My Sunday List
Subtle Shifts || May 04, 2025
Words
"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”—attributed to Socrates
Music
Instrumentals make a lot of sense to me right now. I don’t want to hear songs from the past most of the time and I’m not sure what the future sounds like except for the music I’m making. Creation swirls around me—not only from me but from those in my orbit. Not much better than a burst of inspiration in the springtime.
Saint Seven is inching toward releasing a single. I finished recording my parts yesterday—now Kenny will do his thing with it. We took some incredible photos Friday evening with Nathan Chapman, who delighted in the back story of Saint Seven and Scout. I can’t wait to show y’all those images. Soon! Sorry to be a tease, but I don’t have exact dates yet.
Speaking of instrumentals, I’m particularly digging the Tezeta (traditional Ethiopian soul, Afro-funk) playlists I’ve been listening to on Spotify. It’s a vibe.
Don’t forget Natalie Hemby in conversation with me at The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, May 24, 2025. I think the event is sold out, but there is a waiting list.
What I’ve Been Writing About
The past few days I’ve been thinking about what divine femininity is in a universal sense—space, receiving, openness. It is soft, empathetic, and keeps a steady cadence. It is nurturing, healing, and wise. It isn’t specific to the female sex, but it is specific to the open-minded and self-possessed. Maybe I’ve thought of it lately because there are so many badly underdeveloped egos running things these days. I don’t have any questions left to ask, just precious people to hold onto and protect through this time of utter woe and confusion. The divine feminine wraps her arms around the world.
The way you do anything is the way you do everything.
Book
I’m about 3/4 finished with North Woods, and it just keeps getting better. I have a tender spot for novels that have a supernatural element or elements, that stretch the boundaries of your mind just enough to cement the fact that there is no world except the one you hold in your hands that could contain those little idiosyncrasies.
Gratitude
Endings. All roads lead to maybe—y’all know I like to say that. But some roads can be closed indefinitely, as in until further notice, for extensive repairs.
Fresh perspectives. What a wonderful thing to have the capacity to change my mind.
Celebrations. Taking care, preparing, selecting music, flowers, personal touches, dishes, glasses, and adjusting lighting—all so very worthwhile pursuits. It’s a lot to welcome groups of people into your home, but hosting a warm and welcoming gathering is one of the pleasures of my life. This past week, it was my lady love Libby’s birthday. I recalled the blowout she had planned for her fiftieth, which came in April 2020. Of course, she cancelled it. And though this was no blowout, it felt so good to celebrate life and love.
Rain. The word for the smell of rain=petrichor. The green of this early, rainy May is the greenest it’s ever been.
Peonies. The first blooms always take my breath away. What could make petals so soft? With so much information at my fingertips at any given moment, I could list the cellular structure of a peony petal here and look like a smarty pants. But the thing about flowers is the thing about so many natural things—one petal is not the whole bloom.
Desires
Clarity. In every area. I rearranged two rooms in less than twenty-four hours this weekend. I always get a boost from seeing things in a new way. My studio benefits the most—as I dig down on the novel, the other projects I like to busy myself with (ie. get distracted by) get pushed further to the edges, which is good—that’s the process. A slow, steady sharpening of vision slowly, steadily pushes out the non-essential. It is a blessing to be able to concentrate but as we know it is not a given, especially now. Finding time and space away from the outside world is starting to feel like rebellion.
Simplicity. Never have I been so convinced that mindless consuming leads to misery. I’ve purchased my share, more than my share, of crap that ended up in a landfill. Maybe the insane economic instability of the present times will have a positive effect on the appreciation for quality craftsmanship and materials and we’ll all consider our purchases more thoughtfully.
Flow. Life can feel jerky at times. Inconsistencies in speed—whether through actual physical conditions, emotional whiplash, or others’s uncertainty can make me feel woozy—like standing up too fast. It’s amazing what our bodies can handle without so much as a squeak upon adjustment, so when I feel myself lurching about, trying to find steadiness, I know I need to take a minute to breathe and get back into rhythm. I finally have the power to refuse to absorb what is not mine to absorb. It’s a practice, but isn’t everything?
Prayer
Let me be good. Let me remember to talk to you and hear what you have to say to me. Let me value your divine knowing over anything and everything else, over anyone and everyone’s opinion. Let me be choosy about the counsel I seek. Let me be loyal, kind, and compassionate to my friends and family. Let me use good judgment and strength of character in every moment. Let me never forget that each breath is a gift from you, from this universe, from the miracle that is this moment of perfect combustion. Let me be strong in my faith. Let me receive inspiration. Most of all, let me love and be loved.
Intention for the week to come
May I be the best version of myself at every opportunity.
May I be patient. May I be kind.
May I have self-awareness.
May I clear clutter from my life.
May I welcome change.
May I love unconditionally.
May I slow down my emotions and keep them at arms length. They are clues—not answers, not truth.
Something I’m thinking about
How to not always be thinking about where I go from here. At this moment, I just want to be here.
Before enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. — Buddha
DO NOT EVER LET THE BASTARDS GET YOU DOWN.
Wishes
That we all receive the love we deserve.
That we all find comfort and peace.
That we all find time for the things that soothe us.
That you will forward this to one person you think might like it.
Have a wonderful, peaceful, joyous week. And thank you for supporting my work here at The Autotelic.
Peace. Love.
Allison
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Love.❤️
I'm so excited to hear new music from you. Not to be an embarrassing fawning fan here, but you have an incredible voice!