My Gratitude Journal

Apparently, August 25th is “Kiss and Make-up Day” and so the gratefulness challenge that I started last week ends on a perfect day. Yesterday we had our annual Island End of Summer Celebration, parades and games in the main field. I was feeling a little withdrawn but nudged myself to go. It’s funny how anonymity sets in over the summer, but as the beginning of term comes close fame returns. Over the crowds and excitement, I heard “It’s Mary!” several times and the eager smiling faces of the students at my school rushing to greet me with hugs and stories of their summer adventures. Summer is drawing to a quickened end and before I know it will be the last week in August once more. But for now, I can look back and remind myself to take in the brevity of cherished moments and be grateful for all the wonderful instances each day can hold.

Day 1:
*I am thankful to have the love, support, warmth and kindness of family and such wonderful friends that have been by my side over the years.
*I am ever so grateful to new friends that have come into my life have helped me through some of my hardest moments.
*I am truly grateful for the generosity of spirit of so many people that surround me.

Day 2:
*I am thankful for the grey days that shade me from the hot sun.
*I am thankful for the rain that cools the day and quenches the earth’s thirst.
*I am thankful for having shelter from the storm and the choice to stay inside or to go out and dance in it!

Day 3:
*I am grateful to be in reasonably good health and have a relatively strong body.
*I am grateful for the ability to learn from my mistakes, to improve on my shortcomings and to build on my weaknesses.
*I am thankful for all the little things… To stop and take a moment to smell the flowers, to watch a bee or bird take nectar from a bloom, to feel the cool breeze, the hot sun, the rain, the snow…
*I am grateful for forgiveness, to be able to forgive or be forgiven, for an open heart, mind and soul.

Day 4:
*I am ever so grateful for the kindness of “relative” strangers in my life that have renewed my beliefs in the good that surrounds us all.
*I am thankful for memories, shared and private, to be able to look back and relive the moments of my life, good and bad, and to learn anew from each experience.
*I am very thankful for all the lovely moments I can look forward to, the adventures I have yet to take and that I have the privilege to explore.
*I am truly thankful for those that read my writing; all those that enjoy my stories, articles, books, blog posts, etc. And I am grateful for the reciprocal inspiration that they have provided me along my path.

Day 5:
*I am thankful that I have had many hardships in my life. They have strengthened me, connected me with many wonderful souls and served as a brilliant contrast enabling me to appreciate all the wonder, kindness and love in my life.
*I grateful for learning from my daily struggles and overcoming past troubles, for the paths chosen that have led me to the experiences of today.
*I am grateful for hugs that warm you from within, smiles that touch your heart and a goodnight kiss that calms one’s soul.
*I am thankful for tears to express what no words can, pain that makes you re-evaluate yourself, loss that reminds you that every moment is precious.
*I am thankful for love, to give love, to feel love, to have and to have been loved.

Friday, I'm in love...

A Calico is pretty
sweet,

I’ve had the pleasure of looking after these two for the past week and the energy and playfulness of kittens has renewed my smile. It's also brought me back into the moment instead of looking too far ahead. 

but my heart will always
belong to a ginger...

I've been focussing on my "human" stories the past couple of years and I am at a point that I really like where I have come to with these narratives. They have all been really well received with readers wanting more from some of the short stories. Although I am tempted to expand some of my shorts that's a whole other daunting project for now. 

After my accident, I had put away the Beautiful Creatures series as it was too overwhelming to work through all the connections that I wanted to address with the novels. It's a tremendous amount of research to embark on, specifically because I am also trying to do my best, as a human, to describe the umwelten of the various species in the books. However, over the summer as I have been tying up other projects I am feeling the pull to return to Beautiful Creatures. It was the first step in my adulthood in igniting my creative writing and I think that once I get a few of the human piece "perfectly" polished I'll be returning to my beastly roots. 

It’s hard to believe that I am sneaking up upon my final week of “freedom” but I have to say I am excited for the long hours to come. Even if I have already started researching travel dreams; the next few months will be a welcome marathon and I am ready for the challenge. 

So, on that note, while I have the time I will dive back into my edits on my manuscripts…  

A Worthy Imposter

It’s a dreary afternoon and one of the last days before my hectic schedule will take hold. I felt like a having little indulgence but living on an island I often have to make do with what I may have on hand. I had too many bananas to eat on my own that were spoiling quick. And, I was craving chocolate (which I don’t eat). I opened the cupboard to explore all I had was some rice flour, honey and carob...

I searched the internet and found a brownie recipe. While I sort of followed the recipe,  my inner black sheep chef took over as I was missing a few of the key ingredients. They are not my mother’s brownies that I grew up on but they turned out delicious. And, since every day seems to be a holiday; happy Lazy Day❣️

Not My Father's Daughter

This has been the summer of tests... I don’t think I have ever gone through a time when I was so poked and prodded but at least one test was a diverting one. Since a young age, I’ve identified with my father more deeply than with my mother. I was always told that I was my father’s daughter but as science confirmed this past week, that isn’t the case. In light of this revelation, it is fascinating for me to think about the old nature vs nurture debate and just how much those that surround us influence who we become. However, it’s been a tumultuous couple of days with Mino recovering from her surgery. Rather than dive deeper into heavy topics, I think I’ll just stick with soup and stitches for the rest of the evening. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we won’t need to return to the vet tomorrow...

As we sail through the remainder of summer, the cooler nights are a haunting reminder of how quickly things change. I start work next week and I want to savour the final summer moments. Blueberry season is coming to a close and with a subtle suggestion from the lighter side of life, I thought I’d get creative once again. A few soup ideas inspired me for this one. The first little nudge led me to blåbärssoppa, which frankly is just fun to say. Another inspiring nudge guiding me was the abundance of blackberries lining my driveway. The finale feels like an adult version of PB&J which is more than okay for today.

Cephalopodan Triad

I am often asked what inspires my writing or how I sit down to write my stories. My process is very much spur of the moment (I wrote more than half my novel on my phone). But sometimes I’ve felt blocked and there are a few exercises that help to get the ideas flowing. Of the different tricks I use when the inspiration evades me, emulation is the easiest when I am feeling lost. Although someone dear to me once told me I added poetry to their life, I am not confident writing poetry. This same person had introduced me to a few poets that I have fallen in love with over the years and so I have integrated writing poetry into one of my writing exercises. Simply, chose a poem and readapt it to reflect your own ideas…

Emulation of  Pablo Neruda’s, Love Sonnet XI

By Marie-France Boissonneault, 2018

I haven’t been well for most of July and so I have put a few of my writing projects on the back burner. But, while away I had several ideas germinating. The opportunity to explore new areas and old favourites was like tilling fertile soil and I have been wanting to plant these ideas and get them growing before my very first in-person writing group next week. So today I think I will indulge in a little fantasy and immerse myself in emulation to get the old fingers dancing across the keyboard again...