It's writin' time.
He stopped drinking from an extra-large breve cappuccino to turn the full power of his gaze upon me. With the froth of heavy cream deeply embedded in his mustache, he calmly spoke, "It's writin' time."
And that's when I understood.
We have been writing in the 3rd annual Writing Original Works. We kicked things off a week ago. It's wild how nourishing this mini-cohort is. The things I'm reading from my peers in here...I was already impressed by everyone, but my appreciation of them doth grow when I see more of what and how they think and write. I guess our landing page is still open, so technically it's not too late to join, but I won't link to it here (only those who really want in will find it today).
I can't narrow my favorite aspect of WOW down to just one thing. I've been writing since I was five years old, and I've taken a lot of writing courses and read a lot of books about writing. But Nick's ideas and his style of presentation are completely fresh and incredibly helpful.
The combination of live presentations and curriculum gave me multiple exposures to the ideas, which helps in retention, and everything will continue to be available to me so I don't feel stressed about needing to absorb it all at once.
And it's all taking place in an incredibly warm and supportive community which exists because Nick and the team model warmth and support in every interaction.
– Janet Munin
Are you writing these days? How do you write? Are they journal entries? Are they a mix of how you're feeling plus the things you want to do for the day? Are you sharing any of your writing in any way? Does your writing nourish you? Does it feel forced? Unaligned?
Just questions from me today.
14 straight days of sauna
My one splurge purchase happened during the pandemic, around 2022, I purchased a tiny infrared sauna. It survived the move from LA to Montana, and for the past 14 days, that's where I've been in the morning. What have I noticed after two straight weeks?
- Replenishing electrolytes is necessary and non-negotiable. 60 minutes in the sauna means I need 3000mg of sodium in that general window. That seemed like a lot, since the daily recommended amount is 2300mg. But I was experiencing lightheadedness and when I pressed into the tips of my fingers, they wouldn't bounce back into form promptly enough (signs of low sodium levels).
- Sauna is a stressor. Be mindful if sauna + other daily stressors are becoming too much. I scaled back the time I spent in the sauna because of signals from my stomach on day 11 and day 12, so I shortened the time and shifted to the late afternoon for a few days.
- Best night of sleep. Moving sauna time to 430pm yesterday led to my best night of sleep in months last night. Coincidence? I don't know. But "rest assured" I will be collecting more data.
- Lower back, ankle so happy right now. Something funny happens past the 30-minute mark in a sauna. You start mindfully contorting your body in positions that provide blood flow and relief to the parts of your body that really need it.
- I'm thinking about others more. Especially when I start my day with the sauna, it gives me an opportunity not to just fall into things I have to do but it gives me space to reflect. Inevitably I think about all sorts of people in my life, past, present, and potential.
Nothing beats getting out of bed and getting into a sauna less than five minutes later.
Any other sauna aficionados out there?
Idea Exchange