Diary 32
Writing prompts I created this month, free to use in your own journal, at the dinner table, in letters to friends, etc.
01. EARLY HIKE
What seemingly daunting task did you get a head start on?
Trying to incorporate cold plunges back into my routine, I want to make it a daily ritual this winter.
02. WILD CARD
Choose a story to tell. Fact or fiction, yours or someone else’s.
Just before dawn two woman light a candle and set it on a wooden table. One sits at the table with her hands in her lap, the other stands behind her. The woman standing begins to braid the other woman’s hair, starting at the scalp and weaving her way down. Because the candle on the table is the only source of light in the room, the woman braiding draws it closer to her hands to better see her work.
In the shadows, the table grows longer & wider. This satisfies her.
03. PISTOL WHIPPED
When did you have to give, or receive critical feedback?
Was recently humbled by an incident with a meat slicer.
04. MIND-BODY CONNECTION
Describe a moment where your brain & your body worked together.
Went to an evening hot yoga class after a hectic day at work. We spent the first few minutes of the class in shavasana—lying on our backs, arms & legs slack, eyes closed—with the intention of letting go of the day’s stresses, grounding into the present.
At one point I looked at myself in the mirror. The room was entirely candlelit, casting shadows across different parts of my body. I could see the beads of sweat rolling down my chest, the outline of the muscles in my arms, & the weight held in my thighs, tense & unyielding. Slowly I noticed, seeing myself from this perspective, that I was “in it.” The only thoughts I had pertained to the ways I was moving in the class, the postures we were holding. I don’t know what the magic dovetail was that connected my brain to my body, but the two were certainly working in tandem, inextricably connected.
05. COLD EGGS
What isn’t nourishing you anymore? Spiritually, mentally, or physically.
Keeping quiet, & burying my emotions in order to accommodate other people’s needs. I’ve had this mentality that “I can be whatever you need me to be, so long as it keeps the peace,” & it’s not only hurt me, but a lot of my relationships, too.
06. PROTÉGÉ
Who is mentoring you at the moment, and what are they teaching you?
Jenny Niezgoda. With books like “The Kinfolk Table” & “Wabi-Sabi Welcome” influencing her practice, she’s been teaching me how to make & style food in a way that’s simple, rustic, and beautifully imperfect. She uses quality ingredients—local meats & cheeses, in-season vegetables & fruits, nuts, herbs, etc.—without all the dress-up, honoring the diverse, organic flavors of each ingredient. The only decoration we do add to our plates is a sprig of rosemary, thyme, or sage leaves.
07. VANISHING ACT
”Di si bija kad je grmilo,” a Croatian phrase that translates “where were you when it thundered?”
Identify a time when you felt the need to escape.
Every time I start to argue with someone, my first impulse is to walk out & leave. I saw a lot of fighting growing up, so I don’t have the capacity for it. But my boyfriend’s been teaching me to lean in instead of running away, & that conflict doesn’t always mean a screaming match.
08. TENDING THE HEARTH
How do you prepare for the winter?
A weighted blanket, lots of bread, more time alone.
09. TWO HEADED DOG
Any supernatural encounters?
Nothing paranormal per se, maybe surreal makes more sense here. One night recently I watched a thunderstorm swell up & rupture over the ocean. Thick droplets of sunlit rain & sharp lightning that forked in three different directions.
