F is for Flourishing!!

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#AtoZChallenge 2025 letter F

Contributed by JaeSage

F is for Flourishing: Beyond Surviving to Truly Thriving 

Life, in its intricate tapestry, inevitably weaves in threads of change and loss. While these experiences can be profoundly sad and even devastating, they are an undeniable part of the journey we are fortunate to undertake. Navigating these turbulent waters requires more than simply enduring; it calls for a conscious shift from surviving to truly flourishing. 

Embracing Growth After Change and Loss

The immediate aftermath of a significant change or loss often necessitates time for processing and healing. Allow yourself the space and compassion to navigate the complex emotions that arise. Once the initial waves begin to subside, consider embarking on a personal journey toward a growth mindset. As the revered Thich Nhat Hahn wisely said, “Every morning when you wake, notice you are breathing, and smile. Here you are ready to start another day.” This simple yet profound practice reminds us of the present moment and the potential for renewal inherent in each new dawn. 

During this transformative period, remember the vital importance of seeking support. Lean on the strength and understanding of your loved ones, trusted friends, and even supportive acquaintances. Consider reaching out to professionals such as therapists or spiritual advisors who can offer guidance and perspective. Embrace opportunities to learn, grow, and assimilate new ideas. Ultimately, the goal is to integrate these experiences and discover your own unique path toward flourishing. 

Cultivating Loving-Kindness and Self-Compassion

A cornerstone of flourishing is the practice of loving-kindness, both for ourselves and for others. Remember, you are inherently enough. Embrace the understanding that you possess the capacity for growth and can embody a state of true flourishing. Self-care and self-compassion are not luxuries but essential pillars in this journey. Be patient with yourself, acknowledge your progress, and consistently take steps forward, no matter how small. 

Developing a SMART Action Plan

To actively cultivate flourishing, consider developing an action plan grounded in SMART goals. This framework provides a clear and structured approach to moving forward: 

  • Specific: Define your goals with clarity and detail. Instead of a vague aspiration, think in concrete terms.
  • Measurable: Establish tangible ways to track your progress. How will you know when you have achieved your goal?
  • Achievable: Ensure your goals are realistic and attainable within your current circumstances.
  • Relevant: Align your goals with your core values and what truly brings meaning to your life.
  • Timebound: Set a realistic timeframe for achieving your goals, creating a sense of direction and accountability.

By thoughtfully crafting and pursuing SMART goals, you can actively shape a life that is more aligned with your deepest values and aspirations, paving the way for genuine flourishing. 

Springing into a Flourishing Future

Once you have allowed yourself the necessary time for healing, cultivated self-compassion, and developed a clear action plan, you can begin to allow yourself the space to spring into action. Embrace the opportunities for growth and renewal that lie ahead.  

May your Spring, and indeed your life, be one of continuous flourishing! 

As always, 

JaeSage

For further reading:

  • Peace is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hanh
  • The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook: A Proven Way to Accept Yourself, Build Inner Strength, and Thrive by Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer

 

E Is For… Education!

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#AtoZChallenge 2025 letter E

Contributed by Tina Holland

E is for…Education

This particular topic seems to fit well with growth.  As a full-time writer, I often take the time to learn new things about the writing business, genre expectations, and occasionally craft.  Although I’m pretty comfortable with my style so if I do pick something up on craft, I try to do it between stories.

Continuing Education is for everyone, and it doesn’t have to be in a formal classroom setting. Nowadays, there are also options like MasterClass, Skillshare, and Teachable. If you are on a budget, think of YouTube videos that show you how to cook, crochet, or build a deck. Your local library also likely offers classes on a variety of topics.   A few years ago, I took a FREE class on Female Regency Authors through North Dakota Humanities.  I learned about more than Jane Austen.

If you missed our Spring Forward, we offered a few classes there as well.  You’d be amazed at where you can learn, and it’s essential to do so.  A new skill or perspective can change your course and hopefully bring you newfound joy.

I will continue to be a perpetual learner and am always curious where the next thing will take me.  In the next few months, Writer Zen Garden will be putting together a resources page.  I hope you’ll utilize it and continue to grow.

D Is For… Decision!

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#AtoZChallenge 2025 letter D

D Is For… Decision!

Contributed by A. Catherine Noon

“Just do it,” Nike famously said in their successful ad campaign that became a catch-phrase for motivational talks everywhere.

But what happens when you can’t “just” do it? And I don’t mean a physical inability, either. I mean, when your brain just won’t let you?

Think I’m kidding?

