If you find pleasure, peace, a release of any kind, from writing – WRITE EVERY DAY.
This was so much easier for me when I was a kid. Gum wrappers, receipts, napkins, my own skin – ANYTHING that I could put ink or graphite on legibly was fair game.
WRITE. EVERY. DAY. But publish every day? Hmmmm Not so sure about that.
It is however, insanely easy to do…
Not that it’s really an excuse – I’m the only one stopping myself from writing – but I think the fact that literally anyone with internet access can be a published author completely threw me for a loop. The EXPLOSION of social media happened while I was in college, studying to be a SUPER TRADITIONAL writer/publisher.
I was mourning the loss of one world while a whole new one was growing and thriving. I’m one of those people who’s young enough but also old enough to be totally immersed in communication and technology today but deeply rooted in what it was before.
It honestly felt and still feels like all my childhood dreams of being a respected author have been obliterated.
“Why?” you may ask. Because I literally have no idea what it means to be a respected author anymore. This leads me to feeling lost and spinning in circles as I attempt to make sense of what the heck I’m trying to do here.
WRITE. EVERY. DAY.
But when you aren’t writing every day on your own because your ego is berating you in that old familiar way…you have to find some way to be accountable – to feel motivated – something outside of yourself which has been possessed by a strong force which is NOT YOU.
My momma is the only one in the entire world who reads everything I publish and I’ve mentioned before I need to publish for her.
I am not promising every entry to be a gem but I do think, like with most things, the more I just DO IT the less awkward I will feel doing it. (Yes, mom – this does mean I’m listening to you.)
I will aim to include some substance in my posts. Ultimately I’m writing for me but, I’m also really interested in writing for you too. As I’ve said before, it would be an honor to show how connected we all truly are.
If it’s only my momma that gains anything outside of my own self from publishing or writing in general, that’s OK. I’m just going to do it anyway.
What’s something you get peace from? Why does it bring you that feeling? How often do you get to experience that which brings you peace?
And again – if you would be interested in connecting with me please leave a comment here.
“With Mother’s Day approaching I would like to make a plea…”
My momma was literally begging me not to send her anything.
“You have enough shit going on and historically you have, in my opinion, over done things…If you you still feel compelled after my request, then perhaps you could write a brief update on Emily’s esoteric website about why you haven’t written in a year.”
NOT SURPRISINGLY…I sent her a box of chocolates. One of her absolute favorites, though – Neuchatel Swiss Chocolates (yum!)
Days before said Mother’s Day, I was chatting with one of my younger sisters online (I have three) about what she and my other sisters were planning for my mom.
I had already gotten a card and a small gift (despite her request) but hadn’t put them in the mail yet because the gift wasn’t quite ready and also I have this insane habit of holding myself back, from everything.
Nothing is ever good enough – nothing is every ready or quite right.
So, inspired by my sister I ordered the chocolates to be delivered before Mother’s Day so she’d at least have something to open from me on the holiday.
The chocolates arrived that Saturday, she scolded me and thanked me at the same time. Telling me she’d cherish each morsel and share none of it. But, she was definitely disappointed. As was I. Why couldn’t I just write something like she asked?
Even as I write this – I am cringing. That voice in my head is jumping up and down throwing quite the tantrum over this.
My momma, who is by no means someone who’d be described as “traditional” or “mainstream” so her request wasn’t all that surprising, had me wondering – where did Mother’s Day come from and what is it really all about?
****Warning – I’m getting even nerdier so if it’s not for you, I get it and thanks for reading this far.
So, according to History.com which I guess I consider reputable enough, Mother’s Day has a bit of a dramatic history which ultimately culminated in the founder lobbying the government to see it removed from the American calendar.
What’s the deal?
Well, according to research, evidence of people celebrating mothers and motherhood can be traced back to ancient Greeks and Romans – although I’m sure there were celebrations even before that.
In the 16th century, Christians started celebrating “Mothering Sunday” which falls on the fourth Sunday in Lent. Primarily observed in the UK and parts of Europe, it’s intention was to encourage attendance at the local church or “mother church”.
Eventually, as these things tend to do, the religious holiday became more secular and was a day of respite for many and a chance to connect with family. Children would bring wild flowers and small gifts to their mothers.
The holiday started to wane in popularity by the 1920s but merchants in the UK realized the potential to commercialize the celebration and by the 1950s it was back! Celebrated throughout the UK to this day and often referred to as “Mother’s Day” it was a prelude to the American holiday we know today.
So this is also why “Mother’s Day” isn’t the same day in the UK as it is in America.
The American “Mother’s Day” we know today dates back to the 19th century. Just prior to the Civil War, a woman by the name of Ann Reeves Jarvis from West Virginia. According to Wikipedia (yes I also consider this a reputable source, apologies if this offends anyone) Jarvis had 13 children over 17 years but only FOUR survived to adulthood due to diseases and unsanitary conditions.
CREDIT E-WV, THE WEST VIRGINIA ENCYCLOPEDIA
Motivated by her loss and the loss of many others around her within her community, she began “Mother’s Day Work Clubs” as part of a growing public movement to improve health and sanitary conditions.
