May 2022 Newsletter
As I work on growing my blog, podcast, and newsletter, I am working to get back into the habit of producing a monthly newsletter to let my readers and subscribers know what is happening both inside and outside of the blog. Let me know what you think about the format! Comments are open to all subscribers, free and paid.
On the Journey 🥾
I wrapped up a school year that included two different teaching jobs at two different schools while trying to help my own kids adjust to their own new schooling experiences. This school year was not without significant bumps and bruises, but I have found a teaching job that I enjoy at a place where I feel valued for what I bring to the table and that is huge for me right now.
On Substack, I went through some shifting in plans and ideas as well. First, I wasn’t going to import everything from Accepting the Unexpected Journey. Then, I saw other people discussing moving their whole blogs and I wondered if I should do the same thing. I imported everything, then deleted select posts, then deleted everything to go back to my original plan.
This newsletter needed to be a space for my evolution as a person and as a writer. That doesn't mean burying the work I've done in the past. I'm proud of the personal growth I see throughout Accepting the Unexpected Journey and I still refer to my very amateur work in Frazzled Reflections. I’m working on self-publishing a collection of some of those blog posts (so keep an eye out for announcements later this summer), but this space needed to be for the next phase of my life, the time leading up to our move back to Indiana and after. So that's what it is going to be.
Finally, with our son in the throes of flag football, we haven’t been able to do the spring camping that we regularly enjoy, but we did get our Memorial Day weekend scheduled by squeezing ourselves into a spot at Brown County State Park. Commentary on that trip can be found on my Instagram page. You can also check out the video of our weekend adventures on Substack or YouTube.
Soundtracks For the Journey 🎧📚
I consider the soundtrack for my journey to be everything that I’m reading and listening to that is giving me a boost. So here are my recommendations for the end of May:
Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown - First I listened to the book, then I started reading it to absorb even more of her brilliance. Listen to it, read it, watch the HBO special. As we look towards exiting the pandemic, there is just so much about what Brown has to say that can help us heal as individuals and as communities.
This Is Us - What can I say? I’m so sad that this is over, which is why I also couldn’t help but discuss it over on my other creative project, Lit Think Podcast. You can follow that conversation here. Also, if you haven’t watched it, that should be your summer binge. Just make sure you have a lot of kleenexes.
Writing Outside of the Journey 💻
I continue to freelance for The Educator's Room. In April and May I published the following pieces:
What Is Coming Up Next? 🏕️
Summer vacation!
On the podcast, I’m going back five years to our family vacation for my cousin’s wedding and then three years for our family vacation from Houston to Arches National Park and back. Once we return from our 2022 family vacation out east, I will be recording podcast episodes about those adventures. Most of those episodes will drop in September and October. In the meantime, you can follow us on those adventures by following me on Instagram.
Have a great summer, everyone! I’ll be sending out a June newsletter while we are on the road.
Please “like” by clicking on the ❤ and share this post with your friends so that others can also follow me on the journey.