Our brains are incredibly powerful organs, so much so that we don’t yet understand everything about them. But the field of trauma treatment and recovery, as well as our growing understanding of neuroplasticity, tells us that the brain can literally change itself over time. We can literally change our brains. And what’s more, that unless we believe that change is possible, our brains, literally, won’t let us change.

Let me explain.

Say, for example, you want to get a job as an astronaut. You journal about it, cover your home with pictures of space, read everything you can about being an astronaut, even go to astronaut conventions and stalk Neil deGrasse Tyson tickets for every chance to see him speak. (Seriously. There’s a ticket site for that.) But. You’re not a pilot, you’re not in the best physical shape in your life, you don’t know any science or math, and you get woozy on really fast roller coasters.

Your brain knows that stuff. It knows that you aren’t a pilot, aren’t in the Air Force, don’t know any actual astronauts, have poor vision, and are “over the hill” for being in peak astronautly condition.

Your brain is no fool. Your brain just will simply refuse to believe this.

And therefore, it won’t happen.

Let’s try another example. Let’s say you really, really want a cookie. You love cookies. You have cookies in your kitchen, right there ~points~. Your cookies are waiting, calling your name. All you have to do is to walk into your kitchen, open up the container, and mack down on that luscious, chocolatey morsal…

Excuse me, I’ll be right back.

See how easy that was? Your brain knew it was a possibility.

So what does this have to do with decisions?

As we work on doing hard things, like getting in shape, writing a book, and overthrowing the patriarchy, we learn to approach the outer edge of what we believe is possible. That’s where decisions come in. That might look like not buying the cookies in the first place. That might include talking to a friend about your cookie (or Neil deGrasse Tyson) obsession. (Sorry, Neil!) That might even include working with affirmations, but adding the words, “I am learning to…” in front of them. One thing about our beautiful brains – they love to learn. So if we give them opportunities to learn, they will work their little brainy hearts out doing it.

And this brings me back to the astronaut thing. Just because we, ourselves, may not realistically become an astronaut, doesn’t mean we can’t fill our lives with astronaut-y things. What’s wrong with going to see deGrasse Tyson speak? Reading everything you can about math and physics and science and engineering, oh my? Nothing’s wrong, that’s what.

All we need to do now is, decide.

So. What do YOU want?

C Is For… Cultivation!

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#AtoZChallenge 2025 letter C

Contributed by Nicole Workman

Cultivation can have a few different meanings. It can mean to plant or farm a piece of land, like a Writer’s Zen Garden. Cultivation can also mean acquiring or developing a skill or practice. We as artists should create a practice of setting a side a time to create. Whether that creation means writing, drawing, weaving or any other artistic expression depends on the person. This practice not only affects our personal development, but it also can affect the world around us.

I know that I smile whenever I see a garment that I knitted being worn. I created that practical expression of creativity with my own hands, my own patience and my own perseverance. I hear so many people say “I could never do that” or some variation of those words and I immediately reply with some version of “Sure you can! I can show you how “. I acquired that skill and practiced it until I got good at it. I also make it personal practice to teach that skill to those who are willing to learn it. I am ‘cultivating’ that skill by showing others how to do it. I am cultivating individuals by increasing their own skill set. I am cultivating relationships with my students by sharing my skills with them and increasing their own.

I also garden. I water the plants, I prune them, I weed their beds, and I get almost the same amount of satisfaction from seeing my Garlic Chives so healthy and vibrant as I do when my roommate walks out the door wearing one of the hats that I made her. Did those chives survive the winter by being left alone? No! I worked at it. I made sure that the grass that was starting to sprout in that bed was removed. I water it. I prune it back by snipping leaves for my cooking. Those chives are not only an act of creation, but one of persistence. I not only cultivated the small bit of land in my backyard by planting it, but I created the practice within myself to continue to make sure that the plant is taken care of.

Essentially, cultivation is the act of creating. We not only have to create things, but we also have to form the habit within ourselves to keep doing it. Is a garden ever truly ‘finished’? No. You can plan it out, dig the beds, plant the seeds and water it, but the garden still requires tending just like relationships. Sometimes that requires metaphorical pruning, like removing a bad habit by creating a better one. For instance, creating an exercise program and better diet plan to cultivate your own health rather than continuing to ignore an expanding waistline and bad food choices. It could mean setting aside specific times for writing rather than telling yourself that “I’ll get around to it.” Acts of creation can not only affect yourself, but the people in your environment to everyone’s benefit and isn’t that what we should all aspire to? So “C” is for “Cultivation” and I hope that we can all use this practice to improve ourselves and other people.

B Is For… Books!

