A Word from Georgia O'Keeffe

“I’ve been absolutely terrified

every moment of my life

and I’ve never let it

keep me from doing

a single thing

I wanted to do.”

~ Georgia O’Keeffe

Yesterday morning I left half my heart in a freshman college dorm. Tomorrow, I’ll drive back to that same college campus and leave the other half of my heart in the senior dorm across the street and return home for day one of what some people call the “empty nest” season. The earth is, indeed, shifting beneath me.

How does one survive, dare I say thrive, during a letting go season of life like this? I’m not sure yet. I’ll let you know when I figure it out.

So far I know having your own personal curiosities, passions, and aspirations helps. Talking about and feeling all the feelings helps, too. So does having a partner who’s equally grateful, happy for them, and heartbroken and who knows how to care, love, and tread lightly in moments like these. Past that, I’m still working on it.

Meanwhile, these words from Georgia O’Keeffe have come to mind again and again in recent weeks: “I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.”

They tend to come to mind a lot when big changes are happening and I’m taking steps to make big dreams a reality. Which seems to be happening a lot right now for all sorts of people in my world — friends and sisters in their forties ready for a career change going back to get their degrees (go Dee and Emily!), colleagues changing jobs, clients stepping back for a pause to reassess and chart an intentional path forward.

Change is necessary.

New seasons are exciting.

Pivots are the way it should be.

We’re lucky to live a life with these kinds of luxuries.

Also, no one is exempt from being terrified when the way things were ends and we don’t yet know how things are going to be. But we don’t have to let that terror keep us from doing a single thing we want to do in this life.

We can’t let it keep us from doing those things.

After all, “If you can’t learn to travel comfortably alongside your fear, then you’ll never be able to go anywhere interesting or do anything interesting. . . and the clock is ticking, and the world is spinning, and we simply do not have time anymore to think so small.” (that one’s from Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic)

So we keep going. . .

More on this next week, maybe. In the meantime, here’s a little book talk ⤵

WHAT’S ON MY NIGHT STAND

Earlier this week, I finished The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson (such a cliff hanger!) and although I was tempted to keep going in that series, I started the first of Lois Lowry’s dystopian young adult series The Giver instead. Because I just found out she’s a Mainer of sorts (a western Mainer at that!) and she’s coming to Portland next month to give an author’s talk so I need to get ready (already purchased my ticket!).

WHAT’S IN MY EARBUDS

I’m nearly finished with Ann Patchett’s 2019 novel The Dutch House (so good! Tom Hanks as a narrator is great, and there’s an almost-main-character named Celeste!), but I needed a little break from it, so I also started a new romance novel written by Catherine Walsh How to Write a Love Story, read by Jonathan Aarons & Roisin Rankin (love it!).

WHAT’S IN MY MORNING BASKET

In the mornings right now, I’m making my way through a collection of small books about creativity by Austin Kleon that are quite literally changing everything about the way I think about my writing and creative life. (thank you for the rec, Anna!) So far, I’ve finished Don’t Call It Art and Steal Like an Artist, I’m knee-deep in Keep Going, and saving Show Your Work for last.

WHAT’S ON MY WEEKEND TBR LIST

When I’m sad or stressed or trying to find my way into a new reality, I tend to need to move my body and get outside or into a new big project a lot more than usual, so I may not get much reading done this weekend. But if I can get to it, a fresh edition of Oh Reader Magazine just came in the mail, and it’s on my coffee table calling my name.

What about you?

What’s going on in your world these days? Anything feel terrifying but you’re doing it anyway? Any good books on your night stand or in your earbuds?

Get in touch — I’d love to know :)

✌🏼️💓 📚

Celeste

P.S. If you noticed this week’s message looks different from our usual Friday mornings, you get the gold star. I’ve been changing a lot of things in my corner of the interwebs this week (It’s past time ~ also, I love the distraction) —  More overhauled things here.

Love these Friday morning chats?

*No portion of this work may be used for training artificial intelligence without written permission from the author (which she will not be giving).

See you next Friday!