New
Melodies
New Life Story Seeds #
16
Dear Friends,
Spring is here, and I'm returning to life. Thanks to all of you who have
inquired about the fate of the newsletter.
After a long hiatus, we're back with a new issue and 1,689
subscribers.
I need your help. I'm in the
process of making major decisions about the future direction of the
newsletter, and would like your input.
See details under "Win a Free Mug."
My silence this winter has resulted from a series of inner and outer
vicissitudes taking place on their own schedule and in their own ways.
It's been all I could do to stand by and cooperate with those
changes instead of fighting them, but I kept telling myself, "At some
point, you decide to 'just move forward' with your life."
Wishing you wonderful new life stories in your forward motion,
Ellen Moore
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A Thoughtful Quotation
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When old words die out on the tongue, new melodies break forth from the
heart; and where the old tracks are lost, new country is revealed with its
wonders.
Rabindranath Tagore
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Juicy Questions
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What happens when you feel stale, burned out, or unable to move forward?
Can you describe a time when words failed you?
Where do you sometimes lose your way?
How could losing your way could actually be "A Good Thing?"
How open are you to goodness, revelations, wonders, new melodies, new
countries?
What can you do to create conditions that foster growth and renewal within
you?
What truth have you found in the idea that "It's always darkest just
before the dawn?"
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Hearth and Soul
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Monday, January 8, 2001
It was a wonderful plan. I'd
teach for another several years, scooting across campus in an electric
cart if need be. I'd continue full-steam with my workshops and
consultations.
We'd fix up this house. Shutters
and window boxes, planters made of railroad ties and barrels.
Cut out all the dead and overgrown trees, chip the woodpiles into
mulch, plant new shrubs to replace the dead ones.
Make a real yard, or at least a forest floor.
Inside, we'd repaint the kitchen cabinets and replace the glass cooktop,
strip off the dining and living room wallpaper, and paint everything a
warm, pale beige. In my
study, I'd add warm wood flooring and a big oriental rug, and we'd finally
remodel the back porch into a "white room" for a writing
retreat.
Then when I got ready to retire, we'd think of relocating near a small
town where we could make a quiet life for ourselves on a piece of land
with trees and a creek. There'd
be dogs, vegetable gardens, and enormous flower beds.
Maybe even horses.
It was a wonderful plan, but it's not working, at least not as we'd
intended. Just a few days
into the fall semester, I realized I couldn't even teach part-time. Somehow I made it to the end of the semester through a haze
of fatigue and pain. Classes and workshops ended.
I said reluctant goodbyes and closed the beautiful Victorian-era
office with its pocket doors, tall windows, and slate-lined fireplace.
My body refused to move; words dried up in my mouth. I didn't even have the energy to cook healthy meals.
So much I once loved became empty, undoable, unthinkable.
It was as if a giant hand reached down from the sky to strip me of
much of my life and directions for the future.
Yet in the midst of all this loss, there are wellsprings of hope and
optimism. New ideas to be tried. Alternative
paths to explore. One never
knows.
Thursday March 15, 2001
As I head out for a swim and a trek to the grocery store, I notice the
glowering skies. A haze hangs
heavy in the air, with a stillness that could break into rain. The gathering of energy before a storm.
I love this weather. Adore
the crackle of excitement in the air.
Something beyond my control prepares to unleash itself, and there's
not a thing I can do about it. I
inhale thunder and lightning, crave the sound of heavy rain on a roof. In the stillness before an impending storm, I often imagine
myself packed and embarking on a long trip, destination unknown.
In the last three months, my health has continued its erratic progress,
yet there is a growing sense of optimism.
An unmistakable feeling of tapping into long-dormant energies and
passions. New opportunities,
inspiration, and support from unexpected sources. A career redirected.
Now, my thirsty roots welcome the coming of rain. Imminent change.
Fresh possibilities. They
were there waiting for me all along; I just didn't see them.
Saturday, March 17, 2001
On a corner of my work table sits a completed manuscript, a memoir titled
Hearth and Soul: A Journal of
Attempted Restoration. With a
black marker, I cross out the word "Attempted." I crumple the
page, throw it into the wastebasket, and replace it with a corrected title
page. "Let this journal
of my life be a work of reclamation, a journal of renewal," I
whisper.
I contemplate the enormity of this action.
In an instant, everything seems new.
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Win a Free Mug
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I am blessed with you loyal and enthusiastic subscribers who have
continued the journey with me in this last year.
Many of you tell me you print out every issue to put into a
notebook. What is it
specifically that makes the newsletter valuable to you?
How could I make it more useful?
What features could be eliminated?
What would you like to see more of?
I'm considering putting the Hearth and Soul column in an on-line
journal or perhaps a separate newsletter.
I'll also be writing more about the New Life Stories process, with
practical writing and living strategies.
Here's how you can help. I'd
like you to send me a critique of the newsletter at the following e-mail
address: mailto:newslettercritique@newlifestories.com and I'll enter each
name in a drawing to take place on April 18, 2001.
If your name is pulled from the hat, you'll win one of five New
Life Stories coffee mugs. The more issues you've read, the more helpful
your comments will be. The
current format began with Issue #8, so if you'd like to check out a few of
the last eight issues, you can find them in the archives at
http://www.newlifestories.com/New_Life_Story_Seeds_Archive.html
I won't be able to respond individually to each critique, but I will
consider each one carefully and will begin to shape the newsletter in the
direction the subscribers indicate.