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#AtoZChallenge 2025 badge B

Contributed by Tina Holland:

At first glance, books might not seem connected to the theme of growth, but for avid readers, they are essential. Any book lover is loath to admit to their ever-expanding collection in a world that encourages minimalism. I think of the memes poking fun at Marie Kondo’s suggestion to limit books, which many readers find unthinkable. Those who proudly embrace their collections often liken themselves to dragons hoarding treasure—and, of course, they likely read stories about dragons, too.

Lately, I’ve been looking at castles and drooling over libraries. My farmstead doesn’t support the number of physical books I’d love to own, but I do have quite a few on my Samsung tablet—1,539, to be exact. That doesn’t even count the books I check out from the library, whether physical or digital.

I’ve been downsizing, letting go of books to make space, and I’m at an age where I’m not sure anyone will want them when I’m gone. I mostly read genre fiction, and not everyone shares my tastes. Owning digital books has been a great solution—I can have an almost unlimited collection and take them anywhere.

My non-fiction books are all research-related—mostly writing resources—because I am always striving to grow as an author. Reading allows us to grow, learn, get lost, find ourselves, and embrace freedom, love, and rebellion. Books shape who we are, and our bookshelves tell a story about us, whether physical or digital.

So let your bookshelf grow, along with your mind, heart, and soul.

“A room without books is like a body without a soul.” – Cicero

 

A Is For… The A to Z Challenge!

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Greetings from the rainy Pacific Northwest! I’m Noony, and I’ll be your host this month for the A to Z Blog Challenge here at the Writer Zen Garden.

First, though, I want to share something of critical importance. Now, more than ever, it’s critical for creatives to stand together and support each other. To that end, those of you here in the States, we are rallying this coming Saturday, April 5th. On this single day, four groups have come together: 50501, Indivisible, Hands Off, and Women’s March. They are organizing on two websites: Hands Off and See you in the Streets.

NOTE: As of Saturday night, 885 protests have been logged. Protests are being added daily. These are *non-violent* protests. Hope to see you there! If you can’t come in person, please help spread the word, either on social media or with your local press. Let’s show these billionaire oligarchs that America is not for sale.

Second, on to our theme, which is,

Growing!

The invitation to our writers is to interpret that however they want to:

  • Gardening
  • Spring
  • Personal Growth
  • Professional Growth
  • Life Cycles
  • Puppies and Kittens

We thought this would be a fun way to merge the ideas of Spring, creativity, and personal growth that we all like to focus on here at Writer Zen Garden.

If this is your first time, we have three aims:

  1. Get on the Page
  2. Find a Home for Your Work
  3. Give Back

Get on the Page

We are big believers in the idea that what makes someone a writer is the simple act of writing. We don’t need fancy diplomas, expensive certifications, or masters programs. What’s needed is to simply WRITE!

Find a Home for Your Work

So you’ve done it – you’ve written a piece, and you’re stinkin’ proud of it. Now what?

Well, what do you want to do with it? Leave it in a drawer or on your device? Publish online to a blog or newsletter? Release it as a book? Land an agent or publisher? We work together to help each other learn the ropes of the business of publishing and how to figure out what the next right step is for our career.

Give Back

One of my favorite parts of the writing community is how generous we are! Writers love to share their knowledge, expertise, and information. We like to create places for them to do that, either in our twice-yearly writing retreats or in special workshops.

We also believe in creating space to create, and host weekly online write-ins on Mondays and craft circles on Saturdays. Interested? We’d love to have you join us!

The A to Z Challenge

Throughout the month of April, we’ll be sharing posts from several of our regular members, and I hope you’ll come back and join the fun! And please, feel welcome to leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you!

-Noony

Join Us On Saturdays for Craft Circle

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A Good Yarn: Craft Salon & Makerspace

One of the most important tools we have is to remember our agency. It’s like the Serenity Prayer says: “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the strength to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” It is easy to get rolled under the wheels when the train is going as fast as it is. What helps it slow down and even stop for a while is to spend time doing things that bring us joy.

Sometimes, doing so is an act of resistance. “Living well is the best revenge.”

Come join us. We meet every Saturday on Zoom, free, from noon to 2:00 PM (1400) Pacific time, which right now is UTC -8 (it changes in Spring with the time change in the States). If you’d like to come, please fill out the form on the following link and we’ll send you the link by email.

Remember. We can always make something of our experiences. And sometimes, that’s exactly the change that’s needed in the world.

Namaste.

Statement on the Events of 11/5/24

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I wrote this for our weekly craft salon, and wanted to share it here as well.

