Amélie, or more recently, Lupin. Both are in French, not sure what that means. I don’t even speak French, well maybe, un peu. Flashing. Eye (but afterwards, not so much). Parklet. Zigger and Zag.
I really enjoy seeing the responses and the picks. Thank you for kicking things off this morning, for reading, and for Zigger and Zag. Have a great week!
Thank you for sharing. What stood out to me most was your observation that part of this *isn’t* your story while it *is* also becoming your story, and this form or journaling resulted in this encouraging bit of wisdom you shared: “I feel better having written this. Sometimes, the writing is what we need to do. Truth is sometimes so much more manageable when corralled, reduced, and, at the same time, allowed to blossom as words on a page.” 💚
Dear heart. I have not followed along long enough to know this to be part of your story (emphasis on "part"), but I know the level of exhaustion I would feel if it were part of mine. It's like waiting for the plane to take off. Buckle up. Bags under the seat. Seat upright. Did I remember to bring the right shoes? The medicines? Will this be the time it all ends in catastrophe? No, of course not, silly, look at us flying, the clouds so inviting up here.
I'm glad you wrote. I see you and your vulnerability and am not put off by them. This feels like the most sensible way to process what is unfathomable. That and the drawings. The little embroidered ambulance. The mac and cheese.
Thank you, Elizabeth. Such a good analogy, indeed, and I love this very much: “ No, of course not, silly, look at us flying, the clouds so inviting up here.”. Chicken and dumplings! Sounds like a true comfort food pick! Thank you for jumping in here with your comments. It meant a lot to me to see this earlier today.
Eye, Parklet. I was a wedding photographer for many years. I can’t tell you how many times I was told something along the lines of “oh good, you’re here. Now we know we can be calm because you’ll handle it”. 😳🤣 Zebra, zygote.
Mac & cheese too. Lights. Eye first, then Storm lingers for days. Absolutely zero Parklet. Paper hats. Zany Zoo (my house right now). I appreciate your bravery in allowing vulnerability and sharing this window into your life. And as always your authenticity and compassion in your creative work and interactions with others. I find writing about the painful parts of life to be really hard. Sharing it even more so. Thank you for the reminder that it makes a difference for how you feel and for others who may read it.
Thank you, Erin. Eye and storm makes sense, calm when it matters, I would think. Glad to see some paper hats show up! I hope the “zany zoo” has some fun and whimsy to it. Good to see you this morning.
Split pea soup would never have occurred to me! I love that about questions like this that highlight these unique and individual threads. Was that a childhood favorite? You taught me a new word …. Zeroth. Thank you for that - and for reading/commenting.
Vegetable soup, flashing lights, storm, paper hat. Deep appreciation for your writing this week and the vulnerability it takes to openly write about hard times. It is your story and someone else's, yet I feel seen and articulated in a way I could never express about my own experiences. There have been a lot of ambulance calls in my life these past several years, and I was the 911 caller. I never got good at it. My social anxiety combined with fear and nerves during the emergency at hand rendered me nearly useless, or so I felt. The imagery of tapestry covering holes in the walls-- beautifully said-- and so accurate. I always feel incapable and unhelpful during such scary moments. I wish I was good under pressure but I don't want the practice it would require. I like the thought you touched on about what brings us comfort during these times. To even think of the list is comforting and I'll probably be adding that to my journal. Things that bring me comfort. Thank you for this post, for your inspiring art and prompts, and your wonderful way of capturing life in a way that helps me see that it is all worthy to be captured on a page, even the hard times, and it doesn't always have to be beautiful. The authenticity of putting it out there is a beauty of its own.
Thank you, Susan, for reading, seeing, and for letting me know you also felt seen. Your words really strike a chord. I am grateful for you singling out the idea of tapestry covering the holes. It is easy to look at tapestries lining a wall and make assumptions…. And yet so often there are holes. Holes are real. We all have holes. More and more I feel that keeping tapestries in place, even ones that are fading and a bit shabby, can work against us. I am happy that you somehow found Illustrate Your Week (or whatever led you to your journal and then to here). Thank you for reading.
Pasta, The Office and Gilmore Girls, flashing lights, storm, zilch, zoo.
