Thank you so much for your kind words, Nathalie!! :') You put it so well too, about the irony of the collective's appearance masking the individual's heart. I'm so glad that you also experience personal traditions as a lighthouse in the storm. I really appreciate you reading and being here <3 <3
Thank you so much for sharing, Sylvia! You’re not alone ❤️ I’ve actually found a greater sense of peace and home in my wandering, which is why I do that too
Suyin, your poem was everything. It was so beautiful even as it spoke of sad and delicate things. I was surprise to find loneliness to be so forceful, like the time you wrote it as a table that needed to be round (to force intimacy). I found myself sitting with all the vignettes where loneliness can exist. I walked with the loneliness in the poem and I like that it ended with loneliness being a birthday (I don't know if you meant to tie that into the 7th day of the Lunar New Year but I felt it was befitting). Thank you for sharing some of your personal traditions with us, especially the ones about your secret gardens and how you honor your grandmother. I actually wrote a little about the importance of creating one's own traditions some time ago, around Christmas, and I really loved how you talk about passing down your traditions to other versions of yourself. I feel like I always learn a ton from your posts, for example this is the first time I read about kairo time, which feels like a profound way to experience time. I wonder if you've seen the movie Arrival? If you haven't I won't spoil it, but there is a different way that time is experienced by the aliens in the movie. Lastly, the poetry of Wordsworth and Blake brought a smile to my face. It's been a long time since I've read either poet. Thank you again for the Love Note shout out, it is a pleasure to help out fellow writers =) (P.S. I no longer have substack on my phone -I log in on my laptop- and I really miss the emoji's haha)
Helen, thank you so much for reading and for sharing your beautiful and poetic reflections. It's always such an honour to soak in your words and re-experience what I had written about in a different and profound way.
I love the way you described the sadness and delicacy of the collection of memories, and the forcefulness of loneliness that came across. I wrote the part about loneliness and birthdays inspired by actual birthdays, and when I realized that I was going to be publishing it on the 7th day of the Lunar New Year, I found that very synchronistic and poignant.
Thank you for sharing about your writing on creating one's own traditions too, I've just read it and love it (I've also now linked to it above). It means so much to hear about what you feel has been illuminated for you from my writing, including about the experience of time. I recall watching the movie Arrival a long time ago, and I don't remember the story now, but I'm so intrigued by what you mentioned about how they experienced time. I definitely need to watch it again - thank you for the recommendation! I'm so glad you enjoyed the Romantic poetry too - they're some of my favourites 🌼
And it's my absolute pleasure to write you a dedication - one of the biggest gifts of writing here is the community! (p.s. I must admit I sometimes choose to write comments / notes using the app specifically for the emojis! 😉💕☀️🤗)
ahh, all of us are so used to communicating through emojis now! It can't be helped =) I recently downloaded the app to my iPad and I am going to see if I can use emojis there, although I must admit that being on the laptop helps me to respond quicker and get my thoughts out. Thank you for reading my piece on traditions and linking it, you are very kind <3 Regarding the movie Arrival, it is actually based on a short story by Ted Chiang called "The Story of Your Life", in case you want to read it. It's very good and very profound, aka for us, the deep thinkers. Basically, if you recall that Amy Adam's character learns to read the language of the aliens, and once she does she is gifted with the ability to see time as circular; she is everywhere in her life at all times after she learns to read/see time in that manner. I am a believer that time simply cannot be linear, it wouldn't make sense to me that things don't circle back on to themselves.
Wow thank you for recommending Ted Chiang’s writing - both his books look amazing and I’m adding them to my reading list 😊 Ahh I do recall a bit of the movie plot now that you mention that. I’m even more interested to rewatch it now. And I’m with you on the perception of time, honestly just based on my perception of life!
Suyin your writing always blows me away. The poem that opened this piece was so powerful and beautifully crafted. Thank you for writing such an honest piece of writing and I loved reading about your experiences of time and tradition 🤍
Thank you so much for your kind words and support always, Jennae! ❤️ It means so much to hear about your experience of reading it and I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🥲
The loneliness poem was so so beautiful, so evocative. And thank you for being so brave and courageous in publishing this piece and your reflections on LNY festivities and just all the Chinese traditions we are implicitly pressured to uphold ~ I love the personal traditions you are weaving for/with yourself, and blossoming into each kairos moment with wonder. I’m so glad I took the day off work so I could soak in your words this arvo! 💘
Rachel, it really fills my heart to read that you dedicated part of your day off to reading my writing 😭😭💙 It’s such an honour, thank you so much for reading and for taking the time to share your profound reflections on my writing too 🥲 It means so much to hear from you on this, and it is a treasured reminder to me to always share my voice on what my heart feels strongly about. Thank you for the encouragement and self-trust that your words spark in me! ✨✨
I'm not sure how I missed this writing but it has shaken me to the core. I was reflecting during this time too, on the many ways we are taught to wish someone a happy new year, on the trite 4-word blessings we spill out and how they are so focused on monetary wealth, on financial success, on performative visibility and acceptance within the 'family unit' that is 'home', that is 'society', that is the cornerstone of a 'good person'. I feel incredibly grateful to have been able to grow up adjacent to this environment, and yet at the same time I stare deeply into the ways it has woven itself into the fabric of me in ways that fit, that don't fit, that cast me as belonging / non-belonging simultaneously, neither Same nor Other. It is woven into the marriage I am extricating from, the ways that the son and the daughter perform different roles and by many standards I have failed miserably in my prescribed role and yet I am all the more grateful for allowing this for myself.
