A Blogger’s Diary 10/3/21: On the Week, Writing and Reflecting, Publications and A Poem, WordPress, and Self-expression

The week

Over the past couple of weeks, the team has been preparing for school to begin, which means the registration team has been, is, well, super duper busy, which is awesome. Instructors are prepping for classes, as the rest of the staff are doing things like, getting computers out to in-person locations for late registrations, and supporting instructors as and where needed. 

It’s been an amazing couple of weeks, filled with registration numbers the likes of which we haven’t seen since prior to the pandemic. Amazing.

The past couple of weeks, I’ve also been reflecting upon the concept of self-expression in relation to human beingness; and, then in relation to leadership more specifically. I’ll have a little more to write about that in a moment. First, let’s take a quick look at some writing reflections from the past couple of weeks.

Writing and Reflecting

About two months ago now, I switched my blogging schedule. Previous to that time, I was posting every day, which just became too much to manage. Now, I am posting an average of 4 to 5 times a week, and that is working well for now. 

I’ve been thinking of possibly reducing it to 3 to 4 times a week, yet, we will see.

I’ve been writing a lot, as I always do; sometimes that means I write a poem each day, sometimes 3 or 4. It depends. 

Most of my poems over the past couple of weeks have taken love at their center, which is, well, quite wonderful. I never really know what is going to come from my heart, through my fingers, and onto the page you’re reading; really, I never really do.

I usually begin with a concept, or more likely, a sentence or two, and go from there. It is so much fun. 

For instance, the poem heart-related centeredness was a response to the WDYS photo prompt, hosted by Sadje, from Keep it Alive. I love to participate in this prompt, as I am able. The photo, to me, sparked an immediate response about the connectedness of all that we see, sky, clouds, sea, and, well, you; and me, of course. It just works that way for me today; it is what I see and feel.

And, the poem referenced above, from my heart, and through my fingers, was literally a reflection on the process of writing from my heart; and how it feels to me. Is simple, and quite beautiful to me. 

I’ve also been blessed with another publishing opportunity, and have just heard back from Spillwords Press on one other submission. How fun!

Publications and A Poem

I’m super excited about being a part of the first ever Word Weaving – A Word Craft Journal of Syllabic Verse, the kindle version of which is available now. You can access it from the link above. If you are interested, you can also learn more at the word weaving blog.

I also just learned that my poem, Smoulder Now and Forever, has been accepted by Spillwords Press. Excited. When the poem is scheduled for publication, I will let you all know.

I also have a few more pieces coming up in both MasticadoresUSA, and MasticadoresIndia. When those are scheduled for publication, I will also let you know. 

If you’ve not yet checked out these cool publication houses, please do so when you have time. Amazing people, and talented writers. Much fun!

Oh, before I forget, here is one of the poems that wasn’t accepted recently. I am including it here, well, because it reminds me of some of my recent reflections on the moon, which has been so beautiful in the night sky recently.

Dazzling delight

the moon

dazzling delight

transformed ages of night

called on by gods and goddesses

alike

WordPress

Alright, in my last diary entry, several of us had a conversation about blogs that we follow not showing up in our reader. I did contact WP, after some coaching from our friend Cindy, from Unique Times with Cindy, thank you, dear Cindy, and here is what I learned.

There is no solution at WP for this issue. Their suggestion was to do, well, what most of us already know how to do, which is unfollow, and then refollow. Usually this will work, and the blog posts will once again begin to show in our reader.

Therefore, I will be unfollowing and refollowing some of you. We will see how that works.

Self Expression

The past couple of weeks, I’ve also been reflecting upon self-expression. As a human being on this planet, it is so important to be fully self-expressed. I know this, as I spent some years not being fully self-expressed.

When we are fully self-expressed, we get out all of the ideas, concepts, and love we have for life. We experience aliveness, through the difficulty and ease that comes with life. And, for me, it’s inside of this aliveness, through all that we receive from life, where the beauty for and of life lives. 

