rest, no matter what form that takes. However, I encourage the "Midnight Truffle" Blizzard and Disney's Beauty and the Beast, which comes out of the Disney vault tomorrow anyway.

And while you're at it, take a nap, goshdarnit.