Musing #4: Poems for Stillness

Book updates + the Beautifully Mundane

May 22, 2022

Writing a novel turned out to be a ridiculously hard thing to do.

Three years in, and with a 130,000 word draft in hand, I am still asking myself: What is this story about? This being my first one, my self-confidence gets quite frankly shaken to its core every few months. The closer I get, the bigger the doubt. *audibly gulps down another cup of coffee*

I am currently editing and ‘reverse engineering’ my outline and story structure. I am deep into figuring out how to piece the different parts of the story together in one tight and cohesive timeline. As I do this, I am faced with my own demons everyday. Bless their souls, they try to convince me that I have no solid ground beneath me with this novel.

Sticky notes and erasable window markers are half the fun of this revision process.

My response? Build a goddamn ground beneath my feet!

A lot of sweat, scribbles and tears are going into my outline to counter these thoughts. But in order to sustain that (and my mental health), I am using two fantastic weapons I have collected in my arsenal: Stillness and Self-Compassion. More about the latter next week.

Today I want to share with you this wonderful book of poems that has brought me much sanity and stillness this month. It reminded me that I am exactly where I need to be, and that each moment - including this grueling wrestling match with my outline - is to be enjoyed for what it is worth.

Check out Beautifully Mundane. I am very proud of my friend Alison for her travel and writing adventure that brought us these incredibly grounding poems from South America.

I read it twice in one weekend! It is short, sweet, AND profound! Yes all three. She will take you from Colombia to Argentina, all while inspiring you to find stillness and realize that you are where you need to be after all.

In a time when we are sold the idea that life should be a series of blissed-out Instagram-worthy moments, Beautifully Mundane is the opposite.In brief poetic bursts, Alison E. Berman captures moments of subtle beauty that she experienced while living and traveling throughout South America over the course of a year.The poems of Beautifully Mundane are celebrations of what arises when we slow down to the minutiae of the surrounding world. Each poem helps the reader dial into a snapshot of present life, and open space for its simple beauty to shine through.

Buy It. Read It.Be Still.

See you next week, with more on Self-Compassion and how I use it daily it to conquer the impossible (whether that is writing a novel or running a 5k).