It all started with a conversation with my mother
A lot of my brilliant ideas start that way. Sometimes they turn into something rather epic - like a photography business that I had which helped me put much needed money in my pocket and food on our table when I was a single mom. Sometimes they turn into a play on a recipe that turns into a new favorite win or a funny story failure. And then sometimes they turn into a spark that catches fire on the dying ember of a dream.
I started a 365 poetry journey at the beginning of January after falling back in love with writing over the winter break. I long to hibernate during winter and spend that time connecting with myself and what I want for the new year ahead. It’s become a time of “wintering” in preparation for a rebirth of sorts. I loved spending that time so much that I found myself committing to a whole year, a poem a day! And to my surprise (I tried this with pictures several years in a row and it fizzled after a month or two), I’ve stuck with it.
In the course of sticking to this daily writing and talking about the meanings and the topics with my mom, an idea emerged for a collection of poetry that would basically be a burn book of all the people, places, and events in my life that left their scars upon me (or tried to). I began feverishly writing and quickly finished several poems to send to her. Some came easily. Some came with tears. Some required tapping into places that were behind vaulted doors. Some needed time to stew and fester in my thoughts. Others exploded onto the page as if I were having an out of body experience - as if it had already been written and just needed me to sit with intention to let it out.
At the end of a couple of weeks I had my first draft sent to her, which she printed and placed on her shelf. The first copy, ready to be edited.
The next phase is for completed editing. Then artwork selections and page layouts. Then printing! My goal is to have Demortalizing ready to ship September 22nd, 2025 - my 40th birthday! It’s my gift to myself, and I cannot imagine a better one for this year.