Statement on the Events of 11/5/24

I know we’ve seen the news by now, and that the results are not what we wanted. I wanted to say a few words and provide, if I can, some measure of solace for the times that are ahead of us.
Plenty of words will be written and spoken in the coming days about what happened, why it occurred, and what to do about it. But my focus is, and must be, closer to home. What is relevant for our purposes is this: the foundation of our personal wellness comes down to at least three things: mindfulness, community, and creativity. It is by exercising those three things, which are entirely in our control, that we garner the strength to heal, the resilience to act, and the strength to respond to adverse circumstances.
Mindfulness:
Mindfulness doesn’t only mean meditation, and meditation doesn’t only mean stillness. As trauma specialist Molly Birkholm points out, there are three key questions we can ask ourselves whenever we need to come back to our home ground:
1. What is present?
2. Where am I feeling it in my body?
3. Is this information asking me to take some action in the world?
If you, like me, are experiencing a flood of emotions and anxiety, that first question is where our focus will have the most impact. As we learn to sit with our discomfort, to hold the hurt parts, the anxiety, the fear, and the rage, we come into coherence: coherence with our emotions, with our bodies, and with our minds. It is in coherence that we can act from our best and most enlightened selves. This is not comfortable work. It is not easy work. It IS work. It is THE work.
Stay with the emotions as you can, and remember that they tend to come in 90 second waves, like labor pains. Breathe. Practice good self care. Eat well, sleep well, hydrate. If we fall off the wagon and binge on junk food or drugs and alcohol, give ourselves grace to realize that’s a trauma response. We are trying to self-medicate. Get back on the wagon. Follow your program. I’ve got some resources below if you need them.
Community:
A Good Yarn: Makerspace and Crafting Salon is not going anywhere. We will continue our “politics-free zone,” and for the same reason that I put that in place when we started this. It’s not to white-wash what’s happening. It’s not to make nice. It’s not because there are good people on both sides. It’s because, plain and simple, we need a fucking break. We need a break from the vitriol, the division, and the very real fear for ourselves, our families, our community, and our world. Do not think for a moment that I am blind to any of these things. It is precisely because I see them and feel them so keenly that I need to stake out a place where I say, this place, this sacred space, this liminal space is a space out of space and a time out of time and is inviolate to the forces of confusion that seek to destroy it. It is, quite simply, a radical act.
Remember our communities. We are not alone, and there is nothing we cannot accomplish when we work together. I know that it might not feel like that right now, and that you, like me, are feeling bruised. That’s why these steps are chronological. Go back to the beginning. Go back to the breath. What is present. Where are you feeling it. Is the information asking you to take some action in the world.:
Act. Join your local Indivisible chapter. Cure ballots. (Ask me privately what that is if you haven’t heard of it.) Join Red, Wine, and Blue. Follow Heather Cox Richardson and Dan Rather. Talk to flesh and blood humans and stay the fuck off social media when you want to connect, and really connect with other humans. Come to craft circle. You don’t even have to say a word, just sit there and soak up the energy. Remember: Winnie the Pooh and friends didn’t kick Piglet out when he was feeling down. They sat with him.
Creativity:
I’ve said this many times before: all writing is a radical act. I would expand that to all acts of creativity are radical acts. Our power is in our hands and our voices, and in our ability to play. Audre Lorde said it best: “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation and that is an act of political warfare.”
Child-like pursuits are also radical acts. It takes balls to color as an adult. It takes balls to stand up and say, I like to knit. It takes balls to make something, to have the temerity to declare ourselves “artist” in a world that is fueled by monetization.
Do it anyway.
Stay strong. Keep the faith. Write.

Resources:

Mindfulness:
Yoga Nidra:
Molly Birkholm has a number of resources. There are quite a few, but the ones I like are a series she did during the pandemic:
Community:
Saturday studio time: Saturdays, noon to 2 Pacific on Zoom (leave me a comment to discuss if you’re not already on the list)

Indivisible: https://indivisible.org/

Red, Wine, and Blue: https://redwine.blue/
Heather Cox Richardson: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/ (there is a free version of her daily newsletter; she also puts up an audio version the next day. Letters come out daily in the evening. She’s a professor on the East Coast of the U.S.; non-partisan.)
Dan Rather: https://steady.substack.com/ (there is a free version; he’s a retired U.S. reporter, non-partisan)

 

Creativity:
The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron
Seattle Writers Group on Discord (leave a comment and we can discuss privately if you would like to join; open joins are paused for the moment for the safety of the community)
Monday Write-ins with Writer Zen Garden (leave a comment and we can discuss privately)
I will have more info and thoughts in the coming days, but like you, I’m reeling from the news. Be gentle with each other. And above all, remember you are loved.

