Life Savers

~ rdicarne

Yesterday, the latest installment of  Modern Mrs. Darcy (a lifestyle blog for book lovers) arrived in my inbox.  The post was about the staff’s long-standing practice of gathering at winter’s midpoint “to share things – big or small – that are saving our (their) lives right now.” With its dark days and cold temperatures, winter can be brutal, and many people experience the doldrums. The post explained how they got this idea from Barbara Brown Taylor’s memoir, Leaving Church.  In it, Taylor describes how “once, when she was to speak at a gathering, her host gave her this instruction for her speaking topic: ‘Tell us what is saving your life right now.’ She said the genius of the question is that though most of us know exactly what’s killing us, it’s harder to name what’s saving us.”  What a great idea!

These past few weeks have been a bit overwhelming. With the current political climate, the horrific DC plane crash, and the devastating explosion/crash of a medical transport plane in my hometown of Philadelphia (in the section of the city in which I lived the first 30 years of my life), I have a whole list of things that are killing me. Still, the question in Modern Mrs. Darcy helped me flip the switch and focus on what is saving me right now.

These things hold me together and give me solace when I need a distraction from the heaviness of the winter world.

  • Writing: I have been trying to rekindle a consistent writing habit using several online tools.
    • 100 Days of Notebooking (a Facebook group facilitated by Michele Haseltine) is a beginning-of-the-year challenge to journal for 100 days. Although I am not on pace to complete 100 notebook entries in 100 days, I enjoy reading, sharing, and gathering new ideas from this writing community.
    • #WriteWithUs Wednesdays – The Book Love Community (facilitated by Penny Kittle and Linda Rief) offers a live Zoom meeting every other Wednesday at 4:30 ET.  I have yet to make a live meeting, but a replay can be found on the website, and the sessions have given me food for thought and sparked some interesting writing. 
    • IAJW (International Association for Journal Writing) offers free monthly journal prompts
  • Faith: In certain situations, my ability to make a real difference might be limited. That’s when I rely heavily on my faith and pump up my prayer life.  
  • Music: Listening to music has always been an elixir for whatever ails me. My tastes vary depending on my mood. My favorites are jazz, warm and cozy acoustics, and music from the 1970s.
  • Reading: Scrolling social media has taken a bite out of my reading life, but I am working on remedying that situation.  Reading can transport me to other times and places and give me a respite from anything in my life that is dragging me down. It often puts my worldly woes in perspective compared to problems others have overcome. 

How are you feeling at winter’s midpoint?  Are you focusing on what is killing you or what is saving your life? Why not try this practice on for size?  It may be what you need to propel you towards spring. 

Referenced sites: 

3 thoughts on “Life Savers”

  2. Thanks for flipping the switch and nudging me to do the same! So much negative is coming at me, but you are right. Writing helps me keep the positive going. SO important. Thanks for adding the links at the end.

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  3. It is so easy to complain about what is wrong with the world and our lives that we tend to forget that we are getting through each day. It is important to think about what keeps us going and focus on that.

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