"I should be writing beautiful things" - my darling, you have. All of this is beautiful, vulnerable, and so relatable. You are seen, loved, and appreciated. Thanks for sharing. 💜🩷
Peanut butter! I have comfort books more than comfort shows: poetry (Mary Oliver & Maria Popova's newsletters & another woman author I can't remember but who provided enormous solace when I faced an unexpected euthanasia decision for a beloved 4-legged companion, on the 1st day of COVID-19 confinement. Maybe I can't remember her because it would bring back the memory of that painful experience)
No "flashing" but a lot of on/off accompaniment for both parents until their passing - "eye" during that time with the exhaustion arising afterwards.
Peanut butter! I am really glad you listed books and made that distinction. That's wonderful, and I really appreciate that we all gravitate to something differently for comfort. (I am very sorry about your loss. I do know and really empathize with that moment.) I like how your string of words turned out.... zany zebra paper hats. Perfect! Thank you for commenting!
Zydeco! There's one I haven't heard in a while. Thank you.... I appreciate seeing these responses and the words we all pull in. Thank you for reading, Rebecca!
it isn’t just what you write, which is authentic, searing, true, and brave. It’s how you write it: luminous, tender, frank, full of fear and grit and coping. Comfort food, yes. Penelope, even more. But the writing soars above it. Please don't take it down.
I don’t have a comfort food, I have a comfort app. I spend countless hours playing idiotic video solitaire. I cannot explain why, but when I’ve read too much or written too much or someone in my assisted living dies--I never call the ambulance, but a lot of them come here --well, I can lose myself in Card Shark.
OK, maybe my homemade kimchi, with a splash of sesame oil, to smooth it out and take away the heat.
Thank you, Fran. These words mean a lot from you. I really appreciate this. I can certainly imagine the stillness (and a host of other emotions that might arise) that comes with the frequent ambulances where you live. A pastime like solitaire or a similar game that you can just tune out with.... oh I totally get that! Again, thank you. I just breathed a little deeper.
Chips and dips.... that's awesome. You actually got a laugh out of me about the wrong address. I'm sorry there was a call. I'm sure, in reality, you did just fine! I hope things are well - and that you can laugh about the wrong address now. It's always good to keep our sense of humor! Thanks so much for reading and for adding two awesome Z words! (I always read "when it works for me" -- I appreciate that we all should do that!)
I just wanted to you to know that I am thinking of you today and am glad that writing & documenting helped. I like the way you described the art of practice as it pertains to drawing and to guitar, and the way we learn these kinds of things are indeed different. Glad you are finding solace in playing/practicing guitar.
Sep 27, 2023·edited Sep 27, 2023Liked by Amy Cowen
Chicken Sandwich for the win! One of the big things with social media is how so much of what you see is window dessing, Its the stuff people feel good about and want you to see. Life isnt all about the positive. I prefer authenticity. Thank you for sharing this hard time in your life, for being who you are. Sharing is good for the soul just like drawing. paper hat, flashing, eye. Zoe and Zinger
Thank you for your comment and understanding. Our culture of window dressing really complicates things, I agree. Thanks for the Z words, too. They have been the whimsical poem of the week :)
Amy, I never liked comic books, and I think I don’t like graphic novels, but on your recommendation, I picked up Look Again, and I think that is a fabulous book. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. Now I am going to try some other writing that has a lot of drawing in it. I like to draw, but I am so drunk with words I just can’t seem to find the time, I admire that my sister Catherine Sanborn, whom you know, can draw something every day. Well, it’s something to aspire to.
I so wish Elizabeth could see this comment, Fran. Lol. It's really a wonderful comment. I know people fall on one side or the other of graphic novels. But I'm happy you took a look at Look Again. I talk/write a lot about memory (and lack of), and I really found Look Again interesting. I'm a huge fan of Catherine's work. Being "drunk with words" is a pretty wonderful statement though. We all pick and choose. There's only so much time! Thanks, Fran, for reading and commenting.
Amélie, or more recently, Lupin. Both are in French, not sure what that means. I don’t even speak French, well maybe, un peu. Flashing. Eye (but afterwards, not so much). Parklet. Zigger and Zag.
I really enjoy seeing the responses and the picks. Thank you for kicking things off this morning, for reading, and for Zigger and Zag. Have a great week!
Thank you for sharing. What stood out to me most was your observation that part of this *isn’t* your story while it *is* also becoming your story, and this form or journaling resulted in this encouraging bit of wisdom you shared: “I feel better having written this. Sometimes, the writing is what we need to do. Truth is sometimes so much more manageable when corralled, reduced, and, at the same time, allowed to blossom as words on a page.” 💚
Thank you, Rachel. I really appreciate seeing what stands out for a reader.
