That Place You Love: Real People. Real Stories.
Round-Up on Space; Next-Up Gratitude. Welcome new Contributor & Heart-ers!!
Creeping up on the holiday season…
I had a block on this post.
Not because I didn’t want to write the Round Up on Contributor stories for SPACE, FORGIVENESS, and IMAGE. Writing the Friday Round Up is my favorite!
Plus, we have a new Contributor, which is such a pleasure.
It’s this…
As an American, I’ve always been conflicted by the imposed significance of Thanksgiving. The one I was taught in school. I’ve also worked in advertising for fifteen years. I know how manipulative the push is to buy, buy, buy starting Friday at 12:01am. Add that to my firm anti-Colonial beliefs, and I can be a real bummer around a turkey dinner.
And that’s not what I’m about.
So I chose GRATITUDE for the next prompt, even if that’s a little cliché for the week of Thanksgiving…
Don’t get me started!
But it’s important during times of great strife in the world to be aware of everything that gives us pleasure (safety) and to be grateful for the little things.
Round Up on Space. New Theme: Gratitude - below!
If you’ve missed a week or you’re starting to feel like you might have a story to contribute, click on a THEME LINK to write 150 - 200 words on:
I always include new posts with unique links in the Round-Up.
5 Contributors weighed in on Space:
I wrote about my preference for Space, as imagined in 1960s-70s cinema, and how ripping out journal pages won’t free up space in a storage unit.
Carole D takes us through dream space, testing the boundaries of brick & mortar with the shadow world, where letting go is key to a higher plane of consciousness.
New Contributor J Janelle fills the space of electronic journal pages with their ‘real self’ knowing it could all be deleted with a keystroke, and asks if the real self more real with the addition of detail.
Intact Animal plays with space, from a downtown Los Angeles after-hours party theme to the impossibility of finding a parking space to midnight collisions for lack of spatial awareness.
Tabitha B posits the potential of space travel through VR goggles and zero-gravity suits, knowing the sensation is enough to deliver on the promise of flight.
Zig, of hoarding parents, finds weeding out the old stuff to make space for the new doesn’t feel as good as clinging to the remnants of past dreams & ideas.
READ & HEART this week’s writers & SHARE your own story in the comments.
Melissa S went back to FORGIVENESS to write about a golden slice of advice to a new partner: seek out forgiveness by forgiving yourself for past rifts before the chance to mend those relationships dies.
Karen E went back to IMAGE to write about an epiphany that occurred in a time when worrying about appearance & presentation had little place amongst the rallying care of friends & family.
(Click on the unique theme hyperlinks above to read their stories).
If you’re reading this for the first time…
And want to know more about the ZINE’s mission, go to ABOUT or FORUM on the Substack platform or read the introductory post I WAS AN EASY LIAR.
Next Up: GRATITUDE
By choosing Gratitude, I’ve derailed any impulse I had to write about conflict, and I feel a lot better about it.
I’m experiencing a physical sense of ease just by letting go of stories about totem tattoos on South Street on Thanksgiving day or Thanksgiving at my Italian side of the family’s house in New Jersey where we ate spaghetti & meatballs with sausage BEFORE the turkey and trimmings.
(That one is actually a good memory although it makes me feel full!)
Instead, I’m going to focus on gratitude this weekend and write the prompt Monday… now that I’ve pushed past my block.
Where does GRATITUDE take you?
Read & Share on Monday in 150 - 200 words!
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More to come on Monday….
Have a great weekend.
Sincerely, for real.
Michelle