I applaud you for continuing to find your space, your truth, for sharing this with all who may resonate and standing firm in the face of those who may not, and for speaking and writing about the grief we go through as we live and die many deaths whilst we continue to transform.
Zhen, from one person who has felt this type of loneliness to another, I feel it is such a blessing that we have found each other amidst being adrift from our prescribed fitting in 🪻☁️
I appreciate your profound insights and reflections on this so much - it feels like I've unravelled another layer of understanding of this journey of unwinding ourselves from what does not feel true to us, while building our rebirthed lives around what does.
Reading what you said about failing miserably in a prescribed role actually makes me want to set off fireworks for you, for all of us, who have experienced this "failure", because the other side of that failure is the flourishing of our homecoming to self, which is actually a gift 💜✨✨
Thank you so much for sharing so vulnerably here too, and for the deepened insight you've helped me reach with your reflections!
Beautiful poem! And wow I did not expect this story of yours to carry me to so many dimensions of life. I totally agree with creating our own traditions, even in our tiny lifetime in comparison to age old traditions. They are after all created or shaped or changed at some point or many points. And once, I think I've also grasped slightly about being connected to everything that came before and will come after, but then it slipped away again from me like dandelions in the wind ....
I was moved by your description of dandelions slipping away in the wind, to capture your experience of knowing the feeling of connection to all that was before and will come after – I think because we live in a world that runs on linear time (chronos) and demands of us to do the same, it’s a constant act of resistance to be able to re-connect deeply back to kairos. I feel like art and creating are such important doorways for us to re-connect deeply to kairos, and to be reminded of what’s important, across all the different dimensions of life. Thank you for being here and sharing, Rachel!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Nathalie!! :') You put it so well too, about the irony of the collective's appearance masking the individual's heart. I'm so glad that you also experience personal traditions as a lighthouse in the storm. I really appreciate you reading and being here <3 <3
I can completely relate to what you wrote! Especially the part about Chinese New Year. That's why I've been wandering around outside all this time...
Thank you so much for sharing, Sylvia! You’re not alone ❤️ I’ve actually found a greater sense of peace and home in my wandering, which is why I do that too
Suyin, your poem was everything. It was so beautiful even as it spoke of sad and delicate things. I was surprise to find loneliness to be so forceful, like the time you wrote it as a table that needed to be round (to force intimacy). I found myself sitting with all the vignettes where loneliness can exist. I walked with the loneliness in the poem and I like that it ended with loneliness being a birthday (I don't know if you meant to tie that into the 7th day of the Lunar New Year but I felt it was befitting). Thank you for sharing some of your personal traditions with us, especially the ones about your secret gardens and how you honor your grandmother. I actually wrote a little about the importance of creating one's own traditions some time ago, around Christmas, and I really loved how you talk about passing down your traditions to other versions of yourself. I feel like I always learn a ton from your posts, for example this is the first time I read about kairo time, which feels like a profound way to experience time. I wonder if you've seen the movie Arrival? If you haven't I won't spoil it, but there is a different way that time is experienced by the aliens in the movie. Lastly, the poetry of Wordsworth and Blake brought a smile to my face. It's been a long time since I've read either poet. Thank you again for the Love Note shout out, it is a pleasure to help out fellow writers =) (P.S. I no longer have substack on my phone -I log in on my laptop- and I really miss the emoji's haha)
Helen, thank you so much for reading and for sharing your beautiful and poetic reflections. It's always such an honour to soak in your words and re-experience what I had written about in a different and profound way.
I love the way you described the sadness and delicacy of the collection of memories, and the forcefulness of loneliness that came across. I wrote the part about loneliness and birthdays inspired by actual birthdays, and when I realized that I was going to be publishing it on the 7th day of the Lunar New Year, I found that very synchronistic and poignant.