It is interesting to write about self-expression within a beautiful community that self-expresses continuously; yet, what I also know about being a human being on this planet, is that even those of us who are fully self-expressed, have times when we feel not fully self-expressed.

In those moments, I usually take a walk, sit quietly, and just detach myself from all things. Inside of this space lives the possibility of reconnecting within, which for me, means insights will arise, and self-expression will follow.

Alright, that’s all for this entry.

Have a beautifully blessed week, everyone.


#poetry, #abloggersdiary, #blogging, #diary, #education, #leadership, #poems, #publications, #reflecting, #selfexpression, #wordpress, #writing

A Blogger’s Diary 9/12/21: On the Week, Writing and Reflecting, The Garden, WordPress, Site Changes, and Gratitude

The Week

It’s been a couple weeks since I’ve posted a diary entry, and in the past four weeks, there have been some developments with the garden and to my site, which I am excited to relate; and, I also have a question for you about WordPress. More on that in a moment.

First, let’s take a look at some writing reflections.

Writing and Reflecting

Photo by Jr Korpa on Unsplash

I’ve published several poems in the past four weeks, many of them taking love as their central theme or concept.

The poem, shaded in love, we agree, was a reflection upon my time living in the desert. I’ve been fortunate to live in several types of geographies, and the desert is among them, and holds a special place in my heart.

Sometimes people conflate the desert with barrenness, and the poem was an ode, if you will, to the splendor of the desert landscape, which I miss. There is something magical about being in the desert, especially at sunrise and sunset. The beauty is magnificent.

The poem, just like a star spangled night, was part of a much larger reflection about living life with an open heart. As I’ve written about in many posts and poems, living life with an open heart today is a blessing, and I am grateful to many people, especially, my life coach and teacher, for showing me a different way to understand the world, and our place in it.

It’s taken a lot of internal work, and, yet, what I understand today, is that all of my life happened just as it was supposed to. Exactly as it was supposed to; and, I am blessed with many different levels of understanding today because of all of the paths I’ve traveled. They were all needed, and are all important.

The Garden

Well, it’s also been a while since I’ve updated you on the garden, which is continuing to produce, and has been so much fun.

Here is a pic of some tomatoes I pulled last week.

Corvallis, Oregon 2021

Coming soon, broccolini, one of my favs!

WordPress

Over the past two months, I’ve had several regular readers send me messages that my posts are not showing up in their WP Reader. I actually emailed WP about this issue, and have yet to hear back.

The only workaround I know for this type of issue, which I’ve used before, is to unfollow the blog, and then refollow, which got me thinking.

Might any of you know of other workarounds to mitigate this issue? If so, I would love to read about them in the comments section, or, if you prefer, you can email me, thank you!

Site Changes

Earlier this year, I created a goal to make some changes to the site; and, I’ve finally made some of those changes.

I wanted to mention the changes here, in the event you notice anything that is not working well, or you have any suggestions, which may improve your experience. If so, please do let me know, thank you.

Gratitude

The week-beginning message I scheduled to go out to the team last week, was about gratitude; and the deep gratitude I have for everyone in my life.

My life has been, and is, blessed with connections to amazing people; and, today I am connected to many, many, more amazing people.

I think it is important to pause each day, and reflect upon the impact we make with our lives, and about the connections we have. They are so important.

In fact, I believe that human connection is one of the most important aspects of being alive. Experiencing aliveness is, for me, about being deeply connected to yourself, and then to those that you choose to surround yourself with every day.

Therefore, on this beautiful Sunday afternoon, I am feeling deep gratitude for everyone in my life; my family, my friends, the team I work with, the community I live in, and, each and every one of you. Very grateful.

Thank you for being just as you are, and for being there, and supporting my work. It means the world to me.

Have a beautifully blessed week everyone.


#aliveness, #blessed, #blogging, #connection, #diary, #gardening, #gratitude, #heart, #humanity, #life, #love, #reflection, #wordpress, #writing