Dear Readers - here’s my very first field note. A little peek into the daily behind the scenes life of a mother-writer-entrepreneur. If you aren’t already on the Field Notes list, this is the only little piece like this that you’ll receive - if you’d like to be added to that section (I promise not to spam you with too many emails) just hit reply and let me know!
Today we were visited by Blue Jays, flitting from branch to branch. They lingered for almost half an hour, dancing between two trees.
Today my daughter braided my hair while I folded a mountain of laundry. My sister used to do that on weekends, brush the tangles from my hair and practice different types of braids. I miss her so fiercely every day.
My daughter hummed a song while she played with my hair, trying out her own versions of braids, and the laundry pile slowly started to shrink.
Today my son climbed the tree on the front lawn with a pocket full of birdseed. He sat so still that I thought maybe, just maybe, the chickadees might actually come and sit with him.
Today the sun hit the windows with full spring warmth and even though there are rain clouds on the horizon everything feels lighter somehow.
Today my youngest fell asleep in the now empty laundry basket while I was rushing all the piles to their designated places.
With the laundry finished, there’s more on the to do list but the spring sun is calling and the toddler is awake again.
Today I left the to do list unfinished and we pressed the door open, feet slapping against the riverside path.
Some days flow in this ordinary way, moving from tasks to exploration in a wandering kind of way.
Some days the call of responsibility is louder than the call to explore but I find that there’s always a give and take. The hardest part of running a business as a single mom is remembering that some days will not ask as much from me as others - and it is okay to relax on those days.
April is National Poetry Month
And in celebration of this, I’m offering a digital download in my shop for FREE. It’s a file you can print and use as a spark for writing (or drawing) your own poetry. Each page has hand drawn art that you can add to or color, alongside a writing prompt.
You’ll need to add it to the cart and check out to download, but there’s no fee to do so!
For the month of April, you can also take 15% off everything in my online shop using the code: APRILPOETRY
And if you’re local to my area, I’m leading a free workshop on Found Poetry at my local library on April 23rd - hit reply if you’d like more details!