This week has been a good one, aside from the fact that a lingering cold has settled into my chest, leaving me with a husky man voice that has made teaching yoga quite difficult. But beyond that, I’ve found myself getting back into the writing groove for the first time in awhile. For the first time since before Em, even.
My work with AASECT has, surprisingly, not suffered, probably thanks to my amazing editorial committee. And I’m now blogging about motherhood for mom.me. (You can keep track of all of my posts here.) And then there’s this blog. Mamaste. All of which have helped me find the fun in writing again.
But beyond all that, here’s what rocked my world this week:
Yoga for Writers. This infographic, over at Electric Lit, is pure genius, and appeals to both the writer and yogi in me. Instead of gate pose, we have “extended metaphor.” In place of shoulder stand, we get the “navel-gazing poet.” Child’s pose is, instead, “form rejection pose.” It’s clever and well executed and I love it.
“Why I don’t breast-feed, if you must know.” So here I am, at about three and a half months into motherhood, and I’m still breastfeeding. Who knew? I’m also supplementing with formula, mostly in the evenings, which has helped to make everything less overwhelming. Even one month ago, though, my feeding plans going forward were still up in the air. And when I was still pregnant, I expected to give up on breastfeeding pretty quickly. Which made me especially defensive around those who had intense feelings about breastfeeding. My hackles are up again reading this amazing piece in The Washington Post. For the love of god, people. Can’t we all just support one another, whatever their choices?
Scratch Magazine. The latest issue of this online magazine on the intersection between writing and money went live just yesterday. And as per usual, there was gold in them there pages. I especially enjoyed a piece by Andrew Shaffer, the author of How To Survive a Sharknado, on his journey as a published author, but there were also great pieces on making sure your clients pay you, email marketing, and more. If you’re a writer who would like to make a living doing what you do, this magazine is crucial. I highly recommend subscribing.
BabyLit. Oh my god my cousin and his wife sent us a baby gift that actually had me squeeing with excitement when I opened it: a series of board books based upon the classics. I wrote more about the joyousness of these volumes here. So far, we’ve read Jane Eyre and Romeo and Juliet, but I’m especially excited to crack open Sherlock Holmes.
Toastmasters. So I went to Toastmasters this week because, even when I’m feeling too tired to go, I’m always glad I went. This week, I had a cough attack in the middle of someone else’s speech, but I still managed to have a good time. So what’s Toastmasters? It’s an international organization for those who want to work on bettering their public speaking and leadership skills. (Yes. Something I am in dire need of.) I’ve been going to Clifton Toastmasters for a couple years now, and it’s really helped build my self-confidence when it comes to addressing groups of people, such as my yoga students. I’m still hopeless in social situations, though. Sigh.
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