This post is a transcription of the Starting with a Song Podcast, S3Ep8: Week Eight of #The100DayProject

Y’all. We are PAST the halfway point of #The100DayProject! You may or may not have noticed that I’ve taken a little hiatus. I actually anticipated taking off this week because I was on a retreat, but last week took me by surprise. 

I was having coffee with a new friend this morning and as we were exchanging our stories, I shared my most recent lesson – ironically, one I have to keep relearning or practicing, as they say. It’s REST and why to rest and how to rest. And often it feels like a fight! The world wants us to slay, hustle, and do all the things like a real “boss babe.” (Do you see me rolling my eyes?)

But, REST. Slowing down. Being intentional. It’s biblical and cyclical and it mimics nature. I have to think that we as humans were made the very same way. 

So, last week, when I unexpectedly had the busiest week I’ve had in the last six months… well, by Friday, I was definitely choosing rest over producing a podcast. (Plus, y’all are my people. I knew you’d get it.)

This week, my mom flew to Nashville and joined me in Franklin, TN at a writing retreat led by author, Karen Kingsbury. My mom & I typically try to plan some sort of mother-daughter getaway, but when she initially sent me the information it seemed like everything started to fall into place.

I am in the middle of rewriting old narratives and this retreat focused on digging into our life stories, detailing the “characters” of your story and outlining events of your life – both good and not-so-good. Part of the narrative work I’m doing also had me rooting out my life values and aligning work / decisions / relationships with them. One of my values is community and the icing on the cake was when I discovered the name of the retreat: BELONG.

#100DaysofSONG

Using the acronym S. O. N. G. to add a little fun and help sum up the week:

S – Singing

Even though I didn’t sit and listen to a playlist this week, there were definitely songs bubbling in my heart. While I was at the retreat, I met a girl named Georgia Brown who is a songwriter and hosts her own podcast. What she said in-person this week, I discovered, is also the way she closes her show: “Remember you have a song on your heart that only you can sing and your voice is important.”

That feels like the essence of Starting with a Song! And if you’re listening to this, I hope you know how much you, your ideas, and your story MATTERS.

O – Observation

So, I know what you must be thinking. We know you spent the majority of the week writing… did you also create art? Of course I did! Creators gotta create.

Last night, I posted Days 51-55 consecutively with these captions…

• Day 51 (digital hand-lettering with floral doodles that reads “Oh, hello.”): Some lessons learned:
• Day 52 (a digital illustration of a continuous line scuba diver stirring up sand with air bubbles on the ocean floor): When you feel underwater…
• Day 53 (a digital drawing of a gold mandala pattern) Remember to breathe…
• Day 54 (a brightly colored pattern background with a continuous line drawing of a ski lift on top): Let go to reach new heights…
• Day 55 (a photo of my mom & I at the retreat with paintings we’d created – both perfectly imperfect) And rest in loving big, laughing a lot, and remembering who(se) you are.

N – Noteworthy

While I was at that coffee this morning with my new friend, she stopped me in my tracks with this question: “what are you curious about?” I actually turned the question back on her to buy myself time to answer.

What AM I curious about?

I can talk about the many different species of flowers or why mosquitoes exist, but ultimately that question doesn’t feel so easy to answer.

I think I’m genuinely curious about people and their stories. I’m curious about you. What broken bridges have you crossed, what rocky trails have you traversed, what beautiful colors have you discovered that have all been woven together into the tapestry that covers you today? 

I don’t know. There’s not a right or wrong answer here, but definitely a question to bounce around my brain for awhile longer.

What are YOU curious about?

G – Gratitude

I am so, so grateful for time. I have lost count of how many occasions where my mother’s has said in her joyful southern accent, “Love is a four-lettered word and it’s spelled T-I-M-E.”

In the slowing down and in the resting, I’m starting to notice the things that really matter. Time is one of them – investing in people and relationships, investing in creating – in this way, investing time feels like building something. So if that’s the case, I am so grateful for all the construction workers masquerading as family, teachers, and friends who have generously given me that four-lettered gift.

Thanks for taking the time to listen today! Are you participating in #The100DayProject? I’d love to hear about it! You can connect with me and follow along with me on Instagram at @artisticamanda. 

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Starting with a Song podcast for stories and updates, too.

Till next time, always keep singing.