Top 10 Tuesday

Hello, friends. This past week has gone by quickly and even though I write on a daily basis, I haven't really shared any new material here. I've been busy and anxious and in a lull. However, here are...

The Top Ten

1. Sarah Sarah hosted my good friend's wine glass painting bachelorette party a while back. She is a visual artist and overall thoughtful woman and we have since become friends. She is the owner/operator of PAINT PARTY by Sarah and has a little studio in Altoona where she hosts a variety of art and creative classes. About a week ago, she reached out to me and asked for me to teach some creative writing classes for adults and children. I am so flattered and of course I accepted the offer. It's a great challenge to kick off the new year. And it was so nice catching up with Sarah. The night I met up with her to see her studio, she invited me to a gathering that took place at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art. I almost didn't go because the introvert in me often reigns, but I made myself go and I met some amazing artists, writers, and photographers like Sam Dietze. I hope to see them all again.

2. "Wonder" I'm obviously taking advantage of my MoviePass. I saw "The Snowman" (eh) and "Wonder". I don't typically go to movies for family feel-good drama, but with my MoviePass, why the hell not? The screenplay was written by Stephen Chbosky, the author of the popular coming-of-age novel "The Perks of Being a Wallflower". However, Chbosky did not write the novel Wonder; Raquel J. Palacio did. I'm assuming that the book was more powerful than the movie. The movie spends its time switching from one character's perspective/story to the next, and I imagined that this method of storytelling in the novel might have been effective--more so than in the movie. I saw some similarities between Wonder and Perks. The point of view of an intelligent, fragile, wallflower youth that blossoms amongst the mix of a small smattering of peers who love the boy for who he is and despite everything.

3. Pumpkin Pie At the age of 31, I have finally baked my first pumpkin pie.

4. The Crescent Moon I wake up at an ungodly hour to go to the gym. But despite it all, I get to bask in the only slightly awakened nocturne. The past several days have revolved around the new moon, its waning and waxing. I'm thankful that not only do I awaken early enough to see it but I also muster up the energy to stand in the cold, assembling my camera on its tripod, and snapping a few photographs of the waning crescent, which is below.

Tonight, my boyfriend (who owns a nice telephoto lens) took the stunning photograph below of the waxing crescent. The dimmer part of the moon is slightly illuminated due to sunlight reflected off our mother Earth. This is called earthshine. Lovely word, right? And lovely photo, of course.

We make a good team, capturing the modest moon covering and then uncovering herself.

5. Writing Group I'm in the need for some community and likemindedness. As much as I love being by myself, I feel something is lacking when it comes to my 'creatosphere'. I write alone, I read alone, I paint and create alone. But I want to see what sharing will do. What more can I learn from others? So, I decided that perhaps creating a small writing group would be...something. I've had my fair share of workshops and I'm wary of the pretentiousness and snobbery of such groups. I believe it is possible for a community of passionate influentials to gather simply for the love of writing, imagination, and sharing. I'm looking forward to this and others have shown genuine interest.

6. Cross Stitch One day, I was talking to a lady as she was cross stitching and as I watched her needle dance its way through cloth, I was entranced. So I decided that very day to go to Hobby Lobby and get my first cross stitch project. I'll share when I'm finished.

7. Haiku Most of us know what a haiku (or hokku) is. But for those of you who do not know, it's a minimalist form of Japanese poetry comprised of three lines, each line written with a certain number of syllables--5/7/5. Here are some of my own on-the-fly examples.

Shoes empty of feet

abandoned in the foyer

A ghost standing still.

A hot night-wet sound

The spark of turning nimbus

A startled sleeper.

My first writing classes will involve haiku writing--a simple form of poetry that celebrates the gaze and the emotion evoked from that gaze.

8. A New Journal I write in journals every day. This past week, I started a new, fresh journal. As ridiculous as it sounds, a new journal is like a new beginning. I'll admit, though, that this new journal didn't start off with the best of me. No new rules. No new attitudes. I always scowl as the amount of "I" that is in my journals. It feels narcissistic and self-absorbed. But there's always room for improvement. I write more about myself the ore anxious and depressed I am. So, although I'm grateful for starting yet another new journal journey, I continue to berate myself which leads to...

9. Anxiety I have been experiencing moderate to severe anxiety as of late, in tandem with depression. I won't go into too much detail but I will say that no matter how logical and reasonable you are, anxiety and depression sucks that away and tells you what you know are lies, but for some very unfortunate reason, you believe them. This is devastating because it feels impossible to change or control. But it's also embarrassing, especially when you're brave enough to be candid about what's going on with a person or people you love. Sharing those insecurities and supposed "lies" puts you in a vulnerable and desperate position. So, why is my anxiety in my top ten? Well, it's an opportunity for me to gain strength and learn more about myself. Being vulnerable and hurting is nothing to be ashamed of. I may feel like a burden and be mortified by my mental health, but living with it is the bravest thing I will ever do in my life.

10. And This Because living presently and dedicating your life to appreciation, praise, and wonder is in my opinion the most beautiful way to live this life.

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