Learning to thrive after early mother loss
I finished my book draft the other night, after four and a half years of almost daily writing. My writing partner is almost done with her draft, too. This has taken us four and a half years that were going to pass anyway. Stick with your project — it feels so good to hit a milestone.
I built a fitness community around a popular brand. This time, in my writing, I don’t have a well-known brand. What do I have?
He’s public, he’s private, he’s a resource, a treasure, a person.
I researched a figure from my past, and when I found myself unexpectedly on the phone with her, I was ready to reach out about our shared memories. I was thrilled to have the chance to thank her for how she’d helped me in 1979.
Certain composite people, or personas, represent my Facebook audience in my mind. They morph into a gang of inner critics, and their (my) assumptions prevent me from blogging. But I don’t know what anyone thinks unless they tell me.
Headlines state that she was “booed offstage,” but that’s untrue. She remained standing, stopped her band from playing, and performed Bob Marley’s “War” acapella.
Nobody else was in this huge, fresh, natural “swimming pool.” I found that if I gripped the bottom with both hands, with my feet and body pointing downstream, the current would keep my legs afloat and I’d stay anchored in place. I decided to use that easy position to practice breathing.
Coach: Distance swimming is about going along the shoreline so you can stop any time you want. (I had never thought of it that way.) I said I find it so daunting to look back and know I’ve got to swim all the way back there where I started. I don’t think I’m totally tired out – it’s more mental.
We floated and relaxed, enjoying the cold sinking in to our bodies, while watching for spots where it would be easy to get out of (or into, next time) the water. Cold water is so calming after the initial shock.
The lake looked dark blue and choppy. Close-up, the water was clear, and the gravel bottom looked varied and pretty as usual. Pollen and tiny bits of plant matter floated on the surface as usual. The coolish breeze and the partly cloudy sky, though beautiful and milder than a glaring full sun, were different weather than I’d swam in before. No matter how insignificant a difference it should have been, it felt like a less familiar environment.