Making Space to Savor

The power of complete enjoyment. Even for a moment

These native sunflowers wake up in my garden this time of August

Hello Friends,

I have a confession. Cards on the table. Yesterday, I started to consider our August theme of Savoring and what I wanted to share with you today and a for a moment an insistent and bullying thought took over my brain completely: maybe you haven’t stopped to savor anything this week.

More accurately: Maybe you haven’t stopped to savor anything this week, asshole.

I’ve learned not to believe all of the intrusive thoughts that make their way through my mind. I paused, took some breaths and knew I needed to pay attention to what was going on underneath that bitchy voice.

What kinds of things did I savor this week? I asked again. What came up first wasn’t savoring but some stuck, lingering energy from conflicts that I’d gone through during the last few days. Some of them were really hard—conflicts with big systems like our insurance company. Talk about draining the life force right out of you!

I decided to make a list of things I’ve savored this week. Making lists is one way that I nudge my creativity when it’s retreating, feeling a little beaten up by the world. Putting pen to paper shifts my energy. As I began, I started to recall sweet and rich moments and tastes and energy…the list kept growing and growing and growing and wow!

I remembered why I write to begin with. I felt lighter re-experiencing what I savored. I released some of that hard, stuck energy in the process, too. I felt grateful and more mindful and aware.

That’s what savoring is about, right?

Being human, working through our challenges, exploring what’s in our shadows, existing in a broken world…we’re not gonna savor anything 24 hours/day. But that doesn’t mean that can’t pause. Make space here and there. Maybe five minutes of permission to not to be productive…not solve a problem…just to experience what’s in our August landscape can be enough.

Here are a few things that showed up on my list of what I savored this week:

• listening to the rain

• giggling with my son

• watching more sunflowers pop out in my garden each morning

• hearing about my friend’s new book idea

• participating in Oracle card sharing with my friend Ava’s Violets in Bloom community

• rediscovering a favorite poem, The Laughing Heart by Charles Bukowski (read here by Tom Waits. Incredible.)

The list went on and on. There can be a lot of life to savor in every day. I’m excited to hear about what’s showing up on your list.

---

Writing Practice: Set aside 5-7 minutes for this practice. Write in a journal or open a ‘Journey with The Season’ document where you can return each Sunday.

Prompt: Make a list of moments from the week that’s gone by when you were able to savor an experience. Don’t think too hard about the idea of savoring—just write down whatever pops into your mind. It could be listening to a song, a conversation, a moment in nature.

Pause and look over your list. Select one experience that stands out and describe it with sensory detail. Where were you when it took place? How did the experience shift your energy? What do you want to remember from it?

Deepening Practice: Set an intention each morning to savor some moment or something during the day. Make yourself a savoring date. Put it in your calendar. Notice what happens if you choose to savor a morning coffee with no distractions or go outside at night to savor the sunset or the stars. You could write some notes about what you savor.

Wishing you a week of love, creativity & blessings! Please invite folks who love creative self-expression to join us for August!

You can register now for Autumn Expression Writing Circle!

Writing With The Seasons: Autumn Expression is a place to explore the cycle of change and how autumn’s rich metaphors offer meaning for our own lives.