I am slacking big time on getting these newsletters out Monday mornings like I used to. Apparently, I need to accept this as something I can no longer promise. New promise—expect a message from me weekly. Ish. What day of the week? Don’t know. And my husband says I’m not spontaneous.
This newsletter is full of spontaneity! In fact, today’s message began as a longer essay and magically turned into a poem.
Life—keeping us all on our toes.
What will be tossed at your head next? Watch out!
…
I can’t think of a proper transition from throwing life at your head to introducing this poem except to demand that you read it…so…read it below.
INSTRUCTIONS ON DECLUTTERING AND ORGANIZING YOUR SECRET CLOSET They say— Spend only fifteen minutes each day. Also, pull everything out at once, or let it tumble out. Put it all on your bed. That took more than fifteen minutes. You will need to sleep somewhere else tonight. Tomorrow, spend fifteen minutes asking inanimate objects if they bring you joy. Stare at them until they answer. Repeat for the next seventy-three, or more, days. Forget what you are really trying to do— rid the crap, keep the gems. Remember what they are really saying— If you want it to work, you need to spend time, energy, effort. Not-so-top secret method— hard work Go ahead. Blame your husband, the method, the baskets. And then blame yourself. Once you move past the overwhelming guilt, get to work. It will feel hardest in the beginning. Soon you will gain momentum. At some point, you will inevitably lose momentum and confidence… It will all pick back up again. Promise you will fail a lot. Shout it with me— when you get knocked down, what do you do? No matter where you are in your journey, there are others far ahead of you and other far behind you. Try to calm the jealousy and rage toward your neighbor, the one with perfect matching baskets. Instead, lead well. Those behind you are looking in your direction. Stop overcomplicating it. Get out of your head, grab the tissues, eat some protein, and buy the new baskets in a fit of exhaustion. You will need the empty box anyway.
Props to those of you who caught the Friends reference to Monica’s secret closet in the title.
Write your own poem or journal entry. Start your first sentence with, “They say…”
Enjoy a few links, another poem, and some photos below.
Practice Creativity—A Poem and A Prompt
, a poet I look up to, gave out this prompt a few days ago.I wrote the short and fun poem below a few minutes after reading. You could use her prompt to write a poem or a journal entry or use it to just think. Thinking about our insecurities is a blast!
I am convinced that when people say kids are expensive, what they mean is that denim is expensive.
Appreciate beauty—three things I’ve enjoyed reading this week
These illustrated essays—I SWEAR. The amount of time
must spend on these beautiful pieces of work must be astronomical. They’re short, full of strong messages, and beautiful to look at.
Katie Blackburn’s latest essay—The Tire Shop—As always, I’m a big fan of
’s work. Dare I say, she might be my favorite writer to see pop up in my inbox. Her latest essay is beautiful.
Did you know—The pattern on a monarch butterfly’s wing helps them fly? Those black and white spots might be part of new drone designs. And other cool discoveries that might lead to new inventions.
A few daily phone photos from the past week—
Paid subscribers—In case you missed it, here is the link to our first weekly photo prompt! We’ll share our favorites from our weeks (prompt driven or not) in our group this coming Thursday.
❤️ Enjoy your weekend!
<3 Tash
Well this was fun.
My first out-loud laugh of many during the first poem: “You will need to sleep somewhere else tonight.”