Thank you for sharing about your writing on creating one's own traditions too, I've just read it and love it (I've also now linked to it above). It means so much to hear about what you feel has been illuminated for you from my writing, including about the experience of time. I recall watching the movie Arrival a long time ago, and I don't remember the story now, but I'm so intrigued by what you mentioned about how they experienced time. I definitely need to watch it again - thank you for the recommendation! I'm so glad you enjoyed the Romantic poetry too - they're some of my favourites 🌼
And it's my absolute pleasure to write you a dedication - one of the biggest gifts of writing here is the community! (p.s. I must admit I sometimes choose to write comments / notes using the app specifically for the emojis! 😉💕☀️🤗)
ahh, all of us are so used to communicating through emojis now! It can't be helped =) I recently downloaded the app to my iPad and I am going to see if I can use emojis there, although I must admit that being on the laptop helps me to respond quicker and get my thoughts out. Thank you for reading my piece on traditions and linking it, you are very kind <3 Regarding the movie Arrival, it is actually based on a short story by Ted Chiang called "The Story of Your Life", in case you want to read it. It's very good and very profound, aka for us, the deep thinkers. Basically, if you recall that Amy Adam's character learns to read the language of the aliens, and once she does she is gifted with the ability to see time as circular; she is everywhere in her life at all times after she learns to read/see time in that manner. I am a believer that time simply cannot be linear, it wouldn't make sense to me that things don't circle back on to themselves.
Wow thank you for recommending Ted Chiang’s writing - both his books look amazing and I’m adding them to my reading list 😊 Ahh I do recall a bit of the movie plot now that you mention that. I’m even more interested to rewatch it now. And I’m with you on the perception of time, honestly just based on my perception of life!
Suyin your writing always blows me away. The poem that opened this piece was so powerful and beautifully crafted. Thank you for writing such an honest piece of writing and I loved reading about your experiences of time and tradition 🤍
Thank you so much for your kind words and support always, Jennae! ❤️ It means so much to hear about your experience of reading it and I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🥲
I absolutely adore your writing 😭 soaking in every drop
😭😭 thank you so, so much Chiara!! It means the world to know that. I’m so grateful for your support and to have you here 💜💜
The loneliness poem was so so beautiful, so evocative. And thank you for being so brave and courageous in publishing this piece and your reflections on LNY festivities and just all the Chinese traditions we are implicitly pressured to uphold ~ I love the personal traditions you are weaving for/with yourself, and blossoming into each kairos moment with wonder. I’m so glad I took the day off work so I could soak in your words this arvo! 💘
Rachel, it really fills my heart to read that you dedicated part of your day off to reading my writing 😭😭💙 It’s such an honour, thank you so much for reading and for taking the time to share your profound reflections on my writing too 🥲 It means so much to hear from you on this, and it is a treasured reminder to me to always share my voice on what my heart feels strongly about. Thank you for the encouragement and self-trust that your words spark in me! ✨✨
I'm not sure how I missed this writing but it has shaken me to the core. I was reflecting during this time too, on the many ways we are taught to wish someone a happy new year, on the trite 4-word blessings we spill out and how they are so focused on monetary wealth, on financial success, on performative visibility and acceptance within the 'family unit' that is 'home', that is 'society', that is the cornerstone of a 'good person'. I feel incredibly grateful to have been able to grow up adjacent to this environment, and yet at the same time I stare deeply into the ways it has woven itself into the fabric of me in ways that fit, that don't fit, that cast me as belonging / non-belonging simultaneously, neither Same nor Other. It is woven into the marriage I am extricating from, the ways that the son and the daughter perform different roles and by many standards I have failed miserably in my prescribed role and yet I am all the more grateful for allowing this for myself.
I applaud you for continuing to find your space, your truth, for sharing this with all who may resonate and standing firm in the face of those who may not, and for speaking and writing about the grief we go through as we live and die many deaths whilst we continue to transform.
Zhen, from one person who has felt this type of loneliness to another, I feel it is such a blessing that we have found each other amidst being adrift from our prescribed fitting in 🪻☁️
I appreciate your profound insights and reflections on this so much - it feels like I've unravelled another layer of understanding of this journey of unwinding ourselves from what does not feel true to us, while building our rebirthed lives around what does.
Reading what you said about failing miserably in a prescribed role actually makes me want to set off fireworks for you, for all of us, who have experienced this "failure", because the other side of that failure is the flourishing of our homecoming to self, which is actually a gift 💜✨✨
Thank you so much for sharing so vulnerably here too, and for the deepened insight you've helped me reach with your reflections!
Beautiful poem! And wow I did not expect this story of yours to carry me to so many dimensions of life. I totally agree with creating our own traditions, even in our tiny lifetime in comparison to age old traditions. They are after all created or shaped or changed at some point or many points. And once, I think I've also grasped slightly about being connected to everything that came before and will come after, but then it slipped away again from me like dandelions in the wind ....
I was moved by your description of dandelions slipping away in the wind, to capture your experience of knowing the feeling of connection to all that was before and will come after – I think because we live in a world that runs on linear time (chronos) and demands of us to do the same, it’s a constant act of resistance to be able to re-connect deeply back to kairos. I feel like art and creating are such important doorways for us to re-connect deeply to kairos, and to be reminded of what’s important, across all the different dimensions of life. Thank you for being here and sharing, Rachel!
Suyin, your poem was breathtakingly beautiful! It moved me deeply. Thank you for sharing it!
Thank you so much, Heidi! It means a lot to know that - I really appreciate you for reading and being here!