Hello, Friends!

INSIGHT

Like many, I have a love/hate relationship with technology. Some days I long to be off the grid, away from the noise, the distractions, the stress of constant contact and information. Other days I'm so grateful technology allows me to research and learn with the click of a button. It makes things so much EASIER. For instance, from my phone I can tune my cello, listen to recordings, have a lesson with my teacher (who now lives in another state), and record myself playing during a practice session. So great!

Also great: the "Focus" feature on my iphone, that allows me to schedule daily chunks of time where I get NO notifications. This has been a wonderful help in my finding my sweet spot with tech.

Other digital things I love:
Sounds True - offerings on awareness! acceptance! spiritual growth!
Chirp - my favorite audiobooks site.
Headspace - meditation and mindfulness training continues to have a huge positive impact on my life.
Canva - I love how easy it is to make beautiful digital content on this site. :)
Etsy- yes, unique gifts. But if you're crafty (like me!), there's so much inspiration! Speaking of...

INSPIRATION

This year I jumped out of my comfort zone and into the world of video. I started posting a Tuesday Two-Minute Writing Tip on Youtube and offered my first-ever digital course for writers. Neither of those things "stuck," but I learned so much and loved the connections that came from those experiences!

In my writing life, I chose the road less traveled (by me) and completed my first-ever novel for adults. (It's a big, sweeping alternate history love story!) Now I #amquerying, searching for an agent to represent that work in the marketplace. Anyone who's ever walked this path knows it is a slog. My socks are soaked, I've got blisters, and the heel of my boot is held together with tree sap. But I'm still walking...

Another big shift for me this year has been "retiring" from in-person school visits and going all-virtual (a gift of the pandemic!). (I'm still available for other speaking engagements at libraries, conferences, etc., but not schools.) I mention it because I know many of you are just like me: passionate—and overcommitted. It's such a seductive thing when people are asking you, inviting you to do something you're good at and have enjoyed for many years. But. I'm learning to listen to my body (if you can't say NO, it will say no for you!) and to honor that voice inside that knows time is our most valuable asset. The voice that says, "do what you want to do now, not later." And sometimes we learn what we truly want to do by shaving away the things we DON'T want to do. So, for direction, I've been thinking about my ANTI-Bucket List -- a list of those things that I don't care to do ever again.

What's on YOUR anti-bucket list?

Each day I feel I'm getting closer to living my life in a way that is more ME. And you can, too. It just takes snail trails and sticking with it (just ask Esther!) and not being too hard on yourself when you get off track—simply rerouting. (a kind of Kindness!) How? By remembering "No," is a complete sentence. By pausing before responding to invitations. By allowing the storm of feelings to sweep through, trusting that afterwards, there's always always some bird out there singing.

You—I!—can be that bird...for ourselves AND for others.

IMAGINATION

So many things spark my imagination: art, books, history, #lakelife, good food, tough times, YOU!

Right now I'm thinking about things like:

What will be my 2023 ArtSpeak theme. Suggestions, anyone?

How my 2022 One Little Word "whimsy!" has impacted my year, and what word to choose for next year

All the books in my house that I haven't read yet (In 2023 I am going to read ALL those books!)

The bake-off I'm hosting for Christmas (Thanks, Charles, for the idea!)

How to continue my writing self-education (Recently two writing craft books have really prompted growth: Story Genius by Lisa Kron and Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Brown and Dave King.)

...and how I lived so long without a book sleeve. I gifted myself one earlier this year (featuring snails, ala SNAIL'S ARK), and think every book lover needs one!