One Quote + One Note + One Question January 11, 2024
One Quote
True belonging is about full possession of yourself, sure.
But it’s also about believing in your capacity to belong wherever you go.
That belief is deeply rooted in a sense of purpose and passion.
Fraudy Feelings, then, surface when your sense of purpose and passion don’t have solid ground to grab onto and healthy soil to feed them.
Negative self-talk might sometimes seem like it pops up out of nowhere, but when you boil it down, many times it’s filler for uncertainty: lack of clarity around who you are, no plan on how to be that person, and an absence of ownership of what makes you YOU. I’m not saying “finding your purpose” is going to solve all your problems and transform you into a positivity unicorn. And I’m not going to tell you that planning out every step of your journey, Excel-spreadsheet-style, is a fool-proof plan. What happens when you inevitably change and grow, as human beings do?
But I will say this: with confidence in what I call your Through Line, you might start to notice less of the negative self-talk you use to sabotage yourself when things start to feel like they’re on shaky ground, or when they’re maybe going—cue horror movie narrator voice—a little too well.
-Katie Horwitch, Want Your Self: Shift Your Self-Talk and Unearth the Strength in Who You Were All Along
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One Note
Reading Want Your Self by Katie Horwitch has been a fun experience because this book explores many aspects of belonging and loneliness in ways familiar to me because of my writing and work on the subjects AND because Horwitch introduces some new-to-me ideas, too.
Amen to reading something new about loneliness and belonging!
Some of you know I get super frustrated by books, articles, and essays that tell me nothing new. Unfortunately, I come across such writing more often than I prefer. (So, I will beg: If you're a writer, please, please, please give me something new! Even if you're writing about a topic hundreds of others have already written about, you have something new to share. Mine your unique stories and experiences for angles only you can write! How has your life given you unique insights into the topic? Figure it out, then write about that.)
The quote above has me thinking about how being secure in our purpose and passion affects our sense of belonging. My writing and work around belonging to our creative work and belonging to time touch on this idea of belongingness being rooted in a sense of passion and purpose, but Horwitch has given me so much more to consider.
What a way to think about passion and purpose, along with everything we think about at the start of a new year. How cool to see so many things converge and coalesce!
Also, if you're in the Birmingham area, please join Katie and me for a gathering at my home later this month. I'm thrilled to partner with Jill at HappyWomenDinners as the Birmingham host for her author events. Jill has been having these gatherings in various cities nationwide since 2017 to provide opportunities for women to gather around good food, great books, and lovely conversations.
Our first Birmingham HappyWomenDinners gathering will be on Thursday, January 25th, from 6-8 p.m. with author Katie Horwitch, and I'd love for you to join me.
If you can join Katie and me on Thursday, January 25th, please email Jill at Jill@HappyWomenDinners.com. She will respond with details on how to pay the $100 to reserve your spot. The $100 cost includes a signed copy of the book, a delicious meal, a group conversation with Katie, and all kinds of wonderful body + soul + mind nourishment.
Until next time,
Charlotte
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One Question
How does your sense of passion and purpose affect your sense of belonging?
One More Question
How can you integrate movement toward greater belonging into your plans and goals for this new calendar year?
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One Photo from the Retreat Room Launch and Pop-Up Bookshop
My very talented cousin came in town this past Sunday to take photos during the Retreat Room Launch and Pop-Up Bookshop and I received the photos and they’re so great! More soon, but here’s one I love because Tim was the hostess with the mostest. He rocked it. Big time.
Tim Donlon Working the Room
One More Photo from the Retreat Room Launch and Pop-Up Bookshop Because Why Not
Can we talk about how many amazing women inhabit this town? The amazing women of Birmingham help me stay here. They help me lean to the love side of my love/hate with this town. It was an honor to have a 25-30 of them in my home on Sunday. Shoutout to our Alabama State Poet Laureate Ashley M. Jones and the brilliant Javacia Harris Bowser from See Jane Write.
Ashley M. Jones and Javacia Harris Bowser
One PDF with More Information about the HappyWomenDinners event with Katie Horwitch
Please Note: We still have a few spots left even though it’s past the RSVP deadline!
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.