Here are 10 (ish) things that have caught my attention recently and a bit of what I’ve been up to! Lots of sunshine, reading, and more.
Don’t be shy- feel free to chime in below with things you’ve been up to and appreciating these days as well!
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1. The sun is out a lot these days and it seems like every day is a good day for a walk! Even when it’s overcast (or even raining!) it just feels fresh and lovely. I just read some of On Looking: Eleven Walks Through Expert Eyes by Alexandra Horowitz and it’s been a good inspiration for me to be curious and paying attention to the world around me.
2. We’re not just walking these days, we’re also gearing up for the start of frisbee season! Ultimate frisbee is an awesome sport for everyone (I’m biased but that doesn’t make me wrong 😉 ) and there is a really great universal focus on encouragement and good-spirited game which is refreshing.
3. If rules aren’t your thing, we’ve been playing lots of calvinball types of sports these days as well where the rules are every changing! I figure any fresh air and games are probably good for us. Also, reading Calvin and Hobbes is never a bad decision. 🙂
4. With all the sunshine these days I’ve been reminded of the importance of staying hydrated! Drink some water today, friends! Also: Self-care in all its forms is important. Take care of yourself <3
5. I’ve needed the reminders of self-care because the world has seemed like a particularly hard, scary, and sad place these days. I have recently been meditating on a quote I stumbled across:
Gentleness is an act of political resistance.
Mia Tabib
This is part of a larger essay examining what to do with our rage and pain and how gentleness can be both fierce and soft.
6. More reading: I just finished reading Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall which was a lighthearted, gay, rom-com that literally made me laugh out loud multiple times. This was the happy read I didn’t know I needed and it was perfect.
7. Apparently all I’ve been doing lately is reading? (Not a bad thing!) For non-fiction I’ve been slowly making my way through The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual To Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron. There is a LOT of good stuff in here (hence the slow moving). A few favorite snippets have been:
“Art is an act of faith and we practice practicing it.”
“It is not too late or egotistical or too selfish or too silly to work on your creativity.”
“Writing is more like eavesdropping and less like inventing a nuclear bomb.”
And these quotes are all just from the introduction! I have a growing list of gems as I continue through so you may get to hear more before long 🙂
8. A big part of The Artist’s Way is the concept of “morning pages” where you write three longhand pages of absolutely anything at all you want (seriously, anything) before doing anything else. This practice may seem weird but for some people it is hugely, almost magically helpful.
So! Your writing prompt (should you dare to accept it) is to try your very own pages! Grab a notebook, go for it, and just write!
9. Life prompt from The Artist’s Way: What would you do if you weren’t afraid to fail or look silly?
10. Wellness prompt: What is one small thing that makes you happy? Now go do it.
As always, feel free to chime in below and let me know what some of your favorite things have been lately! Take care!
