Announcing A Double Nickel Flash Memoir

writing challenge in progress

It’s the new moon and time for setting intentions.

For the next 55 days, in honor of my 55th year, I am going to post one Note for each year of my life, starting today, November 1st with the new moon, and ending on December 25th, Christmas Day. How auspicious is that?! 55 days from today I will post my last flash memoir, here I am counting down my own personal advent.

To get us started, I offer you my flash memoir of 2024

February 29, 2024 – A date that will not appear again until 2028, the next leap year, when it will be marked by the infinite swirling of a number 8. This leap year, I lie curled beneath a quilt on a blue couch. My guide is just across from me. Behind my eyelids, I watch as the mycelium-like networks of my mind are traced by beads of light, drawn in pastel pinks and aquas. Three times the zinging impulses of sound branch across synaptical abysses, and get caught between the axons and dendrites and a sustained, high-frequency scratch of sound pierces my inner ear, connecting and clearing the circuits as plant medicine leads me toward an unwritten future.

I am calling these little posts flash memoir. I will create one for each of my 55 years starting today, with 2024. I will countdown to my birth year, 1969.

If you are not already familiar with it, Notes is a Twitter-esq feature of the Substack App. It will allow me to share short form media; texts, links, photos, videos, whatever I want really. And I can link my Notes through a tab at the top of my homepage so you can easily find them there without needing to download the app. I won’t be sending emails going out to you each day, but you can easily seek it out if you wish by returning to my website and clicking through the tab on my homepage. I will also update you with an email and a link when we get to the full moon, and other than that you won’t hear from me directly until it is over.

These posts will remain short, somewhere in the 75 to 150 word range. Right now this is just a guideline. I don’t want them to get too long, but I don’t know, I might want to write some that are longer, we shall see. With most postings I will focus on a single memory, therefore scenes with sensory details and a focus on craft. I want this to be beneficial to me, a skill and confidence building practice. I may use previously written work as I plan to take this opportunity to revisit old drafts, notes, emails, writing exercises, photos, videos, what have you, blah, blah, blah. We will see where it goes. But the goal is just to keep posting, regardless of whatever else comes up. Even if they turn out to be lame, or this doesn’t do exactly what I want it to. If I stick to the sadana-like aspect of it, than I am following the plan. You never know, it might do something else, equally as helpful.

I give credit for this idea to this writer's memoir in Substack Notes. From the first of Francesca’s posts, I loved how she engaged me with her craft and it inspired me to create this project of my own.

I will benefit from an overview of the past 55 years. Plus, it will be fodder for expansion if I wish. A collection of tiny moments that could go anywhere. Also, posting on the socials by way of a creative practice sounds much better to me than the self-promotion that seems to be required to find more readers. Normally when I post on social media sites, those worldly winds blow me this way and that. This time I have made some strict practice boundaries that I hope will help me keep my seat throughout the 55 days.

I will put in the inputs and I will assess the outputs when all is said and done.

Feel free to follow my progress, and you are in no way obliged to do so. Do the thing that serves you 🙏🏼

Invitation to join

I invite you to play along if you want, and post your own daily memoir. It doesn’t have to look just like mine. Make it up yourself or reach out and I can share my prompts. Let me know, ‘cause I’d love to read your memoir.

This post will remain free through my whole project. But I will close the comments section after the first 8 days.

Final words before the election on Tuesday November 5th

I will share my “how to be patriotic” post below, because that is where I want to stand. Things have changed since I have posted that on August 31st, just after the Democratic National Convention when energy was high and we all felt very hopeful. The vitriol and the attacks have taken a toll on our energy since then. We are grounded in our resolve, but it is hard to cultivate joy while such winds of anger and fear and delusion are blowing. They are designed to unseat us. Just remember that no matter what happens on Tuesday, November 5th, we are many, we are strong and we will continue to look after each other. For now, do what you can do, so you can look back and say that you did what you could. And it is enough to turn off the news and call a friend and take a walk and make a cup of tea.

Recently I was at a talk where a teacher was describing how caring is a type of fire. You care about people and the direction of this country and that is an energy in and of itself. Do your best to warm up by the fire of your own caring. It’s beautiful. Let it start slow. Make sure all the elements are there to support your fire, fuel, oxygen, heat. You balance them as you can. Find the activities that work. Sometimes it is rest. Other times it is getting together with your neighbors and friends. Help each other get to the polls. Thank the workers for helping to make this process work. Thanks for your efforts too, despite all the things that get in the way. Find your ground and keep your seat for a few more days.

The worldly winds will blow us this way and that, but may you remain ever grounded and upright in your comfortable and free seat.