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To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter; to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring - these are some of the rewards of the simple life.
John Burroughs
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Gratitude Box
These newsletters include a sidebar to cultivate the practice of gratefulness: for writing, for the natural world, and for all the gifts of Life.
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My Gratitude:
The wave rolled in faster and farther than I'd anticipated; my "water-proof" shoes and wool socks got drenched even as I tried to outrun the ocean. I heard a young girl's happy squeal and realized it was my own voice. I giggled and felt grateful for the saltwater surprise.
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Gratitude Practice:
Water Play
Gratitude comes most easily from moments of enjoyment or ease. Go to a water body that feels exciting, interesting, or calming to you. Immerse yourself - either in the water itself or in an activity that involves a form of water (e.g., ice skating). Become fully present to and aware of the water's effect on you. Allow a grin or a giggle to grow on your face. Share this joy with somebody nearby.
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In the Client's Words
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"Our last session strengthened images of what I would like to have in hand by the end of this month. Somehow, that has eased everything..."
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Books by
Jennifer J. Wilhoit
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Common Ground Between Crafts Collectives and Conservation
Weaving a Network
Available on Amazon or by order at your local bookstore
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A few weeks ago I walked along, sat beside, was mesmerized by, and got soaked in the awe-inspiring Pacific Ocean. The unceasing rhythm of waves, thundering crashes of saltwater, and incomparable beauty of this landscape touched me very deeply within. My own inner landscape erupted in boisterous gasps of relief and found new ways to sing itself into tangible manifestation; long-abandoned watercolor painting and new participation in a carillon choir were just two such unanticipated expressions. My writing, too, has shifted: the shape of my current book, morning journal entries, even emails and work notes have a luminescence and clarity that feel fresh. This small trip was precisely the respite and refreshment for which my spirit had been calling. I have been awash in invigorated inspiration. So the focus for this month's newsletter is "immersion."
Blessings,
Jennifer Wilhoit, Writing Mentor
TEALarbor stories
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TEALarbor stories' newsletters offer inspiration, encouragement, and
beauty; inform about the connection between story, the natural world and all things writerly; and promote our professional offerings.
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Immersion in Water
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I spent the first twenty years of life growing up in a hot place in which water was my refuge. A chlorinated pool and the pungent intensity of saltwater waves were the mainstays of my youth. In early adulthood in the Rockies, I discovered the freshwater havens of rivers, lakes, streams, and hot springs. I spent another two decades living in the Pacific Northwest, comforted by the continual mistiness of islands and impressed during visits to the twelve-foot-a-year deluge of the nearby temperate rainforest. I have played and lived, also, in landscapes in which the forms of water - ice, snow, sleet, torrential downpours, fog, gentle showers, hail, thunderstorms - characterize each season more than any other natural feature. I have been overcome by water from time to time: too-swift rivers, my tears, tumultuous waves, undertows, painfully hot- or freezing- immersion.
I have dived, waded, fallen, or slowly eased into water. I have been in scuba-gear depths, floated on the surface, followed the contour of pools from shallow to deep, hung out in the center of water bodies, sat upon rocks in the middle of flowing water, been tackled in the white strong-arms of waves and burrowed beneath them. But those experiences in which my memory wants to rest are those times in water that have been restorative, buoyant, exhilarating. Water has become my teacher, my haven, my sustenance; I am never far from my origins of the watery womb.
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Spotlight: Immersion in Writing
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Water informs my own writing, as well as how I work with people who want to write. Beginning to put words on the page is like immersing ourselves in water. Most often I hear people tell me that getting started on a project is the most challenging aspect of the whole writing endeavor. Clients come to me with well-formed ideas, memories, skills and advanced education, a desperate or passionate desire to put these into words; they remain frozen, though, when it comes to actually inscribing these onto the page. I guide people to find the means to immersion in writing that suits the style, needs, disposition, and passion of the writer-to-be. While not a simple process (because otherwise these fine, motivated people would have written their manuscripts on their own), we do work together to tease out those methods that will entice the writer to begin.
Like dipping a toe into the water, some writers work on a small piece of the project at a time beginning with what they know and find easiest to write; others go straight into the general themes of the work (jumping into the deep water). Some outline the entire document beforehand, showering in tepid water before entering the pool. A few dive in to the center of the action, writing from the middle outward. Others wade from the edges to the middle, take laps systematically from one end to the other, or dog paddle in tiny manageable bits - taking breaks (hanging on to the side) when it feels too difficult, intense, or uncomfortable.
I often suggest that clients write about writing (daily logs, journals, reflections and notes) in order to learn what works best for their writing and their lives. For many, the flow is smooth and steady once they have acclimated to their own writing rhythms. No matter which manner of immersion he finds really serves his work, every aspiring writer can discover the body, shape, temperature, and season that characterizes the stream of his writing process.
To learn how TEALarbor stories can help you begin to get words on the page, please send an email to: tealarborstories@gmail.com.
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Workshops
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Second Tuesday Writing Workshops
Come prepared to write the inner/outer landscape, bringing unlined paper and pens. All Second Tuesday workshops have a limit of ten seats. Drop-ins are welcome, however a seat can't be guaranteed without pre-registration. Contact Jennifer with questions, to hold your seat, or to learn more about the early sign-up discount for the monthly series: tealarborstories@gmail.com.
March 11, 2014 from 6:00 to 7:30 PM
at Napa Bookmine, 964 Pearl Street. Drop-in fee $20.
Diving into the Stream: Actually Writing
Immerse yourself in the cool waters of your writing project. Experience firsthand a number of ways to simply begin getting the words onto the page.
April 8, 2014 from 6:00 to 7:30 PM
at Napa Bookmine, 964 Pearl Street. Drop-in fee $20.
The Brambled Trail: Roadblocks in Writing
Identify those internal and external obstacles that impede the smooth flow of your written expression. Learn and practice strategies for moving forward with ease in your writing.
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News & Updates
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Website Changes
The TEALarbor stories website is now a dynamic one! This means that changes are continually in progress.
Check out a few of the most recent improvements including the News & Events page, revised home page, embedded links, additional testimonials and photos, and more...TEALarbor stories website
If you previously created a bookmark for the site, please delete that bookmark; it will no longer take you to my site. You can click on the link just above and add a new bookmark to the site page that comes up.
In the News
Check out the recent member spotlight on the Napa Valley Writers website blog.
Please read about TEALarbor stories in the local newspaper article -December 2013.
See the Worldwide Who's Who VIP press release about my writing - October 2012.
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| Please Support TEALarbor stories | |
Forward this newsletter to someone you know.
Sign up for a workshop.
Give TEALarbor stories' Story & Nature Guiding ©, mentorship or editing services to a friend or family member.
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TEALarbor stories' mission is to support people as they discover and convey through writing their deepest Stories.
The nature-based, creative processes help individuals to:
write for insight, write as rite, write for outcome.
Offering mentorship, editing, story & nature guiding ©, tutoring, workshops and more...
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