Dear heart. I have not followed along long enough to know this to be part of your story (emphasis on "part"), but I know the level of exhaustion I would feel if it were part of mine. It's like waiting for the plane to take off. Buckle up. Bags under the seat. Seat upright. Did I remember to bring the right shoes? The medicines? Will this be the time it all ends in catastrophe? No, of course not, silly, look at us flying, the clouds so inviting up here.
I'm glad you wrote. I see you and your vulnerability and am not put off by them. This feels like the most sensible way to process what is unfathomable. That and the drawings. The little embroidered ambulance. The mac and cheese.
Chicken & dumplings. Lights. Storm. Zealot. Zoom.
Thank you, Elizabeth. Such a good analogy, indeed, and I love this very much: “ No, of course not, silly, look at us flying, the clouds so inviting up here.”. Chicken and dumplings! Sounds like a true comfort food pick! Thank you for jumping in here with your comments. It meant a lot to me to see this earlier today.
Eye, Parklet. I was a wedding photographer for many years. I can’t tell you how many times I was told something along the lines of “oh good, you’re here. Now we know we can be calm because you’ll handle it”. 😳🤣 Zebra, zygote.
I can imagine people telling you that! Z words are fun, too.
Mac & cheese too. Lights. Eye first, then Storm lingers for days. Absolutely zero Parklet. Paper hats. Zany Zoo (my house right now). I appreciate your bravery in allowing vulnerability and sharing this window into your life. And as always your authenticity and compassion in your creative work and interactions with others. I find writing about the painful parts of life to be really hard. Sharing it even more so. Thank you for the reminder that it makes a difference for how you feel and for others who may read it.
Thank you, Erin. Eye and storm makes sense, calm when it matters, I would think. Glad to see some paper hats show up! I hope the “zany zoo” has some fun and whimsy to it. Good to see you this morning.
Split pea soup. Flashing (but not for an ambulance). Eye, parklet and paper hats. Zeroth and zygomatic. Thank you for being you.
Split pea soup would never have occurred to me! I love that about questions like this that highlight these unique and individual threads. Was that a childhood favorite? You taught me a new word …. Zeroth. Thank you for that - and for reading/commenting.
Yes, it was a childhood favorite. We had a lot of soups and stews in our house.
Vegetable soup, flashing lights, storm, paper hat. Deep appreciation for your writing this week and the vulnerability it takes to openly write about hard times. It is your story and someone else's, yet I feel seen and articulated in a way I could never express about my own experiences. There have been a lot of ambulance calls in my life these past several years, and I was the 911 caller. I never got good at it. My social anxiety combined with fear and nerves during the emergency at hand rendered me nearly useless, or so I felt. The imagery of tapestry covering holes in the walls-- beautifully said-- and so accurate. I always feel incapable and unhelpful during such scary moments. I wish I was good under pressure but I don't want the practice it would require. I like the thought you touched on about what brings us comfort during these times. To even think of the list is comforting and I'll probably be adding that to my journal. Things that bring me comfort. Thank you for this post, for your inspiring art and prompts, and your wonderful way of capturing life in a way that helps me see that it is all worthy to be captured on a page, even the hard times, and it doesn't always have to be beautiful. The authenticity of putting it out there is a beauty of its own.
Thank you, Susan, for reading, seeing, and for letting me know you also felt seen. Your words really strike a chord. I am grateful for you singling out the idea of tapestry covering the holes. It is easy to look at tapestries lining a wall and make assumptions…. And yet so often there are holes. Holes are real. We all have holes. More and more I feel that keeping tapestries in place, even ones that are fading and a bit shabby, can work against us. I am happy that you somehow found Illustrate Your Week (or whatever led you to your journal and then to here). Thank you for reading.
Friends, potato chips, Eye, Parklet, Paper Hat, Zest,Zeal. Thank you for writing.
Thank you, Lee. A good list! I am glad paper hats are here, too. Sometimes the whimsy is the foothold.
Pasta, The Office and Gilmore Girls, flashing lights, storm, zilch, zoo.
"I should be writing beautiful things" - my darling, you have. All of this is beautiful, vulnerable, and so relatable. You are seen, loved, and appreciated. Thanks for sharing. 💜🩷
Thank you, Trish. Seeing your words tonight meant a lot. I really appreciate you pulling out that line…. And replying. Thank you.
