My Sunday List
September 3, 2023
Quote
Each moment of our lives is important. Each moment of our lives is a spiritual experience. To live fully in joy, we need to learn to enjoy the good times as well as weather the storms. —Melodie Beattie
Song
More Than it Seems by Citizen Cope.
Cope is highly underrated and overlooked. This tune has been on repeat the past few days.
I watched
I know I tried, but I honestly don’t remember anything. That’s what happens when I try to watch something at the end of the day from the bed. Plus, my doctor gave me a tiny sleeping helper and I’ve never felt this rested, so I don’t care if I ever watch another television show at the moment. A person can only do so much, right? And I guess if it truly relaxed me, if I could really check out in front of a movie or an episodic thing it might happen more often, but I think the last time that happened, it was Daisy Jones and the Six or The Bear.
I hate to feel like I’m missing quality filmmaking though — so please do recommend anything y’all think is worthwhile.
Book
I spent the end of the week with The Bitter Southerner’s Issue No. 6. This is a high quality publication about things I care about. Bravo, y’all.
Thing
Band aids. I gashed my shin this morning while I was watering the garden and saw bone. Yep. I calmly finished my task, walked inside the house, went to the hall closet where all of the magical medical things are and found the biggest bandaids we have (I keep an assortment — you never know). I applied it to my leg and told myself I’d look at it later, when it is calmer and I’m less likely to faint by seeing that greyish-white color in the middle of the place where my skin was together but is now split open into a crevice only haste could so jaggedly cleave.
Thank you, Curad, for your box of 30 assorted heavy duty bandages.
Drumsticks. I had one for lunch. I deserved it after all that, I think.
Favorite Photo I Took This Week
We went back to the trampoline park and had a blast.
Prayer
Thank you, Great Spirit, for showing me what I need to see every single day, for reminding me that when I listen, I can hear exactly what I need to hear, and for continuously revealing that I always have what I need.
Intention for the week to come
May I be present before I am concerned with being anything else. May I be supported by the universe to make the best decisions for my life and for my family from that present place. May I remember I can only achieve that presence when I allow myself to feel where I am first, before I try to figure out how others feel and then try to base my life and worth on them and what they do. May I remember to keep my mind on myself in the most humble way, may I remember that my relationship with myself is the most important one I have, and that I am autonomous, powerful, and loving.
Something I’m thinking about
Forgiveness. How to get to a place so clear in myself that I really do let go with love. It can take a while. I guess it should, not only so it can be authentic, but so it can hold. I say it’s okay not to rush it. I should trust myself, trust the other person, and trust the relationship we share to give one of us a nudge when it’s time to figure out the next phase. I love myself enough to know that some things work out and some things don’t, and outcomes aren’t always up to me.
Before enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. — Buddha
Habit
3-3-3.
When I’m uncomfortable, I make sure I keep my field of vision wide so I keep my nervous system regulated. I silently name 3 things I see, 3 things I hear, and 3 things I physically feel.
Learning about radical acceptance.
Radical acceptance is based on the notion that suffering comes not directly from pain, but from one’s attachment to the pain. It has its roots in Buddhism and the psychological paradigm put forth by Carl Rogers that acceptance is the first step towards change.
Rather than being attached to a painful past, radical acceptance suggests that non-attachment is the key to overcoming suffering. Non-attachment does not mean not feeling emotions. Rather, it refers to an intention of not allowing pain to turn into suffering. This means watching your thoughts and feelings to identify when you are allowing yourself to feel worse than is necessary.
The lack of judgment that is an important part of radical acceptance does not involve approval of the situation. Instead, it involves accepting reality for what it is and not getting caught up in an emotional reaction to that reality. (From Very Well Mind — read the article I’ve quoted here).
Wishes
That I feel joy every time I am able, and that I spread that joy to others.
That I take good care of my family, make good art, keep myself clear of negative emotions and harmful stress, and stay open to all of my options.
That I meet others with love and compassion, even when I know I’m dealing with their trauma and not the real them.
That I am able to push forward with my ideas and meet my goals, little by little, and still allow myself to be human and not work all the time.
That you will forward this to one person and that person becomes a subscriber too.
There are more paperback copies of Blood in the store. I’ll sign a copy for you — both hardbacks and paperbacks are first edition copies. The prices are going up after Labor Day, so snag one today or tomorrow.
If you would like your copy personalized, please send a note with your order number and the name you’d like on the signature page to allisonmoorercontact@gmail.com.
Have a wonderful, peaceful, joyous week. And thank you for supporting my work here at The Autotelic. New paintings are coming soon!
Lots of love,
Allison
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Access to the chat feature on the Substack app.
Paid subscriber only Saturday posts.
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Surprises from time to time — free merch, access to things in the shop before free subscribers.
Another week of gratitude for this newsletter!
I really love the article you quoted. I needed this reminder: “accepting reality for what it is and not getting caught up in an emotional reaction to that reality.”
It is too easy to mistaken the emotional reaction for reality itself. But once I gain awareness that I’m fixating on my emotions, feeding a progressively worse picture of reality than exists, forgiveness and peace are so much easier to come by.
My husband and I watch TCM movies almost exclusively. There is so much variety, and movies used to be so much better. They show movies I remember seeing in the 70s with my friends, as well as 40s-50s noir films, which we love. I also learned to appreciate Fred Astaire films, which give me great joy. They have an HD app you can watch if you are a subscriber through cable. It’s the best.