Anger Blessing Cancer Desire Everyday Forgiveness Grief Happiness Introversion Joy Kairos Little Gidding Midpoint up the Mountain Nontraditional Medicine Other People Quiet Reading List Sleep & Social Distancing Teaching Until Finally Voice Writing Xenophile Yearning Zooming Out My posts for April have been a fractal image of the journey itself, of the transformation I have […]
#AtoZChallenge: Z is for Zooming Out Read More »
In the closing posts of my A-to-Z Challenge, I’m exploring the yearning that made me want to do this challenge, and I’m zooming out, widening my perspective to see what I’ve written about in the month of April. The yearning is for completion of the transition from the physician life to the writing life. In
#AtoZChallenge: Y is for Yearning Read More »
In this time of increasing xenophobia, I’m advocating for xenophilia. But not in the sense of embracing other cultures, although that’s important. I’m thinking more in the sense of what Buddhists call “Beginner’s Mind.” When I’m able to be mindful, even mundane, ordinary things become strange, new, and different. By cultivating curiosity, I find painful
#AtoZChallenge: X is for Xenophile Read More »
This week, I bought a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. They were expensive, but I told myself they were an investment in my life as a writer. Well, okay, I bought them in a moment of irritation when my husband wanted to listen to music when I needed silence. Such is the life of social distancing
V is for Voice; W is for Writing Read More »
The 22 Rules of Storytelling, according to Pixar include the following formula for a successful story spine. Rule #4: Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___. This rule has helped me work to make sure my memoir has
#AtoZChallenge: U is for Until Finally… Read More »
The opportunity to teach or get taught comes up multiple times a day if I’m paying attention. The process of writing my memoir is a great teacher. Last Tuesday, I felt like I made a breakthrough in how to write a scene. I submitted the scene to my coach, and I waited excitedly to get
#AtoZChallenge: T is for Teaching Read More »
Like many of you, I’ve been trying to stay productive during this time of social distancing. I’ve tried using block scheduling, which my left brain loves, but my right brain rebels against. I love the challenge of finding a balance between polarities: masculine/feminine, right-brain/left-brain. This blog post from Jocelyn Glei helped me find a balance
#AtoZChallenge: S is for Sleep & Social Distancing Read More »
Since I’m working on a memoir, I’ve been reading a lot of them. These are the ones that have strayed into my path in the last six months. Inheritance: Dani Shapiro writes a moving story about the emotional stages of learning her father was not her biological father after she submits a DNA sample to
#AtoZChallenge: R is for Reading List Read More »
One of the good things about learning and growing is that I keep getting clearer about what nourishes me. On the spectrum of sound, I prefer silence. On the spectrum of movement, I prefer stillness. These preferences are not just reactions to an overly busy life, they have been with me since childhood. I’ve learned
#AtoZChallenge: Q is for Quiet Read More »
I have more authenticity and joy now than I did when I was younger. Once, my to-do list was filled with things other people wanted me to do, many of which I didn’t want to do. I grew resentful, first of those who had expectations of me, then of myself for going along, not having
#AtoZChallenge: O & P Are for Other People Read More »