Peanut butter! I have comfort books more than comfort shows: poetry (Mary Oliver & Maria Popova's newsletters & another woman author I can't remember but who provided enormous solace when I faced an unexpected euthanasia decision for a beloved 4-legged companion, on the 1st day of COVID-19 confinement. Maybe I can't remember her because it would bring back the memory of that painful experience)
No "flashing" but a lot of on/off accompaniment for both parents until their passing - "eye" during that time with the exhaustion arising afterwards.
Zany zebra paper hats 🙂
Thank you for your soulful sharing.
Peanut butter! I am really glad you listed books and made that distinction. That's wonderful, and I really appreciate that we all gravitate to something differently for comfort. (I am very sorry about your loss. I do know and really empathize with that moment.) I like how your string of words turned out.... zany zebra paper hats. Perfect! Thank you for commenting!
Thank you for your empathy ❤️ It was my beloved snowflake Appaloosa mare, Omega. Gone too soon...
Oh, my.... I am so very sorry.
Ice cream and any dumb sitcom from the 80’s.
Stormy flashing lights and a deep understanding of that exhaustion in the aftermath.
Paper hats (I have boys!).
Zydeco and zen.
❤️
Zydeco! There's one I haven't heard in a while. Thank you.... I appreciate seeing these responses and the words we all pull in. Thank you for reading, Rebecca!
Amy,
it isn’t just what you write, which is authentic, searing, true, and brave. It’s how you write it: luminous, tender, frank, full of fear and grit and coping. Comfort food, yes. Penelope, even more. But the writing soars above it. Please don't take it down.
I don’t have a comfort food, I have a comfort app. I spend countless hours playing idiotic video solitaire. I cannot explain why, but when I’ve read too much or written too much or someone in my assisted living dies--I never call the ambulance, but a lot of them come here --well, I can lose myself in Card Shark.
OK, maybe my homemade kimchi, with a splash of sesame oil, to smooth it out and take away the heat.
Thank you, Fran. These words mean a lot from you. I really appreciate this. I can certainly imagine the stillness (and a host of other emotions that might arise) that comes with the frequent ambulances where you live. A pastime like solitaire or a similar game that you can just tune out with.... oh I totally get that! Again, thank you. I just breathed a little deeper.
I’m comforted by whatever current funny show my daughter and I are working through. Parks and Rec right now!
I love chips and dip. Dips of all kinds!
Flashing Storm -- but I did okay on the 911 call I did last month. Not really-- I gave the wrong address!
Parklet-- very useful during my college years
Paper Hats
Zither and Zephyr (these were my first thoughts for letter z and no one else said them!)
I read this week’s post a day late, so I’m glad you hadn’t taken it down before I got to it. Thanks so much.
Chips and dips.... that's awesome. You actually got a laugh out of me about the wrong address. I'm sorry there was a call. I'm sure, in reality, you did just fine! I hope things are well - and that you can laugh about the wrong address now. It's always good to keep our sense of humor! Thanks so much for reading and for adding two awesome Z words! (I always read "when it works for me" -- I appreciate that we all should do that!)
I just wanted to you to know that I am thinking of you today and am glad that writing & documenting helped. I like the way you described the art of practice as it pertains to drawing and to guitar, and the way we learn these kinds of things are indeed different. Glad you are finding solace in playing/practicing guitar.
Also, parklet
Thanks, Tammy. I appreciate it. I hope things are well.
Chicken Sandwich for the win! One of the big things with social media is how so much of what you see is window dessing, Its the stuff people feel good about and want you to see. Life isnt all about the positive. I prefer authenticity. Thank you for sharing this hard time in your life, for being who you are. Sharing is good for the soul just like drawing. paper hat, flashing, eye. Zoe and Zinger
Thank you for your comment and understanding. Our culture of window dressing really complicates things, I agree. Thanks for the Z words, too. They have been the whimsical poem of the week :)
Amy, I never liked comic books, and I think I don’t like graphic novels, but on your recommendation, I picked up Look Again, and I think that is a fabulous book. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. Now I am going to try some other writing that has a lot of drawing in it. I like to draw, but I am so drunk with words I just can’t seem to find the time, I admire that my sister Catherine Sanborn, whom you know, can draw something every day. Well, it’s something to aspire to.
I so wish Elizabeth could see this comment, Fran. Lol. It's really a wonderful comment. I know people fall on one side or the other of graphic novels. But I'm happy you took a look at Look Again. I talk/write a lot about memory (and lack of), and I really found Look Again interesting. I'm a huge fan of Catherine's work. Being "drunk with words" is a pretty wonderful statement though. We all pick and choose. There's only so much time! Thanks, Fran, for reading and commenting.