Musings

It's 6 am. I'm on my phone writing this drinking my coffee. We're in a hotel suite for my birthday weekend.

It's hard with the pandemic because until now, we really haven't traveled. Just leaving the house to go to work or the store causes me so much anxiety. Yesterday, I had to breathe in and out on the drive here to calm myself. 

The pandemic has forced me to slow down and perhaps, I needed that. But, what I have realized is that I don't want to stay home all the time. I'm an adventurous person who used to go to music shows at least every month. Maybe the secret is finding the balance. Even though I'm a Libra, balance has never been my strong suit. 

So I am changing, or trying. Finding my path. Trying to see what is next in store for me while trying to slay some of my own personal dragons/demons that hold me back.

Last night, Riverside City College's literary journal MUSE had me do a live reading and writing exercise. It was so much fun. Getting to interact with students at RCC was amazing and the connection we all made with one another was inspiring. 

Getting the opportunity to interact with these students was soul sustaining for me. I was also overjoyed to interact with two of my favorite people and writers, Professor Jo Scott-Coe and Professor James Ducat who hosted and moderated the event.

During the session, I read an excerpt from a story about my Dad's bar, a bar he owned for a few years in the 80s. His bar was called "The Big O" and it went belly up, but I used the story as a springboard for a writing exercise on writing about "place". The best part was hearing everyone share what "place" they personally wrote about. That to me was where the magic happened. 

I guess I am finding my place in the community. Writing is magic but so is community. Without community, we really are all alone. I need to remember that. We all do.