Inspiration | Pub Newsletterish

Rest, Rejuvenation, Restoration — Food for the Soul

What do these look like for you?

“Community is much more than belonging to something; it’s about doing something together that makes belonging matter.”

— Brian Solis

My dear reading/writing community,

Welcome to another newsletterish!

As this year comes to a close, I’m contemplating the many personal challenges it held for me, particularly in health. And with challenges, there are always gifts if we choose to look for them.

One of the brightest blessings has been my journey on Medium, which began on Sept. 3/21, thanks to one of my dearest friends, Sandy Peckinpah. I thought I was coming here to write. I had no idea I’d find such a beautiful community and I certainly had no idea I’d have two pubs and this wonderful group who want to contribute to them.

❤️ I want to thank you — with all of my heart — for brightening up my life in ways you cannot imagine, and for sharing your inspiring stories on HHH and SBG! ❤️

I’m deeply grateful to you for all the support you’ve shown me — and each other, too. 🙏🏻🎁

I’m looking forward to our continued growth and connection in 2022 and beyond. 🔮🎁

The theme this week is “Rest.”

I have an image of this week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. It’s like running a 51-week-long marathon and then in Week 52, you collapse in a heap, sweating and exhausted but elated because you made it.

And while you’re lying there, panting and breathless, in your mind you’re going over the race from start to finish. Already, you’re contemplating insights and lessons you learned along the way. Places where you did great, others that showed you something you can do better next time.

And on that note…Mercury is about to begin slowing down as it prepares for its next retrograde period. The slowing begins on December 28th until it is retrograde on January 15th. It goes direct again on February 5th, but won’t be back up to full speed till February 27th.

So we are affected from Dec. 28 to Feb. 27th in total.

What the Heck is Mercury Retrograde?

And what has it got to do with rest?

Picture this: you’re driving beside a vehicle and you’re both going the same speed as you move forward. The other vehicle slows down. Suddenly, it looks like it’s going backward but it’s not.

If you could see Mercury (or any other planets) during retrogrades, because of its position in the sky it would look like it’s going backward. But of course, it isn’t.

Just as the moon can pull entire oceans back and forth approximately every 12–1/2 hours, we can be affected by planetary energies and in particular, Mercury, being the closest to Earth.

During this retrograde period (plus the couple of weeks before and after), which happens three or four times a year, there can be challenges in the areas of life that are ruled by Mercury. Communications, electronics, travel, economics…all sorts of trouble will be brewing.

It is not a good time to buy anything mechanical or electronic; you might find that they are faulty later so no washing machines, cars, computers etc. unless you have no choice.

If you can delay travel, that is best. Otherwise, double and triple-check travel arrangements. Make extra sure to keep your travel documents, passport etc. safe; be careful not to lose them. Keep your most important items in your carry-on, as your luggage might go one way while you go another.

It is not a good time to start anything new — a job, a relationship, a marriage, or to decide to move or make any other big decisions.

It is also not a good time to sign a contract or even verbally agree to anything; you will often find that later, there are problems with the agreement. Uh-oh. 🙄

And it’s definitely not a good time to bring up difficult conversations; communication can feel like enough of a challenge at this time without discussing anything with sharp, pointy bits!

What’s Mercury Got To Do With “Rest”?

Many people grumble and complain about the tricks Mercury likes to play on us. But he has a reason for wreaking havoc in our lives.

He is urging us to slow down, to rest. He wants us to go within and reflect. He wants us to go back and review, revisit, rethink, replan. He is giving us time to check and double-check everything.

You will have a bit of that slowing-down energy during this holiday period from Dec. 28 until life begins to move again in the New Year. Take as much time as you can during this period to reflect on 2021 and check in with yourself about your plans and wishes for 2022.

I think it’s rather nice that Mercury decided to give us the gift 🎁 of a retrograde period first thing in the new year, especially as the pre-retrograde period begins on Dec. 28 while we’re still in “holiday mode.” This energy is conducive to contemplating where we’ve been and what we want for the new year and begin setting up the steps to help us get there! Yay!

Forget New Year’s Resolutions. They demand instant change of long-standing habits — never a good starting position for success.

Instead, enjoy a slow and considered start to making any changes. Take a page from Mercury’s Retrograde book and give yourself two months to rest after your 2021 marathon. Take time to reflect, revise, replan. Give yourself the grace to stumble about with your changes, contemplating options and figuring out what will work best for you moving forward through the rest of the year.

If you take your time and do it thoughtfully, you’re more likely to be successful than if you make a bunch of promises for January 1 that are not realistic, no matter how great your intentions are.

Willpower is fickle; it depends on emotion. Oh, dear. Not helpful. A sensible plan and workable strategy will help you to be successful.

For more on Mercury’s retrogrades and when they will occur in 2022:

I would love to see your stories, poem etc. on both HHH and SBG! about rest, what that looks like to you, and…do you have challenges with the concept of resting?

And another Yay!!! We are celebrating 100 followers for Shorties But Goodies! Yippee! 🎉💃🏻 🎁 And Hope, Healing and Humour is up to 72! How exciting!

