Daily Nourishment for February 5, 2024: “Grounded in the World” with Sarah L. Sanderson, Annie Dillard, William Steig, and More
Daily Nourishment Read Time: 40 seconds
Pause/Prompt/Practice Time: 10-15 minutes
“Nature’s silence is its one remark, and every flake of world is a chip off that old mute and immutable block.” - Annie Dillard
Pause.
If you can, find a rock or stone to hold in your hand.
Feel its texture, temperature, and weight. Keep it nearby all week.
Prompt.
If rocks could speak, what would they say? If you became a rock, what would you experience? How does noticing rocks or stones keep you grounded in the world? Take nine minutes to write your response to one of these questions.
Practice.
Over the next few days, notice the physical world around you and the way you feel being in it. Whenever you can, notice the sensation of your feet on the ground, or the feeling of air on your skin, or the way the physical world, with all its rocks and soil and grass and bark, presents itself to your touch. Capture those sensations in words.
Want More?
Read Annie Dillard’s essay “Teaching a Stone to Talk.”
Or, for a more childlike experience, reread William Steig’s Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, or watch it being read aloud here.
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Upcoming Workshops & Gatherings
February: February Co-Writing schedule and registration options are ready.
February: Online Thoughtful Readers Gatherings with Maggie Smith(2/12), Crystal Wilkinson(2/18), and Erik Fuhrer(2/25)
February-March: Online Narrative Writing with Tanya Davis: Friday Cohort, Four Sessions
February 10: Online Seminar with Sarah L. Sanderson and The Place We Make
February 11: Birmingham Paris Avenue Writers' Group with Tania De'Shawn
February 24: Online Revision Stations Designed by Lauren F. Winner
Today’s Daily Nourishment was provided by Sarah L. Sanderson. Sarah’s first book, The Place We Make, was published by WaterBrook in August 2023.
Find more information at www.sarahlsanderson.com.
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