When I receive your critique, I'll send you an automated "thank
you" message and enter your name in a drawing for five New Life
Stories mugs. They're a
generous 15-ounce size, perfect for coffee, tea, cocoa, pens, or
paintbrushes. Black script on
white porcelain reads:
"What if you just kept on writing, telling those stories from deep
inside you, no matter what? What
if you launched your words like shooting stars into the dark and welcomed
rejection as proof you're sailing toward your dreams?
And what if you finally allowed yourself to become the writer your
soul always believed you could be?"
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Resources/Books/Links
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Tagore
For more information about Rabindranath Tagore (poet, philosopher, author,
painter, educator, musician, composer, Nobel laureate) see the following
links:
http://www.indolink.com/Poetry/tgorIndx.html
http://www.cs.brockport.edu/~smitra/tagore.html
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/rtagore.htm
http://www.cs.brockport.edu/~smitra/sadhaka.html
Stein on Writing
If you somehow missed this classic, you'll want to add Sol Stein's advice
to your writer's bookshelf. Stein has written nine novels and has edited
some of the most successful writers of our day.
From that unique perspective, he leads the reader clearly and
concretely through the essentials of good fiction and nonfiction.
The chapter on "eliminating flab" alone is worth the
price of the book.
http://bn.bfast.com/booklink/click?sourceid=1342882&ISBN=0312254210
LifeJournal Newsletter
It's new and it's wonderful! Ruth
Folit is now publishing a free newsletter of interest to journalers.
In the first two issues, she has included recent research about the
benefits of writing, suggestions for regaining perspective, ideas for
keeping a victory log, and tips for getting the most out of your
LifeJournal software.
http://www.lifejournal.com/
Suddenly, Flash Fiction
Call them what you will, ultra short-short stories are becoming
increasingly popular and marketable. Some have even been made into movies.
Writers Pam Casto and Geoff Fuller teach an intensive e-mail course
in which beginning writers can learn the essentials of creating powerful
and memorable prose in a very short form.
Seasoned essayists, fiction writers, and poets can continue to
sharpen their skills. The
four-week course includes story analysis, mythology, instruction and
practice in critique, exercises designed to explode your creativity,
networking community, and guidance on where and how to market your
stories. Next course begins
June 4, 2001. Classes fill up
fast. (I took Suddenly, Flash
Fiction in January, and found it to be one of the very best writing
courses I've ever taken).
http://www.coffeehouseforwriters.com/
Poetry Therapy
Have you considered becoming a poetry therapist? Check out the National
Association for Poetry Therapy, and explore this beautiful site for
quotations, publications, NAPT Foundation, government affairs, regional
events, and information on training, education, and certification.
http://www.poetrytherapy.org/
Your Own On-Line Journal
Oprah maintains a place for people to write personally and also to post
publicly.
http://journals.oprah.com/journal
Creative Inspiration
Tap into a community of creative idea people who'll put you in touch with
the books, websites, and resources you need to light your creative spark.
Keep up with what's new, and who's doing what. Check back often to see the
new sites featured every two weeks.
http://www.stickyideas.com/
Relationship Coaching
Ed Shea, LCSW, works by phone to empower singles and couples to have a
great relationship by creating a safe space for you to close the gap
between where you are and where you want to be in your life and
relationship. His mission is
to help people be more loving, conscious, and intentional in creating
safety, sacredness, and spirituality in their relationships.
Contact him to set up a free session at mailto:coachimago@aol.com
or
http://www.healthyrelating.com/
Sage Place
Tammie Fowles' new book, BirthQuake, suggests that the stresses and
contradictions of our culture have brought us individually and
collectively to a momentous turning point.
Her website is dedicated to supporting individuals committed to
issues related to the healing and wholeness of mind, body, spirit, and
environment. Check out the
articles, essays and stories contributed by guests and submit your own.
http://www.sageplace.com/
Thom's E-Minders
Thom Rutledge LCSW, psychotherapist, author, and speaker, teaches
self-compassion from the perspective of his own recovery from depression,
addiction, and excessive self-criticism.
His three books spell out his therapeutic approach:
Earning Your Own Respect, The Self-Forgiveness Handbook, and
Practice Makes Perfect. For a
really helpful and concise newsletter, contact Thom at mailto:thomrut@telalink.net
or visit his website at
http://www.webpowers.com/thomrutledge
BodyMind Resources
Liam Keever helps people in the great adventure of putting their bodies
back together and getting out of pain.
As a Licensed Massage Therapist and Structural Bodyworker, he
offers a free e-mail course for working with your own body with breathing,
gentle exercises, and postures. He
also presents a daily focus, a philosophical query page, community message
boards, and useful products to help you on your path to growth and
healing.
http://www.bodymindresources.com/
Journals and Accessories
You'll want to browse at K Schweizer for luscious journals, albums,
scrapbooks, fine pens, stationery and journal software. You'll also find
books about journaling, memoir writing, and self-exploration. If you're in
a rush, you can even order by FedEx.
http://www.kschweizer.com/
Diary Depository
If you've ever wondered about the future of your journals a hundred years
from now, check out the Diary Depository.
http://www.klekolo.com/book_club/Diary_Depository.html
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