My mission for both pubs is for them to be positive, inspiring, uplifting and entertaining places for readers to hang out, enjoy excellent reads, and feel better than when they arrived.

Thank you so much for contributing your beautiful words as well as your own special gifts of wisdom, humour, friendship, community, and inspiration. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful group of writers on my pubs!

You’re what makes them great. Thank you, with all of my heart!

Are you as excited as I am to see how they’ll have blossomed a year from now?

A little reminder…okay, two.

1. Please be sure to check submission guidelines for required tags and why they’re for your benefit
2. Please remember to tag another writer on Hope, Healing and Humour stories. It’s optional on Shorties But Goodies because if you’re trying to stick to 150 words (or maybe a few extra), it can be difficult to include a blurb about someone else.

Update On the Group Zoom Chat

I’m planning to do this on a Saturday (date to be determined) which means Sunday morning for some. Planning for 60–90 minutes depending on how many register.

The best time I can come up with so far is 8 pm GMT — so 3 pm EST, 12 noon PST (if you’re not good at figuring out your time zone in relation to these, ask Mr. Google!). This is the best I’ve been able to manage to accommodate as many in our community as I can at the same time.

However, a couple of the time zones wouldn’t be too user-friendly:

• AEST — 7 a.m.
• India — 1.30 a.m.

Here are the options:

• Go ahead with the above time slots and some of you will be sleepy for a day! The benefit: No FOMO and we all get to be together!
• Split into two groups: More palatable time but you don’t get to play with all the kids at the same time.

For those of you who are adversely affected by the above proposed time, please let me know your preference between the two options

Also — please tell me what time zone you are in.

I’m looking forward to a little time for us to connect and say hello!

Thank you to A.H. Mehr and Karen Schwartz, who responded to my invitation to write about kindness:

Aside from “kindness” stories, there were also these beauties:

Karen Schwartz also shared this heartfelt, sweet story that brought a tear or two…

Our lovely pockett dessert has been busy with her camera and her inspiring writing again, sharing a special holiday wish. This is some seriously heart-warming soul-food, not to mention a feast for the eyes:

B.R. Shenoy and Victoria Gregg offered some fab thoughts on gifting that can be used for any occasion throughout the year:

Donnette Anglin’s piece on taking a break from writing was just what I needed to hear on a day when my brains were just not able to focus…

Sahil Patel shared a soul-feeding reminder about the importance and beauty of silence:

And Isabel Young offered an interesting look at the benefits of smiling!

Kris Bedenian has been busy again! Here is her selection from this week:

Wendy S. Bradfield offered a short but surprising look at a rare occurrence in her beloved Egypt:

Danielle Hestand tells an amusing little story that made me giggle:

DL Nemeril shares a great story about hope — and much more:

A.H. Mehr shares this beautiful story about the love of reading:

Nicole Hilbig’s story is a wonderful reminder about a powerful resource that we have at our disposal at all times:

Victoria Gregg offers some thoughts on the true meaning of Christmas:

My crazy-but-brilliant dear friend, Croix Sather, the world-record-breaking athlete who was nuts enough to run from L.A. to N.Y. in 100 days, offers this fab story about the cost of procrastination:

Irene Fassler asks a potent question with an insightful answer:

Carrie Kolar takes time to share this familiar and poignant message:

She shares some tips on comedy shows to watch, too:

Shameem Anwar’s story reminds us of what’s most important:

Christina offers some wonderful insights on perfectionism.

As a mama, this “not so happy” story by Sam Branstner touched my soul:

And your devoted editor, Liberty Forrest, Author, wants to help you find a whole new kind of “Ted and Blankie” when you need them:

My beloved little friend, Witchy, wants to share one of her Christmas stories with you:

A million thanks to everyone in our wonderful Pub Family:

Dr Andrea Polzer Kris Bedenian Bethan Coady Rodney Brazier Patti Murray Voncannon Carrie Kolar Croix Sather Deb Fiore Dina Alexander DL Nemeril Donnette Anglin, Loren Lieberthal Jimmy Misner Jr. Judy Millar Julie Gaeta Pene Hodge Karen Schwartz James Knight Laura Izquierdo Liz Porter pockett dessert Dr. Preeti Singh Radhika Iyer Sam Branstner Sharon Sayler, Author Umme Salma Susie Kearley Tamil T Mann Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles Lion~ Wendy S. Bradfield Yana Bostongirl Jo An Fox-Wright Maddox Suma Narayan Penny Walsh Shameem Anwar

Slow train Aemen Farooq A.H. Mehr Alex Frederickson Ashley Nicole B.R. Shenoy Carolyn Hastings Christina Christine Vann, MSc. Irene Fassler Edward John Ellie Jacobson ✍🏻 Gary Roberts aka Papa The Soulful Scribbler Isabel Young jeanninekauffmann/poems in the raw Joe Váradi Kaz Rochford Nia Simone McLeod Nicole Hilbig Patricia Wright Pam Winter Rachella Angel Page Jodian Marie Thomas, MS, Bsc, Asc L Burton Muhammad Abdullah Kate Aries Danielle Hestand Sahil Patel