My Sunday List
June 15, 2025 || Father’s Day || The twenty-fourth weekend of 2025
Words
“My father taught me that even our most profound losses are survivable. And that is–it is what we do with that loss–our ability to transform it into a positive event–that is one of my father's greatest lessons.” – Ted Kennedy, Jr.
“Large and lasting success is achieved through consistent attention to many small things.” —Franklin Moorer
Music
Only one record will do this morning. Thank you Merle Haggard, and thank you Bob Wills. These men are two of my musical fathers, introduced to me by my daddy. For all I lost without a father to guide me in my life, he made a big, positive impact in some important ways while he was here. Mostly the artistic ways, but believe it or not, a few of the character ways. He held everyone accountable. Ultimately, he couldn’t live with his own accounting of himself. He grew up with a hypercritical mother and I don’t think he was ever comfortable with his feelings about her once he was a grown man. He turned all of his rage inward. When it went too far and the scales tipped, he was a goner. Rest in peace, Daddy. I miss you.
Joy
Piddling. Fluffing the pillows, pulling the rugs out into the sun, wiping down the baseboards, straightening piles, putting the flowers, watering the plants, folding the sheets properly, organizing a cabinet when I didn’t plan to. That may be more than piddling… anyway—I like it.
Dreaming. There’s a lot of be said for letting the mind wander from time to time, not to be pulled from purpose, but for the expansion of it. I believe in staying grounded, but I’m not sure we can achieve the growth our souls desire if we don’t imagine what could be.
Flowers from someone who loves me in my favorite vase.
The way you do anything is the way you do everything.
Inspiration Card of the Day
I like to pull tarot cards some mornings. I don’t rely on them for exact information or anything but I do like to use them as prompts to think about a situation. I don’t think guidance necessarily comes from tarot, rather the nudge it gives our intuition.
Today’s card, pulled from Tasha van Ree’s the Untamed Elemental deck, is Waterfall.
From the guide book:
“LET GO Waterfall is an indigenous offering as resounding as the hum of the Earth. She calibrates and transforms all who witness her. An azure-colored force field–pulsating with purity, obeying the gravitational pull of her destiny, and shaping the Earth along the way–she dances with glittering abundance. Waterfall, in her unhinged impermanence, shows that some things cannot be stopped. It is through her wild existence that we receive a transmission: what has passed will be reborn by plunging into the soothing depths of euphoria. All we have to do is let go.
Waterfall says that nothing is permanent, and so grasping is pointless. This is actually good news. It takes so much effort to hold on tightly, and doing so rarely yields the desired result. Imagine you are thirsty and have only your hands from which to drink. If they are fists, the water has no place to rest long enough to make it into your mouth. But if you open your hands gently, a natural reservoir forms, and you will be able to quench your thirst. Take a cue from Waterfall and release what you have in your fists. Just like her trajectory, that of your destiny is unstoppable. What is truly yours will come without constriction.”
“It takes so much effort to hold on tightly, and doing so rarely yields the desired result.”
Amen.
I came across a photo of myself from a few years ago. I was on vacation. My eyes were sad and I was holding my jaw so tightly you couldn’t have pried it open with a crowbar. It was the visual definition of holding on.
Things have changed. My softness is returning. No clenching in this face ⬇️.
Gratitude
Remembering my goal is alignment. Because my boundaries are shit, I have to constantly pull myself back to myself. I guess that’s the point, for there is never an arrival, only awareness that the decisions I make today are directly responsible for how I will feel about my tomorrows.
Consciousness of vibration and the desire to increase it. When we’re cut off from ourselves we don’t notice as much. We can more easily look over the scenery chewer, the overbearing mansplainer. The quieter I become, the harder it gets to be exposed to negative energy.
My pollinator garden is coming along.
Desires
Control of my mind. I’d be lying if I said I had any kind of consistent understanding of myself and why my mind works the way it does. Goodness knows I’ve sought answers, and I do have some: we can all trace certain behaviors back to our beginnings. But I’m not familiar enough with my shadow self. I’d like to know more about my subconscious and unconscious. An intense reiki session almost three years ago in Carbondale, CO revealed I’m tussling with the different versions of myself I’ve been, which has to inform how I feel about my ability to be who I want to be in the present.
Integrity. The root of integration.
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
Risk.
As in, how much am I willing to risk and for what? Is this a question I need to ask hypothetically? I’m not sure we can decide until we get there—there, where the decision needs to be made. We think we know ourselves, but do we?
For me, this is all grounded in trust and faith because to risk, we have to be willing to let go. Don’t gamble if you can’t afford to lose it, I guess. How much do I trust myself to be able to take a risk and survive it? How likely am I to land on my feet?
It’s interesting to ponder.
I’m not facing a huge risk at this time, so I don’t know why this subject has decided to visit me. We shall see.
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
There are first edition copies of I Dream He Talks to Me and Blood in the shop. I will sign each copy that is ordered. If you would like it personalized, please send an email with your order number and the name you would like on the signature page to allisonmoorercontact@gmail.com.
Paid subscriber benefits:
Access to the chat feature on the Substack app.
Paid subscriber only Saturday posts.
A discount code to use in the shop for 24 hours when I list paintings.
Surprises from time to time — free merch, access to things in the shop before free subscribers.
You are a gift
As the “Ed Sullivan feeling” approaches, your Sunday evening posts are always a comfort. It was way before your time, but the Ed Sullivan show was the last fun thing to look forward to before the start of the school week. With all the tumultuous events this weekend, it was particularly welcome.
Your understanding and focus on the fonder memories of your father through music is a beautiful gift. Continue to nurture your softer side and your flourishing garden!