I’ve been in hibernation the past while…some might say cocooning. Not that I haven’t been writing. Writing is always happening. But it didn’t want to come out. Just for me. Maybe that’s changing.

As some of you know, one of my poems was published in WeMoon last year. Existence of You. Apparently a gift that keeps on giving…back to me. Since then, several people have reached out expressing thanks. And I feel so deeply touched. Stunned, awed, grateful…and touched. A woman in her 80s from Scotland left me a voicemail (she actually called!), sharing that the poem spoke to her “strongly and with great synchronicity” around experiences of anxiety, depression, and autism. Another woman tracked me down after hearing the poem at a solstice celebration honoring beauty (because “once was not enough”), and asked to buy a book of my poetry (well, not yet, but thank you for the encouragement!). Then someone asked to work with me as a therapist because she found me through WeMoon – which felt like my worlds were coming together. Most recently, I received an email with the subject line “Permission to use your poem” –  from an author and leader in teacher education who wants to include the poem in her upcoming book as inspiration for retired educators.

Wow, right?!

As I’m sure many of you experience with your own artistic endeavors, creating can be such a private journey. Even if you share your creations publicly, it can often feel like a message in a bottle floating out into an oceanic abyss. So, to hear back…message received!…is truly a gift.

And for me, it feels like a gift and a nudge.

I have quite an archive of writing, especially since pandemic times which opened a portal of panacreatea-ic flow for me. So here I am, poking my head out a little, emerging to share from that archive. Over the next months, in no particular order, I will pull out poems and whatnot to share with you all.

And in turn, if you and your own creative endeavors are seeking a friendly kindred nudge…who knows who out there might be eagerly waiting to hear/see/feel what has come through you.

May the healing balm of creativity soothe, nurture and inspire us all…panacreatea.