Early one morning while I sat sipping tea and skimming through photos on Instagram, I happened upon a post that was if my daydream self had posted it - this woman was following through on things she had desired, was changing her life and inspiring others in the process. She was living the life she envisioned.
How was this possible? Inquiring minds wanted to know... so I contacted her.
*Image: The Universe Conspires Card by Julianne Kanzaki
Over the course of many months we formed a friendship, a kindred spirit connection that helped me see that comparisons and envy (FOMO much?) were only making me feel that I was less than.
A big thing we share in common is our mad passionate love of words - and with exactly that she gave me the perfect "antidote" to my paranoia.
Pronoia - it is the attitude or belief that the Universe is conspiring to help and assist you on your path. It is the opposite of paranoia.
I still browse the interwebs, bare witness to other's stories. But now when I am feeling a little more envious than inspired, I give it a place on the page and then let it go.
PROMPTS:
Describe a time when you compared yourself to someone else and felt "less than". Now describe the same situation but as someone whom you found inspiring and supportive. How would this shift your perspective?
Word Prompts:
Comparison
Identity
Schadenfreude
Mudita
Conspire
Transformation
Pronoia
Poetry book highlight:
the sun and her flowers by Rupi Kaur
Description from Amazon:
From Rupi Kaur, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of milk and honey, comes her long-awaited second collection of poetry. A vibrant and transcendent journey about growth and healing. Ancestry and honoring one’s roots. Expatriation and rising up to find a home within yourself.
Divided into five chapters and illustrated by Kaur, the sun and her flowers is a journey of wilting, falling, rooting, rising, and blooming. A celebration of love in all its forms.
Divided into five chapters and illustrated by Kaur, the sun and her flowers is a journey of wilting, falling, rooting, rising, and blooming. A celebration of love in all its forms.
Review by Adrian Liang, The Amazon Book Review:
Kaur deftly sidesteps and then punts the stereotypical sophomore slump of bestselling authors, offering a subtle yet powerful volume of poetry to her readers who have clamored for more since the debut of Milk & Honey. Split into five movements—wilting, falling, rooting, rising, blooming—Kaur’s poems glide up from the depths of heartbreak and hurt to embrace the strength and joy that can flower on the other side of hardship. Kaur workshops many of her poems through live readings, and the dedication to her craft vibrates through every phrase. Those who pressed Milk & Honey into the hands of their friends will exult in The Sun and Her Flowers, and Kaur’s expanded wisdom and scope should reel in new readers who will find much that resonates. —Adrian Liang, The Amazon Book Review
Not all who wander are lost...
#OctPoWriMo #NaPoWriMo #NaNoWriMo #Poetsonthepage
You can read her poetry at https://zwabisabi.blogspot.com