I meant to post on Wednesday, the first, as a way of kicking off the second half of the year. With the intention, of course, of posting here more frequently. You know, the same intention I’ve had for the last year. Sigh. And wow, it’s been a year. I’m not going to recap it here, but it’s been A Lot. I’d love to have this space to think in words, to share my thoughts on books and life and What Comes Next. Somewhere I can just…be.
What have I been up to, other than spending way too much time at different appointments? Reading. Studying. Working on my copyediting certificate. Reading some more. Working (always working). Being furious, angry, terrified, distraught about the direction our country is taking. Worrying about what life will be like in a year. Trying to be a person.
So, really, the usual.
I’m going to keep this short, in an effort to keep coming back here to share the thoughts that keep bubbling up.
And, going back to my original idea for this blog, a bit of a quotation to see you off into what I hope is a wonderful weekend with at least a few hints of wonder:
“It can feel foolish to pause to marvel at the stars when the world is burning, or to find the world beautiful when you’ve known it to betray you. But wonder is a liberation practice. A reminder that we contain more than tragedy. Beauty is our origin and our anchor.” — Cole Arthur Riley
I hope you find some beauty in your world today.
Being a person really is a whole thing, isn’t it, my friend? Here’s to halfway (plus a few) and navigating everything you’re navigating which is all the usual and more. A CAR quote I hold dear is: “ “Did you know that birds do not land because they’re tired? It is a rememberance. They know and have always known that their liberation depends on their ability to recall the ground.”
I’m starting to realize that being is a person is not only a whole thing, but really the only thing. (It took me long enough, sigh.) I love that quote; thank you so much for sharing it. Liberation + remaining grounded? More of that, please.
So happy to see your post in my Reader today, Anne. I am always looking forward to your posts… and I do hope you can use this space as an outlet in your “very busy, very full life”.
I have missed being here and being more present online. As I rebalance some things (more being a person, less being a worker), I’ve realized how important these online “third spaces” are for me. If I can’t have all of you physically nearby, I can at least do my part to have you virtually nearby. <3
It’s good to see you writing on the blog! And I’m happy to see that you’re keeping up that copy editing study despite everything else going on.
That quote is wonderful. It’s when the world is burning that we NEED to marvel at the stars. Or enjoy a walk in the forest. Or anything that makes us celebrate the beauty that still exists in the world.
It’s hard to keep up writing when things are chaotic whether it’s health, work, or anything else in life. Your idea of your blog as a place to “just be” is so inspiring and it sounds so soothing. I’ll soon pivot back to something like that too… or perhaps I already laid the foundation for it lately by writing more often (it didn’t happen daily as planned but I’m still happy with the improvement) about anything that was on my mind and learning that it’s ok to keep it short when I want or need to. I’ll soon be with my own original idea of the blog… basically how it was when you first found me.
Yes! why do we put such pressure on ourselves to write the perfect post, every time? I’m glad that posting more frequently has been a good thing for you, and I hope that it’s a good thing for me, too. What’s important is showing up. Life has enough chaos—if I can make this space more of a constant, I think that will be a good thing.
Oooh Anne post!
Anne, if you do want to have this space to really talk about all the things you want to talk about, you could consider making it private and then “invite only” readers. That way you could really control who is reading your words. Just a thought, if that is something you wanted to do to connect. I know anonymity is very important to you, and this way you would be able to keep anonymous but still write from the heart.
I love love love that quote! It’s so important to take joy where we can, even in times of hardship.
Hm. I could consider making this space private, you’re right. As far as I can tell, I’m actually not findable on Google and other search engines, so that’s good. I think I’ll probably keep it as-is for now, but I’ll keep this in my back pocket. (Not that I have pockets, but let’s not get off-topic here…Ha.)
I’m really working on taking all the joy I can. There are so many glimmers everywhere, if you just look. <3
I don’t use a reader, I just happened to pop by in an attempt to catch up. I’m woefully behind in reading and commenting, and I don’t even know if I am subscribed and get emails for your new posts, because my in box is a disaster too. Anyway, what a treat to come here and find a post!
I feel the same about my blog. It is a place to just be myself, and say what I’m thinking (with a few cautions…I don’t write about work, and I don’t write about frustrations with my family).
I love that quote. It reminds me of another…’We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.’ ~ Oscar Wilde
I’m glad my post made you happy! It made me happy, too. Now to find the time to put up a post at least once a week. I can do that, right? I think I’m just cautious about my blog because, well, I don’t want someone I know from another part of my life showing up here. It’s not that I’m a different person here vs. in other parts of my life (that would be far too complicated), but I tend to keep things pretty surface-level with my colleagues and work friends. (I feel like I’m not making sense. Hopefully this makes some sort of sense?)
I think it’s interesting that you censor yourself on your blog. I just put it all out there. That probably says something about both of us, doesn’t it? I was happy to see a post for you pop up! Happy Halfway Day and Happy Independence Day! Woot woot!
Hey, we all have different approaches to our blogs. I admire those of you who are more open on your blogs. I just can’t quite go there. I’m a lot more guarded about in my interactions with work colleagues, especially, and tend to keep things pretty surface-level. Sometimes, I wish I could be more like you, but then I think about someone I from the other parts of my life finding this space and… nope. 😉
I love that quote at the end. It sums up the complications of being a human in this world. There’s a lot of beauty but so much that frustrates/angers me.
Thank you for checking in! I am sorry life continues to be so challenging for you. That is just not fair at all. Please keep checking in!
I know, Lisa. How is it possible that the world can hold so much beauty and so many terrible things at the same time? Sigh.
Life is life, and we all have challenges that we’re dealing with. You have more than your fair share, my friend. Being in this space helps, reading others’ blogs helps, and finding bits of beautiful writing helps, too. I hope you have a good re-entry to your post-holiday (and post-kidless) week. <3
I always love a post from you Anne! Beautiful and thought-provoking quote.
It’s always so good to see you here, on your blog, or in my texts, Suzanne. <3