A friend once asked me if I was going to pull a "French exit."
I had no idea what that meant.
I guess it means disappearing without saying goodbye.
Today is my 790th post for 3mm.
Cal, Tal, and Nia saw me through C, taught me how to write dialogue, and helped me to shed filler words. Through them I learned about my head, heart, and the harmony that can exist when they work together.
The trio offered me a place (and reason) to grow into creating visual art.
I hope they made space for you to grow, too. :)
That said... They've told me it's time to stop daily posts -- to make room for whatever it is they've been preparing me for.
On another note. I had not heard the expression "French Exit". Several years back I ended my podcast series without a "goodbye". We were a bit ahead of our time with podcasting. We were getting close to 40,000 downloads a month. I just stopped "cold turkey". ( I like the expression "french exit" so much more than "cold turkey"). No one missed us. This past week almost 8 years later two people commented in passing that they loved the show. That's the good news. The bad news is they had no idea that we had stopped. Fascinating.
Goodbyes are hard for me... and this one came out of nowhere. I suspect it has been brewing subconsciously. I made the decision yesterday morning and set right about the work of notifying paid subscribers.
I am excited to see what comes next. Not feeling a need to "perform" every morning will likely free up a fair amount of creative energy.
I'm well aware the world is drowning in online content. As of this minute, my intent is to focus on my book ideas. I know, I know... there are plenty of books, too.
Gail, I noticed I wasn't seeing you in my inbox like usual and Instead of rushing to see why I waited. I'm sorry I waited so long. I missed this post. Hugs to you yet I'm pretty confident that whatever the path is... it will be right where you need to be. Thank you for sharing your heart, mind, and soul here and I look forward to staying in touch. I'm so grateful for your kindness and wisdom. -Julie
No dry eyes here right now, Love Letterist. Even my heart feels wet… oh, that’s just the blood passing through. I’m so glad you chose a John Denver song today. He wrote and sang his songs for all occasions. At my first marriage, staged at Tate Gallery (the one in Tallahassee), two friends performed, including “Annie’s Song.”
790 “Three Muses Merge” posts! It seems I read the first only last week. Tal, Nia, and Cal offered their thoughts in characteristic fashion. One that seemed an ongoing collaboration.
Two songs come to mind now:
“Thanks For The Memory” by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross.
And one by The Beatles:
“Hello, hello! I don’t know why you say good-bye I say hello.”
My offer to the Muses to come for a visit still stands. Did I mention the Manatees in the Wakulla River? 😢😘
Thank you Gail for sharing the Muses. It's been wonderful. I am glad that helped you through till now. You've got this, whatever it is that lies ahead. Xoxo
A note from LoveLetterist:
A friend once asked me if I was going to pull a "French exit."
I had no idea what that meant.
I guess it means disappearing without saying goodbye.
Today is my 790th post for 3mm.
Cal, Tal, and Nia saw me through C, taught me how to write dialogue, and helped me to shed filler words. Through them I learned about my head, heart, and the harmony that can exist when they work together.
The trio offered me a place (and reason) to grow into creating visual art.
I hope they made space for you to grow, too. :)
That said... They've told me it's time to stop daily posts -- to make room for whatever it is they've been preparing me for.
Let us see what happens next.
Thank you for being here.
That jingling you hear in your pocket?
That’s change.
It’s inevitable.
Also comes in handy with vending machines and parking meters. 😁
💚
All of the parking meters around here now require a credit card! Progress?
Meters around here still use coins, last time we needed one.
🤔 Wait – that was pre-COVID.
Sorry, that information may be out of date. <cough>
And the last time I used a vending machine I used my watch to pay, so…
On another note. I had not heard the expression "French Exit". Several years back I ended my podcast series without a "goodbye". We were a bit ahead of our time with podcasting. We were getting close to 40,000 downloads a month. I just stopped "cold turkey". ( I like the expression "french exit" so much more than "cold turkey"). No one missed us. This past week almost 8 years later two people commented in passing that they loved the show. That's the good news. The bad news is they had no idea that we had stopped. Fascinating.
