Remembering, forgetting, and remembering again…

Have you ever had the experience of remembering something, then going to write it down, and you forget? Then, later on, do you remember it?

Or maybe you’ve written a blog, eGuide, or email, and you go back and read it and don’t remember writing it?

Yep, the aging mind is fascinating and frustrating at the same time…

Something like that happened to me this week, yet it was a bit more profound. And I’m sharing it to help reignite the inspiration that may be buried within you, perhaps forgotten, and that can certainly be remembered again…

After the holidays, I’ve been trying to tidy up the house and reorganize some of our spaces.

Since our local Barnes and Noble was moving across town in December, all the books were 50% off, and… well… it appears we bought A LOT of books during that sale.

In fact, I was walking around the store with such a big stack of books the manager came over to me and asked me if I’d like a basket. Can you relate? Or am I the only book hoarder I know?!

“Ummm, sure, that would be very helpful,” I said.

And there went our trip to B&N. Of course, Alice was also asked if she wanted a basket as well! Therein lies our large number of books and other things to organize issues.

It’s a fun issue to have, btw. 🙂

As I was tidying up, I found a big black 12×8 notebook. For the life of me, I couldn’t remember what was in there.

After I opened it and started leafing through it – wow! It was one of those things I remembered, put it out of the way, forgot about it, and now I’m remembering it again…

It was a notebook that I had used in 2021, a year into the pandemic, when I took Natalie Goldberg’s 8-week writing course based on her book, Writing Down The Bones. (If you want some inspiration in your writing, I’d highly recommend it.)

When I started flipping through it, all the exercises came flooding back. And rereading my writing felt like I was reading someone else’s work.

I approached it from a “Beginner’s Mind.” (I will write more about this favorite topic in future eNewsletters.)

I was so curious about what I wrote for her exercises. The only caveat is that you can’t let your pen come off the page when writing. And my handwriting was sometimes pretty atrocious to decipher what I wrote!

I’m excited to share one of her thought-provoking ideas to inspire your writing, whether you write for business – emails, blogs, social media posts, and more, or write for pleasure and personal expression.

Here’s how you do this writing exercise. It’s simple. 🙂

Get out some paper, a notepad, or a notebook.
Get a pen that rolls across your paper quickly and smoothly.
Then, pick one prompt.
Set a timer for 10 minutes and start writing.
The goal is to keep your pen on paper without stopping, thinking, or editing.
Get whatever thoughts or ideas come to you on paper – no judgment, no comparing, just write. 🙂 And no one ever needs to read it except for you.

This is supposed to be a fun exercise. If it’s not, then sit this one out. It’s ok.

No pressure.

Just notice that. Be curious about why you don’t want to do this exercise.

And maybe tomorrow or in a couple of days, you may come back to this email and want to try it.

Don’t worry. I will always be here for you.

Next, Natalie would always give us writing prompts, which were incredibly useful. (And you can get many more from her book as well.)

My favorite writing prompts from Natalie Goldberg’s Course:

I remember… (This is one of my favs.)
What I forgot? What I don’t remember?
Write about something you love or hate intensely.
What brought me to this page?
What I see out my window.
I’m thinking of, or not thinking of
What’s missing, or what’s not missing?
What have you loved all your life?

I hope this inspires you to be more curious and look at your writing and that of others in a new way.

New Added Sections: I’ve added a few more new sections. And there’s a new, hopefully easier to navigate layout to this eNewsletter that I hope you like…

Paragraph I’m Pondering:

“Open your eyes to goodness, beauty, and abundance. Imagine yourself as a successful, satisfied, prosperous, fulfilled person. Really open your eyes to the goodness, beauty, and abundance that are all around you. Imagine this world transformed into a happy, prosperous, and enlightened environment in which everyone can flourish”.

Today, I am joyful, successful, and prosperous. ~ Shakti Gawain, Reflections In The Light, Daily Thoughts And Affirmations

Powerful Affirmations to Inspire:

I am successful, courageous, patient, loving, kind, prosperous, creative, and aware ~ Shannon (Created in 2000 after my first layoff from Corporate America)

Book Reviews:
Yep, I’m a bit behind on my reviews. 🙁
These will be coming to your inbox soon.

Turning Pro: Tap Your Inner Power and Create Your Life’s Work by Steven Pressfield.
10x Is Easier Than 2x: How World Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More By Doing Less by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy.
The Magic Path of Intuition by Florence Scovel Shinn.

Weekly Earworm:

“It’s a Beautiful Day… Don’t Let It Get Away…” U2 is still on the brain. 🙂

What You’re Up To:

One of my long-time friends and previous client is an amazing Energy Intuitive—Lara Reggio. Her blog this week was SOOOO spot on I had to share it with you. If you’re overwhelmed by goal setting – her perspective is about creating goals from your heart, not your head. How do you want to FEEL when creating and accomplishing your goals? Must read. 🙂

NEW Weekly Scavenger Hunt:
(Yep, this is another new section and layout.
On my walks, I usually find/notice some interesting things.)

This week’s finds: 3 pennies and then 6 cents – hmmm, should we read into that this week? I think we need to pay attention to our sixth sense – our intuition – and let it guide us.

NEW Cool Stuff
(It’s kind of new. I put it in last week and forgot to mention it!)

Jun 5, 1933 – Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge Started. It officially opened 4 years later on May 27, 1937. At that time, it was the world’s longest bridge span. It’s one of my favorite bridges that Alice and I explored on our first date. 🙂
Fascinating Historical Photos Taken by the US Government between 1935 and 1943. Click on an area in the map to see them.
Google’s Year In Search 2023 – I love to check out trends and what people have been searching for. It’s always pretty interesting.

NEW AI Info & Resources:
(I thought I’d add what I’m finding and using to help and inspire you.
Note: Some of these are free, and some are paid.)

There’s an AI For that – All the AI resources you never thought you wanted but may end up needing. 😉
My favorite AI Business Plan Writing Tool – I’ve used this tool several times, and it’s saved me a bunch of time in research and resources. It’s, of course, not perfect out of the box. It will need some fact-checking and edits. Yet it gives you a terrific outline and info that I found top-notch.
Yep, there’s now a Godmode AI. Oh, I know your curiosity may get the better of you to click on that. 😉

Weekly Photos:

Well, this isn’t an eNewsletter without the weekly picture of Emma, who loves hanging out on the back of the couch.

Then there’s yours truly sneaking in a shot with my favorite 2-legged and 4-legged beings.

And yep, we got some snow on Shasta Bali this week. She’s looking quite majestic amidst the clouds. I hope you weathered any storms that may have come your way this week.

My favorite is Yogi Tea. I love the insightful quotes on their tea bags. And they’re always the right words at the right time. So sometimes I save them to share with friends. Maybe you needed this today like I did. 🙂

My scenic shot this week is the sun hiding through the clouds, through the power lines tower. I wanted to highlight this lone tree that suffered in the devastating Carr Fire of 2018. She’s still standing and looking sprite.