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Insights into the writing life of an exhausted mom of four 8 and under. |
Hey! You! Yeah, you! Could you bring this momma some coffee?  I'll be sharing my struggles and triumphs as I try to pin down inspiration while juggling an 8 year old, 6 year old, 5 year old, and 5 month old (oh, and also navigating my chronic illness). There'll be lots of humor, probably more than a little complaining, and just all around good times. I hope you'll come along for the journey! (Don't forget the coffee; I'm serious about that!  ) AlyCatAuthor A Proud Member of 
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| Prompt: How can you find relief when you're feeling overwhelmed? Write about this in your Blog entry today. I like to try and get outside when I'm feeling overwhelmed. Just standing outside on my deck and listening to the birds singing, someone mowing the lawn a few yards over, and feeling the wind and sunshine immediately calms my emotions. If it's raining, sometimes that's even better. I'll open my back door kitchen window and listen to the rain. Sometimes the cause of my overwhelm is my curious children and their loud, repetitive questions. I get sensory overwhelmed very easily, so sometimes I ask them to whisper their questions, or raise hands and speak one at a time. If I'm extremely overwhelmed and on the verge of snapping (usually because my children are arguing or fighting with each other), I will often send them outside to play. It resets their nervous system as well as mine. Usually turning down the volume on external stimuli and doing my best to create a calm environment around me helps me recreate calm within myself. AlyCatAuthor |
| Prompt: "Cats are distant, direct, impeccably clean and able to stay silent. What more could be needed to be good company?" Write about this in your Blog entry today. I chuckled when I read this prompt. Many cats I've known in my life had their "distant" moments, but my current kitty is no such thing. Anytime I'm at my desk, sitting in my rocking chair (or sitting anywhere, for that matter), he is there, looking up with his big eyes to see if he can jump up in my lap. The other three adjectives describe him nicely, though. At this very moment, while I'm writing, he's giving himself a thorough bath, and has been for the past ten minutes.  Impeccably clean. He meows when it's time to feed him, when he wants pets or treats. Direct. He doesn't meow at any other time, not even the way some cats do at night when they're roaming the house and can't find you (despite you being in the same bedroom for years). Ability to stay silent.And I would agree that makes for very good company. AlyCatAuthor |
| Prompt: Empathy "The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy." Meryl Streep What are your thoughts on empathy? Empathy is the ability to feel what others are feeling. To walk a mile with them, in other words. It's an incredibly vulnerable thing to do, but often rewarding. Sometimes suffering alongside others is necessary-what I mean is, when we love people, we naturally suffer with them whether or not we consciously "want" to. That is a gift we can offer our fellow man, a superpower we possess as humans. When we have empathy for the ones we love, and even extend that empathy out to those outside our immediate circle of loved ones and friends, it can go a long way toward fostering a better world. As a person with chronic illness, but also a person who's deeply sensitive, it can be difficult to juggle my own energy needs with the needs of those around me, especially my children and my husband, so I must be very careful in how I expend my emotional energy. For that reason, I don't watch a lot of news or current events. Instead, I offer prayers for the needs of the world while taking care to save my energy for those that need it most--my "neighbor", my family members, and often, myself. Some might say that makes me selfish. As I've grown older, I find myself caring less about what people say and more about how I treat people. When I have no energy left, I retreat into myself. I have nothing to give. I must first take care of myself if I am to be of service to my neighbor and to the world. AlyCatAuthor |
This is my first time joining the "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise"  prompts!Prompt: Learning Wisdom "By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest." Confucius What do you think of this quote and what is your method of learning wisdom? My usual method of learning wisdom is the third: experience. I am someone who has to learn things the hard way most of the time. On a few instances I've imitated (followed the advice of others) and gotten good results, but most often I have to experience the pros and cons for myself for it to stick. Lately, as I've gotten older, I've reflected more on my life, what I want from it, and what actually makes me happy. I think that's a great way to learn what works for you. I think the quote is spot on.  AlyCatAuthor |
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