Author: Christine

Christine http://www.mombie.com I'm a writer/storyteller/director/creativity & lifestory coach with a black belt in ITF Taekwon-do. I read voraciously and I write like my fingers are on fire. I'm the founder and Co-Chair of the Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl and I'm the current president of the St. John's Storytelling Festival. I bake a mean chocolate chip cookie.

Gold Star!

I had a lot of trouble writing this morning but despite my brain’s continued objections I persevered and got my writing done.

Gold star for my efforts:

A drawing of a gold star with a happy face.?
A drawing of a gold star with a happy face.

Focused or Unfocused

Today went a little sideways and I spent the majority of the day organizing some of my art supplies for a project.

I’m not sure if I did the organizing because the day had gone sideways and I wanted to salvage it a bit or if the act of organizing supplies was why it went sideways.

Was this a day spent focused on a task or an unfocused day spent avoiding other tasks?

Damned if I know.

New Year Ritual

I lit a fire in my backyard, fire pit and burnt bits of paper with things I want to let go of written on them.

Will it help?

I don’t know. But what I do know is that it felt good and powerful and that is a good enough start for me.

A fire in a backyard fire pit
Image description: a square fire pit, surrounded by snow, the flames inside look warm and vibrant.

Just Say No to Mandatory Fun

When I was younger, I fell victim to the pressure to go out and have fun on New Year’s Eve.

I hated it.

I loved the idea of dressing up and going to a really fun party but it always seemed like the pressure to Have A Good Time made people edgy and there would be fuss and tension.

And/or it would mostly be a perfectly ordinary party with a tinge of disappointment because it wasn’t special enough.

So instead of enjoying an evening out, I always just felt kind of let down.

Eventually, I caught on and started having smaller get-togethers with just a few friends and good snacks. Just a regular get-together but with an extended timeline.

And these past few years, it has just been a quiet evening at home with my husband and sometimes with my sons.

Tonight, we’re all home and I expect I’ll be asleep before 12.

Sounds like the perfect way to end the year and start the new one.

Just say no to mandatory fun.

Softness

Just looking at this makes me relaxed and soft.

Photo of light snow on the corner of my patio where I have a decorative arrangement of festive greenery in a flowerpot and there’s a string of Christmas lights on the railing above it.
Photo of light snow on the corner of my patio where I have a decorative arrangement of festive greenery in a flowerpot and there’s a string of Christmas lights on the railing above it.