Tag: self-care
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On Nurturing
Sewing Flowers, paper collage, 2023 I do not have children. And, if I am to be honest, I think that for a long time I did not believe I had a nurturing instinct. Or, if I did, that it was somehow secondary to all of the other things I should want to do or be.…
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On the Art of Sensitivity
Butterfly Lounge, paper collage, 2023 The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature born abnormally, inhumanly sensitive. To them… a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god,…
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The Road I Know
Life of Objects No. 3, paper collage, 2022 I’ve been sprinkling food on the ground beneath my bird feeders for the past year. The squirrels very much appreciate it, of course, as do the doves and sparrows, who often show up in large numbers during cold weather. Although, the reason I do it, really, is…
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Butterfly Effect
Butterfly Effect, paper collage, 2021 This post is formatted to reflect an original journal entry. 5/22/21 I buried a dead butterfly yesterday. I’d picked her up along the side of the road when I was out walking the night before. She could no longer fly, and I knew death was probably imminent. So I scooped…
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On Fantasy
I’ve always been a daydreamer. In school, I was a quiet, bookish girl who spent much of her time staring out the window, doodling, or scribbling fragments of poems and short stories in a secret notebook. (How many other young writers kept secret notebooks—the ones you covertly slipped into your real notebook, so you could…
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On the Art of Rejuvenation
When left to my own devices, I am a simple creature. I am quiet and can (and often prefer to, when afforded the opportunity) go for a full day or more without any human contact. I like dimly lit, uncluttered, serene spaces. Small rooms give me comfort. I like to immerse myself in nature, in…
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On Being Untamed
I’ve never been particularly adept at following the kinds of advice offered in self-help books. If I’m going to be honest, I have a hard enough time even finishing them. Let alone imagining myself adhering to a series of complex daily routines, implementing workbooks or invoking the aid of other strategy-making devices, or—God forbid—participating in…
The Used Life 