About Time
Hello!
My name is Bridget Kelley-Lossada. Welcome to my first newsletter! I am thrilled to be able to send out greetings to friends, teachers, caregivers, and creatives about the meanderings and meaning I derive from my various projects, and from which I hope you find some meaning too!
Every month, you will hear about upcoming projects, indie-publishing news, personal news, notable reads, and relevant links. As always, I am grateful for my dear readers. If you like it, subscribe and share. The monthly newsletter is free!
The Setup
I have blogged for years– engaged in writerly creative pursuits while working as an educator. It was a fun hobbyesque pursuit to blog and dabble with putting poetry collections together. I was semi-serious about publication since I have been writing since I was 11 years old and took the trouble to get an MFA, but I also struggled with prioritizing what matters in my life; too much of a people-pleaser to know what I wanted. That began to change in 2018 when I made a pact that I would finish a book project. As I navigated personal transformation with a coach, all of a sudden, I began taking my creative pursuit seriously again. In a few years, complete with a pandemic, my partner's health crisis, my transition out of directing middle school, and a physical move (to live with family), I am here.
The poolside at our temporary home is my perch for the daydreaming necessary to do creative (or any) work. Those who have read the introductory post on my new creative space know I return to the school site as an educator (hybrid teacher-admin) this week. While many schools have already started their 2023-24 school year, we are beginning a bit later due to a building project. If you have been through those, you know it requires a tremendous amount of flexibility on the part of the community.
Indie Publishing for Educators (and Caregivers)
I am determined to do some indie publishing in the upcoming months and years. I self-published my first story as an eleven-year-old and went on to edit the school literary journal in high school. I enjoy the fruits of editing and curating work. That said, the first project I am thrilled to unveil in the next few weeks is a little e-book for educators that I have worked on for several years. This book focuses on helping the harried and stressed educator regain a sense of peace and calm and build a routine to make those feelings last longer in the day-to-day by beginning with realizing you can do it in just 10 seconds. I wrote it for educators, but I know it can also work for caregivers who reach burnout levels regularly.
On deck after the publication of the e-book, I am creating a homemade zine (remember those?) on the art and magnificence of teaching. I hope you will join me in crafting a jewel of a zine. 😇
Becoming Valkyrie
Speaking of caregiving, you may have noticed a page holding space for a future conversation about what it means to be a care partner for loved ones. This is not fully envisioned yet. I am waiting for it to spring forth from my helmet like Athena, and I am sure she will be born given a bit of time for gestation. The newsletter will provide updates on the timing for that.
Where I Found Joy this Summer
- Being outdoors with family
- Journeying to new places (even if local)
- Discussing literary fiction and fantasy with my boys
- Floating in the pool every afternoon
- Staring at the sunset
Books!
It is summer, so I (generally) have more time to read. However, we did have to move in July, which meant MUCH less reading time than I would have liked. I have read some books in total and others partially, with many more to go. I am an eclectic reader and very moody. I am known to have many books in progress and many more that I hope to get to, lol. I think there is a term for this: tsundoku. Or some combination of moody reader and tsundoku. I also reread a few books to see how I feel about them now. And some books are purely for creative or work-related research.
Notable Books (so far)
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin: Wow. This story is not without conflict, yet it elicits a cozy feeling of love. It has a seat in my pantheon of books.
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman: More philosophy than self-help, but worth it. It will help you with any existential dread you may be feeling about life.
The Setting Sun by Osamu Dazai: A classic of Japanese fiction, and perhaps set in motion the incredible surge of Japanese literature post-WWII. It is not light reading; it's like waking up with a sleeping pill hangover. I am glad I read it.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi: Technically, I read this little beauty before summer began. Originally a play. It's about time. And grief. A gem.
We are Time
As the year rolls out, I am serene because I am time. I have all the time I need because I create time. This is my new mindset, which I grabbed from a book I read earlier this year, The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks. It is echoed in Four Thousand Weeks, too. There is no longer a need to rush. We will always have time for everything. Let's be serene this year.
May you be calm and serene until next time.
Be well,
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