MONDAYS ARE FREE EXERCISES 221-225

[The Stage is on Fire] is a page-turner in which, much like life, there are no easy answers and yet each step of the journey yields insight and hope. This work of heart must not be missed!

Melanie Faith

Creative Writing Teacher, Essayist & Poet.

Katie Steedly’s first-person piece [The Unspeakable Gift] is a riveting retelling of her participation in a National Institutes of Health study that aided her quest to come to grips with her life of living with a rare genetic disorder. Her writing is superb.

The Society of Professional Journalists

In recognition of receiving the Dateline Award for the Washingtonian Magazine essay, The Unspeakable Gift.

I thank you … It is the authenticity of your “class notes”; and it is the delicacy and skill with which you present the nuances of classroom life and the actuality of your students’ and fellow teachers’ lives.

Maxine Greene

Philosopher and Education Scholar

Enter your email here to receive Weekly Wide-Awake

back

MONDAYS ARE FREE EXERCISES 221-225

Listening. Magnolias. Doors. Darkness.

EXERCISE 221: PUTTING YOUR EAR TO THE CONCH SHELL

by hand

Write at least two full pages by hand about the pleasures of listening./ Be detailed. Use examples.

I appreciate listening. I appreciate what I learn when I listen. I appreciate the deep breath that accompanies listening. I appreciate the way a person being listened to appreciates being heard. I appreciate the relief, the release, the liberation that happens when I allow myself to simply listen, and not formulate a response, or think about where I have to go, or what I have to do, or get mired in shoulda, coulda, woulda. I appreciate the pace of listening. It reminds me of the ocean tide and phases of the moon.

I wish I was a better listener. I long for ripped listening muscles. I long to be a good listener. (I can list the good listeners in my life by name.) I long to push the boundaries of hearing into the listening realm. I don’t hear very well. I have diagnosed hearing loss at the pitch level of the human voice. So, I have to really listen to hear. Perhaps that is why I consider listening a sacred act. Like connection’s foundation. Like paying attention. Like everyday communion.

EXERCISE 222: ASMR ANYONE?

other sensation

Write at least two full pages by hand about an unusual sound, sight, smell, or other sensation that pleases you.

I am thinking about the smell of magnolias. There is a brief moment — a minute, a blink, a flash — when sweetness lifts my soul. There is a specific fragrance. Unmistakable. Blossoms promise beauty. Blossoms dance waxily. Blossoms signal peace.

I moved to Atlanta during magnolia season. Divine perfume. Home’s invitation. Gentle grace. Spring’s holy pact. An annual reminder of perfect time blooming, wide arms opening, celebrating hopeful audacity.

I had never lived near magnolias. I had never been floored by the scent of wonder. I had never walked hand in hand with delight. I had never paid attention to petals and leaves. I had never taken pictures of my amazement.

EXERCISE 223: LITERALLY OR FIGURATIVELY

all the possible

Write down all the possible sensory pleasures of closing a door.

I have closed so many doors I have lost track. Closed doors bring relief like sitting down a pile of bricks. Closed doors bring nostalgia like memories and smiles and deep breaths. Closed doors bring delight like finish lines and the ends of phone conversations with good friends and met deadlines.

Closed doors look like raised sails on windy waters. Perfectly directed. Closed doors smell like red velvet cupcakes fresh from the oven. Perfectly baked. Closed doors feel like high thread count sheets on a just-soft-enough king size bed. Perfectly made. Closed doors taste like mud and honey. Perfectly complex.

EXERCISE 224: STEPPING INTO A NEW SPACE

pleasures of opening

Write down all the possible sensory pleasures of opening a door.

I have opened so many doors I have lost track. Open doors bring hope like sunrise and tides. Open doors bring courage like new running shoes and a workout plan. Open doors bring strength like house frames and butterfly wings.

Open doors look like clouds and sky. Perfectly choreographed. Open doors smell like sage and peppermint. Perfectly fragrant. Open doors feel like swinging punches and climbing mountains. Perfectly graceful. Open doors taste like meringue and seven layer salad. Perfectly arranged.

EXERCISE 225: WHAT GROWS IN THE DARK

about the pleasures

Write at least two full pages by hand about the pleasures of the dark.

Moon glow and star shine. Secrets and freedom. Constellations and shadows. Dreams and dalliances. Caves and quiet. Opossums and fireflies. Armadillos and witches. Raccoons and chocolate. Sky and sex. Tides and diamonds. Hide and crawl. Seek and lose. Clarity and confusion. Sight and blindness. Swim and slither. Lighthouse foghorn and barge song. Magic and madness.

Thank you for reading MONDAYS ARE FREE. These exercises are explorations of poetry and language and joy. Subscribe to the Wide-Awakeness Project to share this journey.