Z Is For… ZED!

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We made it.

The 2023 A to Z Blog Challenge is in the bag. We have two straggler posts, and may get them up; if not, I’m STILL declaring this a win BECAUSE…

  1. One of us got laid off.
  2. One of us had a family memorial to attend.
  3. One of us went to Europe for three weeks.
  4. One of us is dealing with the disposition of the estate of a parent.
  5. The world is crazy right now, and everyone is dealing with Entirely Too Much (TM).

What did we learn this month?

  1. Don’t let the best be the enemy of the good. (I heard this from Colonel Lawrence R. Stack, and he said it’s “an old army saying.”)
  2. Some writing is better than no writing.
  3. Sometimes rushing gives you an edge. The trick is knowing how much to rush and on what things. Example: I didn’t get this post in on time yesterday, but I have 15 minutes right now and voila. A post.
  4. Sometimes stress makes you have to stop. Like, everything.
  5. Corollary: when you need to nap, do it.
  6. The body keeps the score. (This is from a book by that title, which discusses the impact of trauma on the human body.) But it’s true. If we don’t take measures to mitigate stress’s harmful effects, it will, perforce, HARM us.
  7. Meditation makes you faster.
  8. Slow down to speed up.
  9. Focus on one thing at a time.
  10. Multi-tasking is a myth. (No, really. Look it up. Emerging brain science insights prove it.)

And so, my friends, my message to you is this:

Thank you for visiting. You are why we do this.

Well, that, and chocolate. Will write for chocolate. And friends. And words.

Oh, hell. I write because it love it.

And you, Dear Reader. Much love to you. May you find the peace you need, the accomplishments you long for, and the goals you’ve set. Believe in yourself and take regular rest breaks.

And above all,

Write on.

Y Is For… Yearning!

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Contributed by JaeSage

I want to tell you about a dream I had the other night.  I want to ask you your opinion on what the heck it was trying to t tell me.  I have been yearning, yearning for change of some kind but it has been a bit of the “lady or the tiger” kind of yearning.

A dream… it begins with optimistic anticipation… a heavy backpack… going somewhere… two faceless companions accompany me. There seem to be other people in the near distance, shadowy figures, some benign and some menacingly dangerous. I can feel it.

There are three ways forward presented to the dreamer (me)… hard, icy cold, silvery metal elevator doors to a deep mysterious unknown:

Next there are dark, dank steep and slippery stairs back down to the level surface of vague familiarity.

And finally the third, a brightly sunlit, jutting promontory over a lush tropical ocean scene.

Which one to take? Which one to avoid?

First, choosing the lure of the clearly visible, yet unattainably far, turquoise ocean bay. Vivid memory of moving toward the promontory point. The sudden shock and terror of a relentlessly heavy, sharp wind and of being nearly swept over into the sea a thousand feet below. Ignored by the shadow others who accompanied me to this point of indecision.

Desperately begging the companions to help, trying to get them to realize the danger in their laissez-faire demeanor. Urgency! Save me! The backpack, grab it. It’s dragging me over. Help me stop. Help me make a better (safer?) choice. …… and then….. and then silence.       Sudden relief when I was no longer in danger of an imminent terrifying plummet into open space, anticipating a body rending landing on flesh-ripping bone-crushing rocks.

Where did the sudden quiet stillness come from? It’s a dreamscape … some foggy some sharp visions creep into my memory …

Wondering… Did someone grab my backpack thus relieving me of the burden that was also a sail being caught by the force of the seaward wind?

And then…another thought drifts into my mind… Did I perhaps, by myself, crawl along the surface toward a heretofore unseen door leading to one of the other difficult, scary, less visibly desirable, but perhaps, more serviceable choices forward? What was the dream trying to tell me?

What scene was just outside my vision? Could there also have been a smooth mostly level landscape, green and pleasant, albeit a bit of a misty fog hanging over it, obscuring the path? Has the optimistic anticipation of the dream’s beginning returned? Was that a memory of an actual element of the dream or is my waking mind embellishing the story of the dream with a fourth choice?

Again, what was the dream telling me? What was I, the figure in the dream yearning to do, to be, to choose?

Okay, looking back on that post, it was a bit David Lynch.

Now I am having an afterthought: Y is for Jungian*?

*Pronounced yoong- e- uhn, Carl Jung was a Swiss personality scientist whose research often involved dreamscapes.

Anyway, thanks for letting me in. Suggestions of what that all meant are welcome. Hope your dreams are lovely or at least interesting even if you can’t figure them out.

By JaeSage
Iowa Druid and Dream Maker
2023