Friday Dispatch: Annual Leap of Faith
Momentum without rest = burnout
“The most effective way to do it, is to do it.”
~ Amelia Earhart
Friday greetings,
I feel like I’ve been going a million miles an hour in a thousand different directions. When I mentioned this to someone close to me, their response was a reframe – and a revelation.
Maybe you’re just gaining momentum.
Hmmmm. Momentum. Hearing that word at that moment shifted something for me. It helped me remember that there have been times when I’ve felt stuck or stagnant, ready for change, but not sure what that change might entail. It allowed me to appreciate that things are in motion. And while this might carry its stresses, it is ultimately evidence of aliveness and vitality.
Some of what’s been gaining momentum around these parts:
🏳️⚧️ This afternoon, we (concerned parents and community members) are holding a rally, Reclaim the Middle School: A gathering of support & action for the LGBTQ+ Amherst community. This ongoing advocacy and activism has been a significant part of my life since May.
✡️ This week, I received word that I have been accepted into Cohort 4 of the Jewish Studio Project Creative Facilitation Training program. This two-year adventure begins in October. I am pinching myself.
✍️ I continue to spread the word, and so appreciate all of you who have joined me in that effort (and enrolled yourselves), about my new eCourse Getting Words on the Page. This is an evergreen course, so you can sign up and get started at any time! The coupon code CREATIVESUMMER is good through August and gets you 50% off the course price, so it’s just $125.
🌀 Registration is now open for Ebb & Flow, a very special new offering. This live (Zoom-based) group will run from September 2023 to June 2024, offering a small number of participants the opportunity to develop and deepen their writing practice with community, continuity, and curiosity over the course of a school year. Note: Spots are already filling up!
🍂 Last year’s workshop Writing Into the Days of Awe was so powerful that I’ve decided to hold it again this fall. It’s for anyone (Jewish or not) who would like to carve out some space within to prime their spirit through poetry for a period of reflection, introspection, repair, and renewal.
And so I make my leap of faith into an annual August break with a sense of wonder, gratitude, and fullness – and also the awareness that skipping over this would put me at risk of burnout. I’ve been there before and would like to do what I can to refill my well.
Taking rest is a privilege. Since I don’t have paid time off, it’s also a gamble. But the stakes are just too high not to do it, and so as I have for the past few summers, I will unplug for a whole month starting next Tuesday.
For me, this means no social media, no newsletter, no planning, no responding. Just being. Reading. Eating. Swimming. Wandering. Unwinding. Reconnecting. Returning. In years past, I don’t even write much, if at all.
Please enjoy perusing the links above! You can also find more details about these offerings on the Groups page of my website.
I look forward to seeing you here in September.
Shabbat Shalom and love,
Jena