Day #2- Daily Post Challenge

Late last Thursday night, my writing coach (whom I haven't worked with since last Summer) sent me a link to a Parenting Journalist Conference which started the following morning. My immediate thought was "How dare she send me a link to an event without at least 24 hours notice!" But I soon realized what good fortune it was that she thought to include me at all. Thanks to this conference, I've broken free of the publishing anxiety that plagued me for the better part of a year. 

The Challenge

I've been looking for something, anything to get me sit down and write. In August 2020, I penned and chickened out of posting the following:

"I am a bit of a perfectionist and can be indecisive. I've come a long way in my advanced 46 years - I can get out of Target in under 20 minutes if I REALLY have to. Most of the time I can deal fine with these traits accept when it comes to writing. In my writing life, they are crippling.  

Hearts

I love Valentine's Day. I always have. The day is all about love and red-- one of my favorite colors-- and hearts. So, I am going to come right out and say it it: I love hearts. There. Why did it take me so long to admit?

Online School Starts Next Week and I'm Filled With Dread

Online school starts in 4 days and while I am excited for my kids to finally have real structure around their day and start using their brains for more than building Minecraft houses, I am also filled with a sense of dread. 

Taming the Shame Spiral

The other day I ate a lot more than usual in the form of lots of little snacks throughout the day. Those snacks culminated in an all-too-familiar late night snack alone in front of the TV - a crippling compulsive eating habit that over the years has let to weight gain, clinical depression and a paralyzing negative self-image. 

I woke up the next morning, felt the bigness in my stomach and then it began: the negative self-talk. "I overate. I am a terrible person. I hate myself."

But that's when something new happened. I heard my Higher Power's voice

Happy-making Neighborhood Messages

What a different world it has become since the carefree world of January 2020 and my last post. Since the Covid-19 stay-at home order, it's been 88 days of social-distancing, hand-washing, mask-wearing, zoom-meeting, school-struggling, art-journalling, compulsive-sewing and mom-calling. 

I Didn't March This Year, and I Am Totally Fine With It

For the last 3 years, the Women’s March in Downtown L.A. and the Overeater’s Anonymous Birthday Party have been held on the same day, January 18th. For the last 3 years, I’ve made it a priority to march-- which has been a great experience. For some reason this year it was a tougher decision to make. Something inside of me had shifted and was leaning toward the OA Birthday party so that's where I went and I’m happy I did.