Hello Readers,
Are there any of you still out there? It seems that the blogosphere has mostly died.
(Fine by me. All life is a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.)
Well, in case there ARE still folks reading, or perhaps for my own therapeutic writing and processing, I bring you some musing for November.
I heard someone say "NO is for November" and I immediately adopted it as my slogan for this month.
Why do I love it so much? Well, because it gave me permission to say No.
As a recovering perfectionist and people pleaser, saying NO is a skill I learned well into adulthood and am still learning everyday.
As a deconstructed ex-vangelical, it takes a lot of reprogramming to know and own that I don't have to do anything I don't want to do. And that I am the only one who knows what's best for me. Not my parents, not a person with a penis, or any other "authority figure."
When I learned of the results of the election, I contemplated what I wanted to do. There was so much anger and sadness all around me and within me. But I really didn't want to shed one single tear for that man. He does not deserve my tears.
I decided to unsubscribe from the New York Times (games only!) and mostly stopped listening to NPR too.
I really don't need to know the latest shitty thing he did.
And it's been GREAT!
I love not being angry and triggered by the news!
I decided that I'm going to be spending a lot of time at the pottery studio for the next four years. Hurray for hobbies and doing something creative with my hands! I even signed up for a two week wheel throwing masterclass in Korea next year! I'm so very excited. Something to look forward to.
Instead of consuming the news, I read a couple of books by Han Kang, the first Korean and the first Asian woman to win the Nobel prize for literature.
I read The Vegetarian first. I felt the translation was lacking but the book made me think deeply about violence and misogyny. The book is not for the faint of heart but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I'm just about to finish Human Acts. It is such a gripping book. I had heard about the Gwang Ju uprising and massacre but I learned so much more through this book and through characters Han Kang created. Highly recommend.
So, I guess I'm saying Yes to reading and pottery and no to News and Politics.
What are you saying No to this month?
Best,
Mary