Long before state requirements, the club developed programs to inspect milk. The club also raised money to buy medicine for the needy, provided support for family’s with sick mothers, and visited households to educate on ways to improve sanitary conditions and overall health.
During the Civil War, Jarvis’ Mother’s Day Work Clubs saw the primary needs of families change. Suddenly, mothers and fathers and sons and daughters – all branches of the tree – were being ripped apart over the intense division at the time. Jarvis altered the mission of the club to bring neutrality to the conflict and vowed to help both sides. Under her guidance, she and the other mother’s in her club provided aid to soldiers regardless of their origin who needed help in her area.
Jarvis’ life is memorialized as one that was dedicated to helping and honoring mothers. Her daughter, Anna Jarvis recalled her mother praying for someone to start a day to honor mothers.
Ann Reeves Jarvis passed away on May 9th, 1905. A year after her passing, her daughter Anna announced plans to hold a memorial service for her mother the following year. In May of 1907 a private service was held to honor her.
On May 10th, 1908 – again around the anniversary of her mother’s death – Anna Jarvis organized the first official observance of “Mother’s Day” to not only honor her mother but all mothers as her own had prayed for.
Services were held at Andrews Methodist Church, where Anne Reeves Jarvis taught Sunday school for 25 years. At the same time, after receiving backing from a Philadelphia department store owner John Wanamaker, thousands of people (15,000 according to Wikipedia) attended a service at the Wanamaker Store Auditorium.
Anna Jarvis, as she appeared in April 1910, during her campaign to have Mother’s Day declared a national holiday. Courtesy of West Virginia & Regional History Center.
After campaigning to make Mother’s Day an official holiday in the United States, in 1914 the 28th President Woodrow Wilson signed a congressional resolution making the second Sunday in May (it’s not a set date so this is likely why so many of us struggle to remember WHEN it’s celebrated!!) the official national holiday of “Mother’s Day”.
Initially, Anne Jarvis was thrilled to have made her mother’s prayers come true and worked with the floral industry to bring more awareness to the holiday. By the 1920s however, Anne was disgusted with how commercialized Mother’s Day had already become.
Anne Jarvis spent most of the rest of her life, along with her personal wealth, fighting against companies that use the name “Mother’s Day” to profit. She outwardly denounced what Mother’s Day had become and so was led to the lobbying for it’s removal from the American calendar.
BEFORE I KNEW! Here is that “gift” which I’m still going to give my momma but ended up not sending for Mother’s Day…sorry again mom…
Anne Jarvis, so deeply disturbed by the transformation of the holiday, urged people to stop buying Mother’s Day flowers, cards, and candies.
I’m not entirely sure if the knowledge of this history is what led my momma to make her plea – momma, did you know all this? – but regardless, WOW. Unfortunately this tale is not unusual. Most of us celebrate holidays and traditions and either have no idea what the original meaning was or just ignore the fact that the celebration has become so entrenched in American capitalism that we are literally stressing ourselves out over checking “get Mother’s Day gift” off our to-do lists.
SO MOMMA, I’m sorry I sent you chocolates. BUT, your wise words (as they always are) resonated with me and now I totally get it. If anything I’d like to say after thinking through all of this we should honor our mothers EVERY DAY.
Sure, go ahead and use Mother’s Day as an extra excuse to get time with your mother on the calendar or if she’s no longer with you then say an extra prayer or do something special in her honor. BUT remember the real meaning of Mother’s Day is to memorialize all mothers and to recognize we wouldn’t be here without them! We should be doing this every day, not just when the calendar calls for it.
To truly respect that sentiment we should live as a society who values the role of motherhood both in our personal lives and throughout history. Women have contributed so much to our world and being a mother is one way they have done that. The bigger conversation, of course, is recognizing the value of women in general – even those who choose to not or are simply unable to have children. The more we understand this the more united we truly all become.
Not that I’m an expert or anything, but an anomaly is occurring in my life and it’s made me think about the topic.
My boyfriend’s grandmother, my best friend since I was 6, my mother and my mother’s mother are all celebrating their birthday in about as many days.
Which brings me to our topic. Gifts. I love giving them. Only problem is I never feel like anything is ever good enough, or I just procrastinate, or maybe sometimes I just get so wrapped up in my own life that- I forget. Regardless, last minute scrambling is not a foreign concept to me.
One really cool way to overcome this issue I’ve recently been made privy to is through a site called DreamRetailer.com. The site has a bunch of awesome features powered by Shop, but the feature I have found extremely useful when I have succumbed to being paralyzed by indecision or the many other reasons I am not prepared is eGift.
When I use eGift, I am actually able to instantly give the person I care about the ability to choose from as many gift options as I want. Each option can display a personal message, such as the reason I chose the gift, and the best part is it is delivered right to their email. When they receive my email, the option to choose one of my gift offers is given to them along with any messages I have decided to include.
This creative, easy, and best of all free feature gives me a chance to show that special person how much I really do care about them, even when ‘I act a fool’.
Observations, information and hopefully inspiration.
Emily's Esoterica 