Inspiration is everywhere. Through the years I’ve learned that some of the things that we see as distractions from the creative process can actually be the fuel we need for our next for blog post, article, or essay or even our first or next book.
That’s why I love sharing with you what I’m currently watching, writing, reading, listening to, loving, feeling, and planning. Here’s the latest edition of Currently!
That’s how people have described me for most of my life. As I got older and started making a name for myself as a writer, blogger, business owner, and teacher, I thought this would change. And in some ways, it did. In some circles, I’m “the blogger girl.” Some people actually call me “See Jane Write.” And to my former students, I will always be “Mrs. Bowser.”
But for most people, I just went from being “the girl with the long, pretty hair” to “the lady with the long, pretty hair.”
I know I should have been flattered. Someone saying my hair is pretty is a compliment. But I was tired of people paying more attention to my hair than to me.
On May 7, I started chemotherapy for breast cancer and by the end of the month I’d lost my “long, pretty hair.” But even in its absence, my hair continues to steal the show.
As we all continue to stay safe at home in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic we must rethink what it means to be a part of a writing community.
These days, we can’t – or at least we shouldn’t – huddle up with our writing friends and blogging buddies in tiny side rooms at our favorite coffee shops. But that doesn’t mean we can’t still get the support we need from our fellow creatives. As you work on your next post or project you can get the encouragement you need and still practice social distancing.
Of course, I think the best way to find the online writing community you need is to become a member of the See Jane Write Collective. Enrollment for membership won’t reopen until the fall, but you don’t have to be all alone until then. You can join our free Facebook group, the See Jane Write Network, today!
Back in February when I turned 39 I shared a list of 40 things I want to do before my 40th birthday.
Then COVID-19 ended the world as we knew it.
Shortly after that I learned I would need to undergo chemotherapy. (In case you’re new around here, I was diagnosed with breast cancer in January, but initially told I would only need surgery and radiation for treatment.)
COVID, cancer, and chemo obviously mean that many of my 40 Before 40 plans — like traveling and hosting in-person events — simply can’t happen. And for a while, I was going to just ditch the whole project. But that felt too much like giving up and that’s something I refuse to do.
Writing my way back to God isn’t just about using my journaling practice to thank God for the bright future I believe will one day be my reality. Writing my way back to God also means leaning into gratitude and thanking God for my life as it is right now. Even in the midst of cancer, chemo, and the COVID-19 crisis, I am unbelievably blessed.
Here are 30 things, people and places I love about my life right now.