I've been contemplating suffering. I've been suffering pain in my body chronically for decades...my autoimmune system (has two diseases!) on high-alert for as long as I can remember...and more recently, a lower-back issue that's been on-and-off since 2022. The term 'comparative suffering' has been bopping around between my parts for years now too. I don't… Continue reading On Mandatory Suffering
Tag: reading
Year of Reading Books – A Dream
"I read slowly, savoring each book one by one. I had all the time in the world then. And there was no danger I'd run out of books, no matter how much I read..." from Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa, translated by Eric Ozawa This morning I was reading. I was reading… Continue reading Year of Reading Books – A Dream
Are You A Writer if You Don’t Get Published?
I've been toiling with the question even though I know in my heart that the answer is a resounding YES. You see, although I have been published, it has been a long time since something has been accepted for publication. I continue to average 1-2 rejections a week. This is not me complaining. I get… Continue reading Are You A Writer if You Don’t Get Published?
2025 – Journal, Seasons & Surrender
Twenty-twenty-five is here! What a year number. It feel very...Back to the Future...but, like, the future is here...and it's not like I thought it would be. I don't 'feel' like a new year has begun. I don't feel like I want to start new things or 'resolve' old things...even though there is a part that… Continue reading 2025 – Journal, Seasons & Surrender
VANESSA SHIELDS 