Oh, my stars. Is it really mid-July? I can’t believe it’s been two whole months since I last posted anything here.
The trouble is that I’m juggling altogether too many things – publicity for Chantress, the last edits for Chantress Alchemy, and the start of the third Chantress book. And that’s just the writing part! When I do get a bit of online time, it’s measured in moments, so you’re more likely to find me tweeting than blogging these days.
All things considered, I’ve been fairly productive juggler. This summer I’ve done various guest posts for other blogs, including a fun one about the touchstone images for Chantress, where you can see the Tower of London at night and a chained book and one of the most amazing clockwork pictures ever. I’ve worked on flap copy and other odds and ends for Chantress Alchemy. And I’ve got Book 3 (still untitled) off to a great start. I even squeezed in a radio interview and a short writing retreat in deepest Oxfordshire.
But all the same, I have my issues with juggling. It’s a necessary skill, but you can do too much of it. After one too many nights up in the wee hours, mind racing, I’ve begun looking for ways to center myself and slow down.
I started last month with something I’ve neglected for a long time: meditation. It’s amazing how even five minutes of essentially doing nothing can somehow change everything. I’m starting to say “no” to a whole bunch of things that were wearing me out. Although I still have a heavy workload, I now have a little more time to say “yes” to the things that really make me happy: walks and talks with my daughter, playing the piano, concocting a new flavor of ice cream…
I’ve also been spending more time in my garden. Poor garden! At one point this spring, it was almost as neglected as this blog. But it’s holding its own now, despite this month’s brutal heat-wave. You still couldn’t call it a show garden, but every day it brings me pleasure.
The motto I chose for 2013 is “Fill the well” — and little by little, I’m working out how to do that.
How do you fill the well? I’d love to hear.
A walk around the garden…
…with the friendly neighborhood cat (who is especially interested in the catnip)
Lots of purples this month…
And pinks galore.
Alchemy Pie 
I thought it had been a while! The beach, the moors, my garden… they’re all great well-filling places for me. Sometimes, surprisingly, so is writing a blog post or pondering a few some-day work ideas. Friends, of course. Contemplation. Working on a hard redraft is sending me down to the well v frequently at the moment!
Oh, that’s a wonderful well-filling list, Jenny! And I should add that hearing you talk at Charney boosted my own well by quite a bit. Much empathy going out to you as you redraft!
Beautiful garden, Amy. And yes, by all means, pace yourself. I just started meditating this spring, and it is really paying off for me, both mentally and physically. (My fibro pain levels are down a bit, and I swear it’s related – and there’s research to back that notion up, so . . . )
SO excited for you and all your Chantress news!!
Thanks, Kelly! Glad to hear meditation is helping you – and doubly glad that you’re in a little less pain. Long may that trend continue. Pain was one of the reasons I took up meditation myself, and I do find it’s a help.
Your garden pictures are gorgeous. I’m glad you’ve found time to tend and celebrate the colors. And that you were brave enough to choose a difficult motto for a year when you put out the first of a trilogy! Some of those things that demand, thankfully, also fill us. But one does have to say no even to lovely things sometimes. And maybe take what comes our way and put it into the writing. I’d rather be feeling peaceful and gardeny as I did a few days ago, but anger just sped my way, and it may be some new fuel… meanwhile, glad to bask in your better-tended garden!
So sorry to hear that something made you angry, Jeannine. I wish we could sit down and have a good, long catch-up session over iced tea in the garden, but in the meantime all power to you as you contend with it.
And yes, it’s a challenging motto in such a busy year. But if I don’t pace myself, I know I’ll come up empty. Yesterday was another mind-racing night, but I’m trying in ways large and small to steer toward calmer waters.
Oh Amy, what a gorgeous garden you have! I’m so glad to hear that you’re also tending to your own well being by meditating and spending time with things and people most important to you. It’s funny how when we give ourselves the space to find our peace and strength, we become very attuned to giving what needs attention its due and then releasing it so it doesn’t linger and rattle around our minds.
I’m so happy to spend a little time here in your garden before I have to go weed mine! lots of love xoxo
Sending love right back to you, Lorraine. I’ve been thinking often of your Rumi poem about welcoming every guest. Not easy to do, but I’m working on it, and the effort is worth making.
The garden is actually a mix of beautiful and disastrous, but I do my best to appreciate the beauty while working out small ways of tackling the disasters. Next time I’m weeding in the garden, I’ll be sending fond thoughts your way!
Such beautiful flowers! And how great to hear that Chantress 3 is off to such a good start. I’ve been meditating more lately too, using Jon Kabat-Zinn’s body scan tapes. I think I’ve gotten over the hump; it used to be something I was supposed to do, lately it’s been something I want to do. Other well fillers are natural beauty, especially greenery and any kind of water. And the joyful smiles full of crooked teeth that I get from my disabled son.
Great to hear that you’re meditating, too, Kit. That will give me strength for my own hump days. There’s a JK-Z mountain meditation that I really like, and when I do that, I will think of you. And I like your well-fillers! Wonderful, all of them.
Chantress 3 actually got off to several good starts, each of which, upon reflection, wouldn’t quite do. But I think the latest one is right. At any rate, I’m happy enough that I can finally move on, once some writing time opens up again.
I’ve come over to look at these lovely photos several times since you posted them, but have been slow to get all the pieces of my virtual self into some order so that I could respond (gravatars, profiles, oh my word!), but they’re beautiful and very much reflect who you are in the world. Thanks for sharing it with all of us!
Such a lovely thing to say, Hannah. Thank you. (And yes, all the blogging kerfuffle is a bit overwhelming at times! But I’m so glad you’re persisting, as I always love hearing your voice.)
Ah, your garden is so lovely. And I loved seeing the neighbor kitty in mid-prowl. I’m in awe of all you have going on right now and am happy you’re taking care of your needs in the midst of all that busy. Learning to say NO is such a vital skill if we want to survive emotionally and physically. I had multiple social events on Saturday and purposely scheduled down-time in between them so I wouldn’t end up a puddle of overwhelmed Tracy by the end of the night.
I’m off to read your post about touchstones…
That post was amazing. I can see how those images would keep you deeply grounded in your story. I’ve been trying to find images for my WIP but haven’t had a whole lot of luck so far. I’m going to keep digging, though, because it seems like a great tool. Thank you for sharing that.
You’re so wise to schedule that down-time, Tracy! I am always tempted to pack just one more thing into my day, but you’re right – learning to pace yourself is a survival skill. Love your description of “a puddle of overwhelmed Tracy.” That could be me.
And I’m so pleased that the touchstone post spoke to you! lmage rights are a fraught issue and I care very much about copyright, so I couldn’t show some other images that also meant a lot to me. (I collect images from all over the place — I’m always buying postcards at tiny historic houses, for instance.) But on the web, a good place to look for neat stuff is the Creative Commons at Flickr.
Though when it comes to photos for your bird book, I would guess you’re all set! You are an amazing photographer in your own right.