Goodbyes are hard for me... and this one came out of nowhere. I suspect it has been brewing subconsciously. I made the decision yesterday morning and set right about the work of notifying paid subscribers.
I am excited to see what comes next. Not feeling a need to "perform" every morning will likely free up a fair amount of creative energy.
I'm well aware the world is drowning in online content. As of this minute, my intent is to focus on my book ideas. I know, I know... there are plenty of books, too.
Let's see what The Great Mystery has in mind.
What brought you to the decision?
I wonder if I don't start because I don't want to feel the pressure to perform.
Rilke again and again.
Another translation if I recall references singing your own song.
“Be ahead of all parting, as if it had already happened,
like winter, which even now is passing.
For beneath the winter is a winter so endless
that to survive it at all is a triumph of the heart.
Be forever dead in Eurydice, and climb back singing.
Climb praising as you return to connection.
Here among the disappearing, in the realm of the transient,
be a ringing glass that shatters as it rings.
Be. And, at the same time, know what it is not to be.
The emptiness inside you allows you to vibrate
in full resonance with your world. Use it for once.
To all that has run its course, and to the vast unsayable
numbers of beings abounding in Nature,
add yourself gladly, and cancel the cost.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke
tags: anita-barrows, impermanence, in-praise-of-mortality, joanna-macy, mortality, praise
Ugh!
Poets. 😂
"Be. And, at the same time, know what it is not to be."
Reminds me of Shakespeare. 🤔
A question for the generations!
I applaud whatever decision all of you make, whether independently or collectively.
I have recently made a decision to follow my Kokoro because of the wisdom captured on the pages of the book by the same name…
Blackwells has become a new favorite for me as a place to acquire books…
I am open to the whimsy of The Great Mystery and ready to follow my heart wherever it guides me…
Safe travels…
🙌🏼✍🏼🎨✍🏼🙌🏼
-Serenity AND Scribe-
Thank you Serenity... After 790 posts, I still have under 100 subscribers. 😂
That's not a complaint, simply a recognition that perhaps it's time to try something different.
I guess muses are for everyone!
Gail, I noticed I wasn't seeing you in my inbox like usual and Instead of rushing to see why I waited. I'm sorry I waited so long. I missed this post. Hugs to you yet I'm pretty confident that whatever the path is... it will be right where you need to be. Thank you for sharing your heart, mind, and soul here and I look forward to staying in touch. I'm so grateful for your kindness and wisdom. -Julie
Oh! No worries Julie. We’re all blessed with rich and engaging lives.
And, I am a bit of a French Exit kind of girl. Best to make the break and not look back.
That said… The idea of a 4th Muse book lingers. 🤷🏻♀️
Let us see what happens!
I'm happy to hear and thank you for the term "French exit"
Love the idea of a 4th Muse book. Onward!
No dry eyes here right now, Love Letterist. Even my heart feels wet… oh, that’s just the blood passing through. I’m so glad you chose a John Denver song today. He wrote and sang his songs for all occasions. At my first marriage, staged at Tate Gallery (the one in Tallahassee), two friends performed, including “Annie’s Song.”
790 “Three Muses Merge” posts! It seems I read the first only last week. Tal, Nia, and Cal offered their thoughts in characteristic fashion. One that seemed an ongoing collaboration.
Two songs come to mind now:
“Thanks For The Memory” by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross.
And one by The Beatles:
“Hello, hello! I don’t know why you say good-bye I say hello.”
My offer to the Muses to come for a visit still stands. Did I mention the Manatees in the Wakulla River? 😢😘
I don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow morning with out them. ☕️ There will be coffee, I hope.
Thank you Gail for sharing the Muses. It's been wonderful. I am glad that helped you through till now. You've got this, whatever it is that lies ahead. Xoxo
Delicious ambiguity?
Thank you for being here Sharon and Terpsi! ❤️💜💚
As I only encountered the 3 muses this week- it feels too soon for me, but good for you for facing into the winds of change!
Thank you Kym. Some of my funniest posts came in the early days when Thalia was trying to sort out our cancer journey.
Recently coming up with material that feels fresh has been a challenge.
I will likely start back up sporadically (without the trio) over on Born Free Newsletter. :)