Cheers to October 1

A little over a year ago I did a thing that truly changed me.

I bought a ticket to the Brave Magic writing workshop in the Redwoods of Santa Cruz where I got to learn from two of my writing inspirations: Cheryl Strayed and Elizabeth Gilbert. Now that the Fall air is starting to settle in, I have been thinking a lot about my experience at 1440 Multiversity and what I learned from Liz and Cheryl. Most importantly, what about my life has transformed since then. These things have been on my mind a lot lately, so I wanted to share them here.

1) I set a goal to have the first draft of my book printed, and I accomplished that goal (must to do to see it become real in the world, but it’s a really legit start)

2) I set a goal to put myself ‘in the way of beauty’ more and seek out situations, people and environments that I believe would inspire creativity. I feel like I did great for about 6 months, and then life derailed me (basically, things got really busy). Going to re-focus there. If you have insights into things you think I should look into (poetry readings, workshops, open mics, gatherings, etc), let me know. One thing that I did do all year was commit to seeing every band that came through Salt Lake City that I loved. I have been to more shows this year than the last 5 combined (kids, man!). And it has been so good for my soul.

3) I took an Instagram hiatus for one month to re-calibrate expectations and reevaluate the purpose of it in my daily life. Re-entry was better, but it is time to pull back from social media a bit more again. Today, I deactivated my Facebook and plan on starting 2020 with another Instagram break as I jump back into sober January.

4) After the workshop, I felt a real need to create an living environment around me that felt more like home and would give me space to find solitude within the walls of my house. Half of that goal has been realized as I am creating an artful space in our new home, but still need to set aside a specific space that is for me only. That is in the works.

5) One quote that keeps coming back to me from Cheryl is “True love liberates the beloved.” I found a new appreciation for my relationship at Brave Magic, and committed to being a liberator, and I asked him to do the same. We are good at this, and we will get even better. We say yes to what each other needs out in the world, and it is truly the best thing about our relationship.

These are just from photos from 3 days of heaven, and they make me feel a lot of joy. 1440 Multiversity was a magical place, and it is a place I want to get back to over and over to invest in myself, my well-being, my happiness, my solitude, and my writing and art.

Cheers to October 1.