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Let’s face it // Mondays stink. Or at least we typically expect them to stink. That is why, every Monday, I post seven positives from the previous seven days of the week as a reminder of what I have so that the week starts out on an upswing. There is much truth in the belief that happy people attract good things, so it is important to start the week out right. Sometimes it’s the more grand, but other times, it’s the simple things.
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1. Loneliness on a Stick. I know, doesn’t sound like much of a week if I’m starting out with this one. Truth is, after writing about being slammed with loneliness, you were all right. There is something scary about transitions, but it’s also strangely exciting. I’m still young-ish, and my future today is less mapped-out than it once was, but without a map, I could go anywhere. I can choose to fear the ambiguity of those possible routes, or I can allow the wind to pick me up and carry me, and relish the hidden beauty in figuring it all out again.
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2. Buds. One of the instigators of my mid-week my aches, was this photo sent to me the other day from Georgia of Buddy cleaning his teeth on a pine-cone like the well-intentioned pup that he is {ha!}. Every time I see this lil’ rascal {I say this with all the affection and eye-rolling “Buddy!!”‘s that I once held} , I feel the sharp pain of his absence, but I think about how happy he is and how well Georgia is taking care of him. My sadness is also quieted when I think about how Buddy is taking care of Georgia, too.
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3. Classroom Idea. {Yes, that’s an unfinished dresser at home — I’ll get to that soon!} After my summer reading binge, I’ve decided I needed to do better for my middle school students when it comes to reading. In the past couple of years, I’ve read a lot for my pleasure, and I’ve done little to seek out what my students were reading. To my surprise, I LOVE what they are reading. My classroom library has not only suffered from my neglect, but also from my students’ sticky-fingers, and genuine loved and tattered loss. To slowly build a better classroom library for my students, and to hold onto my promise in keeping up with young adult fiction and nonfiction, I am going to feature a few YA books I read each month in my classroom library using these plate stands I found at a craft store. Speaking of… I’m dorking-out-excited to start back to work officially this Thursday, which is why I am in my classroom TODAY {I know, I’m helpless}.
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4. Small Inspirations. I came across this post on my Instagram. Not only do I have a strange crush on Steve Martin, I’ve secretly wanted to write him for years to thank him for Shopgirl. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, read the book, watch the movie. I love this quote. It’s so simple, nothing profound, but it makes me want to kick butt.
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5. Friday à la Bookstore. Per your advice, I tried to relish my solitude a bit more, and I took myself to the bookstore, where I purchased a few new books {e-readers don’t have the same crispy texture and smell… oh you know that smell!}. Afterwards, I purchased a refreshing iced-green-tea, perched myself on the patio, and started writing this post.
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6. Bird by Bird. As recommended by a former coworker, who also loves to write, I read Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. It is a book that will inspire all writers and wannabe writers alike. Lamott made me laugh, but most of all, she lit a fire under my butt. One of her best pieces of advice, for me anyway, is about the importance of developing characters in a way that parallels personal growth. We don’t know our own plots in their entirety. We may have our next couple of weeks penciled in, but I can’t know what will take place completely in the next few years because those next couple of weeks could completely change everything. Do the same in your writing. Know your characters so well that you can allow them to make those choices as they go along. Map out what is more immediate, yes, but don’t pigeon-hole them as they maneuver life’s sharp corners, as you shouldn’t do that to yourself either. Your full-rich characters will lead the most natural and least contrived route, and thus, a plot is born.
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7. Key + Arrow is Freshly Pressed! Some good came out of my lonely rants this week, which goes to remind me that in the darkness, there is light {see, Powerless against clichés this week!}. Not only did I receive kind advice and words of encouragement when I needed them most from my readers, but my dating profile has been Freshly Pressed by a kind WordPress editor who found my faults to be funny… Don’t feel shy about laughing at me too. Let’s all laugh.
Of course, my faux-sarcasm is only in jest. I am incredibly grateful to be given an opportunity to share with a larger audience. You make me stupid-grin.
I hope to inspire you to reflect on all you have to be grateful & that your week brings you even more positivity + balance + bliss! Feel free to share your seven with me as well / or even just a couple!
Have a wonderful week!
xo,
Darlin’
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