My sister and I have been trying to do a 100 Day Project on Instagram this year, 100 Days of Heart to Hearts, and though we haven’t yet finished, we have reached around 40 posts.
Going through them makes me feel like they were written by someone else, and I guess they were – that person I was earlier this year, that person I was yesterday, the person I was a moment ago.
Sometimes I look back on old posts and poems and have no idea where they came from or if I can even write something similar. I did write them though. And you wrote what you wrote too, whether it was yesterday, a year ago, ten years ago.
Writing is just stringing one word after another with some modicum of grace, telling some story, imparting some hard-won knowledge, being poetic or telling a joke.
I can persevere even when I’m not sure how. Maybe because there are fundamental things I believe in, things that mean something. Meaning is so important. Connection, too. Keeping promises to ourselves, and to other people. Knowing our strengths, boundaries, and where we can improve. The power of kindness and compassion. Patience.
For one of the 100 Days of Heart to Hearts, I wrote ten things I believe. I’m glad I wrote them down because sometimes I need reminding. Especially about tea, and art.
- The power of empathy to help bridge differences and drive change. It’s not the only thing, but helps people to understand each other.
- Stories are powerful. The stories we tell ourselves, that we write, read, and watch. Stories can stay with us or help us see things differently. They can be dangerous or make things better.
- Love is a verb. People love in different ways, but we need to show love – not to ‘prove’ it – but because love is what we do, more than what we say. Little things, showing up, listening, it all counts.
- Tea might not solve everything, but it certainly helps. Tea facilitates conversation and reflection, creating warmth and gentle comfort.
- Community, even when it changes over time. I’ve been a part of a few communities in my time and they’ve always taught me something, even if it was a hard lesson.
- Creativity is our biggest human asset. Without it we wouldn’t have science, literature, cities, technology, or language.
- None of us have all the answers. Mystery is good and we can’t solve everything. And nobody has it all together – we’re all trying our best with what we have.
- Feeling safe is important. Even when we stretch ourselves and take risks, it’s still important to feel safe and comfortable, to have a space (real or imagined) that brings you comfort.
- Art, in whatever form you enjoy, is necessary for a happy life.
- Kindness, intentional or unintentional. The world needs more of it to offset the cynicism.
What do you believe? What reminds you of the good in life?
‘Tea is slow.
In growing.
In drinking.
In enjoying.
It makes sense. Good things take time.’
– Lu Ann Pannunzio.
Cats and Chocolate 
These are beautiful notes. 🙂
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Thank you ❤ xxx
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I believe that love wins, that it is the most powerful force in the universe, that it is the only force that can defeat evil, and that one day I will learn to BE it. Thanks for these reminders.
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Same. Thank you for your comment! 💜
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I’ve come to many of the same conclusions you have about kindness and storytelling and empathy. People think these are squishy, sentimental things, but they’re actually the most concrete thing in the world…and they DO drive change.
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Absolutely! Thank you for commenting 🙂
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Bellissimo. Dogs are a big reminder for me. 🐾
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I need to read this. Bookmarking it for tough time.
Also, I’m so glad to see you’re back for NaBloPoMo. Really looking forward to your posts! xx
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I hope it helps when things are hard 💜 Yes, it’s nice to be in the blogging community again, I’ve missed it. And lovely to read your writing again too 🙂 xxx
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Dogs are lovely. Obviously a cat person but dogs are so adorable and loyal and loving.
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I’m glad we have cats, too. 😊
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What remind me of the good in life? The mountains. Adventures in the wild. They call to me, you know, and I go as often as I can.
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Thank you for sharing. I do love a good walk in a wood/forest and a nice cup of tea afterwards. Nature is very grounding.
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Lovely words and insights. Animals and small children a the best teachers and sources of unconditional love…treat them well.
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They are 💜
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I do find it an interesting experience to read back over things I wrote in the past, too. Sometimes it’s grounding, sometimes I learn or re-learn something from my past self, sometimes it causes a feeling of dissonance. Thank you for the thoughtful post, happy Nano Poblano!
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I love reading back over the things I wrote months or even years back.. like when you look at photos… they bring back amazing memories and feelings. I loved reading this, thank you!
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