My Sunday List
March 16, 2025
Words
“Be not afraid of life. Believe that it is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact.” —William James
Music
Well, there’s nothing anyone can do about the weather. I guess we bewared (What is the past tense of beware? bewore? bewared? I just googled it and found out that beware is a defective verb and it has no simple past form in modern usage. I’m going with bewared.) the Ides of March
Poets & Prophets with Natalie Hemby will be rescheduled—we made the decision Saturday morning to err on the side of safety and postpone the event due to a huge storm that stretched from the Gulf of Mexico (say it with me) to the Great Lakes. I will be sure to let y’all know what the date is, as well as when it goes up on our website.
Otherwise, at this moment I’m listening to “Consequences” by Shelby Lynne. I’ve been enjoying Olive Jones a lot. And sister turned me on to this record and it creates a very good and very funky vibe that I like a lot. Check it out. PS Sister always knows about cool records.
What I’ve Been Writing About
The first quarter of this year has involved quite a bit of work on a big exhibit we have coming this spring at the museum. I can’t wait to tell you about it. It hasn’t been announced yet but will be soon.
Otherwise, I spent time finalizing my script for the Poets & Prophets program with Natalie Hemby. Again—I’ll let y’all know when the rescheduled date is settled.
My morning writing ritual lately reveals gratitude for redirection. There are periods of time when spending time in morning pages feels rote, but I think that mostly has to do with the approach. I can’t ever give myself too much time before I put pen to paper—it’s the rawness of the morning that lets me find the center of myself. If I wait to long to find where I am, the outside world obscures the shortest path and I risk finding out in a less than opportune moment. Better to take the time to check in than regret not doing it. As I was saying about gratitude for redirection—every time I think I’ve lost something I didn’t want to lose, I realize at some point that not only did the pain of losing give me wisdom I never could’ve gained otherwise, it also directed, redirected, or corrected my path. More to come on that.
Book
My dear friend KM recommended North Woods, by Daniel Mason, and I started it yesterday. I haven’t wanted to put it down since. It’s part of my research for my upcoming book to read great novels, so, I’m essentially working by losing myself for hours in a world that only exists between endpapers.
Gratitude
a great job. a good education. experience. an soulful, special child. a house that’s a home. hope. faith. love. spring. daffodils. great people.
The way you do anything is the way you do everything.
Why Don’t You…
(apologies to Ms. Vreeland, of course).
as Dolly says, “find out who you are and do it on purpose.”
err on the side of love?
check in with the person you keep thinking about?
remember who deserves the benefit of the doubt?
What I made.
I got some work done on the (what I hope is going to be gorgeous) green capelet that’s on the dress form in my workroom. It’s shaping up and I’m excited about it.
Progress. I was thinking this morning, after having a ruminative moment over something out of my control, that I am in charge of my consciousness, and that that’s all there is.
Favorite photo of the week
What brought me joy
witnessing excellence.
pursuing excellence.
music.
feeling myself learning how to let go what isn’t for me.
Prayer
Thank you, Great Spirit, for the life you give me every day. Thank you for the blessing of my son, my sister, my family both biological and chosen. Thank you for the blessing of this experience, even when it seems like the hard times are too hard and too many. I know I must walk through periods of difficulty in order to learn what I need to learn until I transmute the lessons and see that every encounter with my woundedness is an opportunity to address it, not to try to numb the pain. That process is ongoing and will never ease until I die if I do my proper work as a spiritual being. If I keep my eyes on you, I can see it all as a blessing. None of us gets to have a life of no hardship. Struggle exists for a reason. If you cut open a chrysalis in order to help the butterfly out and ease its struggle, it will not build the strength it needs to fly.
Humble me and lift me out of my pit. Send me the tests I need to remind me to choose the path that leads my soul home and to turn to you with every breath. Please strengthen my faith so I might hand all matters over to you and the wisdom to know you will work miracles in me through whatever you place in my blessed path. Remind me my choices determine my experiences and my lessons can come through positive ones rather than the opposite.
Allow me to gracefully release what is not meant for me and to hold tightly and lovingly to what is. Allow me to be open to change every day as you remind me it is the only constant besides you. Allow me to repair what is broken. Allow me awareness of my dissociative tendencies and keep me present so I may make choices that reflect the life I desire. Allow me clarity, focus, and courage. Allow me to rise to my highest vibration each day and spread truth and beauty wherever I go. May I learn how to truly forgive. With deep gratitude I pray that your will, and not mine, shall be done.
Intention for the week to come
May I be present and fully inhabit my mind, spirit, and physical body.
May I walk through the world with an open heart and without judgment.
May I be curious and ask questions before I decide.
May I breathe peace in, and breathe love out.
May I be humble and see myself clearly so I may accept my limitations while working to lovingly decrease them. May my progress be reflected through my actions, seen and unseen.
May I have the self-possession and grace to meet others with the kindness and acceptance I desire for myself.
May I find the flexibility in myself to gracefully accept the imperfections of life and not take inconveniences personally.
May I think before I speak.
May I think MORE than I speak.
May I first do no harm.
May I be grateful for what I have and may I not seek more for my selfish gain.
May I allow myself to trust but may I also always use my discernment.
May I have CLARITY and find a way to be CALM about it.
May I be patient.
May my vibration resonate in harmony with the universe.
May I remember it isn’t about me.
May I do good work.
May I have optimism and positive thoughts.
May I be open to what the Great Spirit knows is for me, and may I walk my path accordingly by remembering I can only take it one step at a time.
The Telepathy Tapes
Yes, I have listened to this podcast. Yes, I believe every word. John Henry cannot type yet, but I think he will learn. I’ve had similar experiences to those recounted in this podcast, but ones that are unique to us and how we communicate and how we understand each other. If that makes sense. It’s a way of knowing. It’s a fascinating thing and I’m so glad the world is being introduced to ideas like these from a knowledgable source that can provide research-based evidence.
Before enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. — Buddha
DO NOT EVER LET THE BASTARDS GET YOU DOWN.
Something I’m thinking about
More on what I was saying about being grateful for redirection—and it has to do with what I was saying about choosing my consciousness too. Life unfolds no matter how we try to resist change, so if that’s true, why should I, or how can I be unhappy about what is actually the only constant? There would be something wrong if there wasn’t change in my life. No one has a life of no struggle. No one has it good all the time. Sometimes we’re on top and sometimes we’re on our ass. It’s about how well you ride your particular bucking bronco while you’re letting things unfold, I think.
Yee Haw.
Also:
clearing out cognitive dissonance and not entertaining separate realities that aren’t really realities.
bewaring those who care more about how they appear than who they actually are.
protecting what is dearest.
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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poets cats and dreams. y'all win Ms Allison
Thanks for bringing me olive jones, a little peace and a dash of hope.