renew

Today, I woke up and I wanted to write, do you know the urge to put down words on paper?

My thoughts were: could I start over again and remove all the weight of the past from my shoulders and walk through the sun? I didn’t want to sit and write in my journal as if it was a secret, but I wanted to write for the world, to let my feelings fly away.

RENEW who we are! Is it possible without erasing the past?

The past, mainly the mistakes, always knocks on the door of the present. I can feel a lightness after a yoga session, a few minutes of meditation, or a lovely vacation. I say: I’m ready for changes, to start over. But without any notice, those thoughts came back and put me down, like nothing has changed, I am the same as always.

Before you start to imagine which mistakes I’ve made, I let you know that I didn’t commit any crime against humanity. I’m talking about choices I made, words I said, or didn’t say, lack of self-respect and self-love, acts and actions that impacted mostly myself.

RENEW for RXC – Any word starting with RE.

2022 journals

It’s unbelievable, but we are almost at the end of 2022! Today the clocks went back one-hour giving goodbye to daylight saving time. As a tradition I put my twinkle lights up. I love to have them on when I’m back in the evening, now it will be dark and they are one warm welcome.

My 2022 journals are also getting chubby, a sign that the year is ending. This year I’m using 3 journals: One for morning pages (the orange), the small one on the top right is a kind of gratitude and quotes journal, and the one on the bottom is a travel journal.

I just got new inserts for my gratitude journal, hope they last until the end of the year! But it’s ok if not, this means that I’m having more things to be grateful for. 🙂

I love to start the new year with a new journal for the morning pages, I’ll start to look for it, basically the colour, I don’t like to change the brands I’m used to. It will be a Moleskine or a Leuchtturm, both have excellent paper quality and it’s nice to write on their pages.

And you, and plans for a new journal?

Hope you have a great week ahead!

07/30 – it’s the little things

Journaling practice has been one of my favourite activities, a ‘me time’ which always brings me comfort. I’ve done it for many years, on and off, but more constant during the last 10 years. I call it “morning pages” referring to Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way when I write early mornings.

Morning Pages are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing,
done first thing in the morning. *There is no wrong way to do Morning Pages*–
they are not high art. They are not even “writing.” They are about
anything and everything that crosses your mind– and they are for your eyes
only. Morning Pages provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and
synchronize the day at hand. Do not over-think Morning Pages: just put
three pages of anything on the page…and then do three more pages tomorrow.
Julia Cameron

I also love to add images to my journal pages, or simply a layer of washi tape. It will depend if I find an image that goes well with my feelings at that moment.

Little things such as a notebook and a pen provide me with so much joy.

I’d love to know if you also write down your thoughts.

Hump day

Yes, above is the photo of Sunday breakfast, today it is only yogurt and cereal, not worth a photo. Hump day means the middle of a workweek, 2 days gone and 2 more to go, in my case 3 to go, today, Wednesday, is one of the longest workdays for me. I’m starting now at 9 and I go until around 7 pm. And I made the mistake to open my email earlier, and I already saw many extra tasks to crunch into my day.

I’ll try to make today a great day, hope you do the same.

Water

Many years ago from the window of an airplane I saw a river with crystal blue water and I thought: This place will be my home.

For whatever we lose (like a you or a me),
It’s always our self we find in the sea.
e.e. cummings

Now, as I write this post in my living room, I can listen to the waves and hear the engine of a ship passing by. My home is a few steps from this magnificent river. Every morning I walk/run by its side, feeling its power and energy, flowing with it.

We had rain and thunders during the night. The water was showing all its power. It was washing and cleaning, it filled up the rivers and lakes. Earth’s fragrance is freshness.

A river seems a magic thing. A magic, moving, living part of the very earth itself.
Laura Gilpin

Water is magical in all its forms. From Inside a cup ready to hydrate us to the large oceans harbouring fish and others sea creatures. From the tap in our homes to wash our hands to the salt water washing the shore of islands.

Be like water,
Flow like a river,
Crash like the rain,
Fly like the cloud again!
Md. Ziaul Haque

Sharing with WQWWC. The theme this week is Lakes, Oceans, Water

Tanka Tuesday and WQWWC :: Expedition and Exciting

diving into minds
excitation of senses
feelings pouring out
the ink bleeding on each page
laying down and flying out

Expedition and Exciting. Always exciting to be part of an expedition. Here, I’m writing about the excitement of going on a solo expedition into the mind. The journey into our own mind or into the mind of others. It’s exciting to let the mind guide our hands and to write our deep thoughts, an expedition to discover the mysteries in the biggest universe inside us. Another form of the expedition is the one into the books. Poetry books in special, where the writer has poured out his/her feelings into a blank page. Some writers have the power to transport us to inside their minds. We can feel their happiness, sadness, insecurity, anger … as if they are our own feelings. Without a doubt, opening a new book and diving into it is a powerful and exciting expedition.

Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light.
Vera Nazarian

An exciting and inspiring future awaits you beyond the noise in your mind, beyond the guilt, doubt, fear, shame, insecurity and heaviness of the past you carry around.
Debbie Ford

WQWWC :: Relax

Relax. Pockets of ‘me time’ during the day, sometimes not easy to find room for self-care in the middle of the daily business, but it’s a must to be able to do so. Early ‘me time’ sometimes starts with morning pages and a cup of coffee, other times it starts with a run by the river.

Either way, these are moments for relaxing and organizing my thoughts before getting ready for the day. As an introvert, it isn’t easy to be in contact with people and socializing at the work place. I need down time, to think and recharge.

Your calm mind is the ultimate weapon against your challenges.
Bryant McGill

My garden is my private paradise. Taking care and admiring the flowers and the vegetables or just sitting down and looking at the sky and feeling the breeze washing over my face and my hair. When at home I make sure I have a garden walk at least 3 times per day, generally after each meal.

Nothing more relaxing than spending a hot summer afternoon with a book and a refreshing drink.

Ah! There is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort.
Jane Austen

Sharing with WQWWC, this week’s theme is Relax. And you? What you do to relax during the summer?

Tree square :: Beautiful surprise

Do you know that feeling when you see an unexpected beauty on your way?

Yes, yesterday I had that feeling. This beautiful pear tree was on my way when I stopped by the grocery store. I’ve been many times to that store, but I’ve never seen this tree. Why? Because when I go, I always park closest possible to the entrance, and of course, no trees around.

Yesterday I was driving my hubby’s car, he is very careful with his car, and I didn’t want people scratching it with the shopping carts, so I looked for a distant spot for parking, and voila! This tree caught my attention.

Sometimes changing the routine can bring us beautiful surprises.

Sharing with Becca’s Tree Square.

Tanka Tuesday and WQWWC :: Exploration

pause
aching
confusion
disappointment
her thoughts are sowing
her mind's a grassy field
in the middle of the night
no room for flowers or beauty
the darkness is exploding inwards
the distress crawling its way on her limbs
the silence is speaking loud, suffocating
in the ecstasy of despair, overwhelming
an aching intuition exalting to be heard
floating near spikes
terms of bondage
sound of guilty
anxiety
exploring mess
wisdom is lost

Tanka Tuesday this week is synonyms only and the words are Green and Morass, I’ve chosen grassy and confusion as the synonyms words.

WQWWC theme is Exploration – There are so many stuff to be explored around us, but I decided to go inwards, the exploration of feelings, the mind and body getting together in an explosion of uncertainties in the middle of the night.

This poetry form is a new form to me, again exploration shows off here, it’s called Tree of life, a syllabic form containing 19 lines, unrhymed, following the syllabic order: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4.

I haven’t added any image to this poem. I wish for the reader to feel the emotion of this poem without any distraction from an image. And the poem has the shape of a tree, so it’s an image by itself.

WE SHALL NOT CEASE FROM EXPLORATION, AND THE END OF ALL OUR EXPLORING WILL BE TO ARRIVE WHERE WE STARTED AND KNOW THE PLACE FOR THE FIRST TIME.
T. S. ELIOT

Hope you enjoyed it! I have written another Tree of life poem here, this time about a willow tree, I’m really enjoying this syllabic form.

WQWWC :: Freedom

This week’s theme for WQWWC is Freedom. Well, freedom has many meanings and possibilities. It depends on who is claiming it, who is experiencing moments of freedom or the lack of it.

No one outside ourselves can rule us inwardly. When we know this, we become free.
Buddha

This sidewalk drawing was on my way this morning. I was running and thinking what should be my take on this prompt. And voila! Freedom was there to be seen! I stopped and couldn’t believe it! That feeling that the universe has my back. I took the pic with a smile on my face.

None but ourselves can free our minds.
Bob Marley

I decided to go simple, a few words to describe Freedom. An acrostic poem is perfect for it.

Fierce as it can be
Resilient upon to the right time
Elusive and inspiring
Emancipation to the needed
Divine in respect
Observant in silence
Meaningful to all

Freedom lies in being bold.
Robert Frost

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28