One Quote + One Note + One Question January 1, 2024
One Quote
The Great Belonging suggests that, like all my other companions, loneliness introduces me to people I wouldn't have met on my own, and to places I wouldn't have found. And loneliness helps me see things in familiar books or paintings or parks that I wouldn't have seen without loneliness's tutelage. Our belonging to ourselves, to each other, to God--all those belongings can shush loneliness when she starts exaggerating and telling us tales. But equally, it is often through and with loneliness that we find our many other manifold belongings.
- Lauren Winner, The Great Belonging Foreword
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One Note
We’ve come a long way. I have very clear memories of putting together the book proposal for The Great Belonging in December of 2018. So much has happened since then. Having an opportunity to write and publish this book was such an honor. I had no idea how my research, writing, and work on belonging and loneliness would affect everything else. But it sure did affect everything else. It still does.
And now I’m trying to belong to time.
It’s safe to say that my relationship with time has been complicated. But all of those complications have brought me to this place of receiving good things from time. I have so many interests, ideas, and desires, and I realized a few months ago that time is one way to hold everything together. Time is a container vast enough for all of it. Every single thing connected to my body, mind, soul, work, places, and people.
After I had this thought I exhaled and released my shoulders and jaw.
Then I took it a bit further and began a practice of exploring time and how I belong to time most days at One O’Clock Central. Then I did what I do and bought the URL.
So, oneoclockcentral.com will be a space that holds everything together, too. It will hold my Belonging to Time experiment and practices. My work, writing, notes, ponderings, joys, laments, desires, regrets.
(I described it a bit more here, in case you haven’t read that part yet.)
I think I might’ve created a new spiritual practice? Or something? We’ll see.
Thanks so much for reading. I’d love for you to follow along to see how it unfolds.
Speaking of time… It’s still Christmastide, and there’s still time to join me TODAY for an Online Christmastide Retreat with Lauren Winner from 3-6 p.m. CT. Free and paid registration options available.
Until next time,
Charlotte
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One Question
How has your relationship with time been broken or disturbed or disrupted?
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One Instagram Reel with Another Quote from the Foreword of The Great Belonging
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One Instagram Post from November 17, 2023 on Working with Time Instead of Against It
Here’s the caption:
It would be difficult for me to come up with the name of a spiritual direction client who hasn’t discussed some aspect of time during a one-on-one spiritual direction session, retreat, co-writing, or group spiritual direction session.
It doesn’t matter if they are navigating issues related to their writing life and creativity, parenting and caregiving, work and calling, relationships and belonging, or belief and doubt.
I’m 99% sure everyone I’ve ever met with has talked about time.
I’ve been thinking a lot about time over the past year as I’ve been writing my next book and planning future books.
I’m discovering new ways to belong to time, to work with it, to use it for good—for my good and for the good of others.
In my exploration of time, I’m still in that early (and delightful!) stage that holds so much noticing and watching and waiting. Where I am filtering everything through this new lens and seeing what happens next. Where I am detecting patterns and themes. Where I am receiving so much good stuff.
I haven’t done much official research on this topic yet. I’ve bought a few books. The one I read a while ago was kind of boring. I have more hope for a couple of others that are somewhere upstairs in my office that’s not unpacked yet.
Who talks and writes about time in ways that are interesting?
What good thoughts have you had about time?
What helps you belong to time instead of fighting it?
What gives you hope for time?
Charlotte Donlon’s writing and work are always rooted in helping her readers, audience, and clients notice how art and other good things help them belong to themselves, others, the divine, and the world. Charlotte is the founder of Thoughtful Books Etc.™, One O’Clock Central, Spiritual Direction for Writers® , Spiritual Direction for Belonging™, and Parenting with Art™. Her first book was The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other. Her next book on Spiritual Direction for Writers will be published by Eerdmans in 2024 or 2025. Charlotte’s essays have appeared in The Washington Post, The Curator, The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Catapult, The Millions, Mockingbird, and elsewhere. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing and a certificate in spiritual direction. To receive Charlotte’s latest updates, news, announcements, and all kinds of good things, subscribe to Thoughtful Readers Etc. + Five Good Things.