Daily Nourishment for September 29, 2024: Send Your Demons to the Back of the Bus with Guidance from Allison Russell

Daily Nourishment Read Time: 55 seconds
Pause/Prompt/Practice Time: 15 minutes


“Her new single ‘Demons’ encourages fans to take on their demons and confront them directly. Russell knows that some demons will never be fully destroyed, so the best that can be done sometimes is to ‘send your demons to the back of the bus,’ and not let them direct your future.” - Atticus Deeny

Pause.

Take deep breaths with a six-count inhale and a six-count exhale while listening to “Demons” by Allison Russell.

 

Prompt.

Read the quote below from Allison Russell:

"Being a returner is stealing joy from the teeth of turmoil and coming back from difficult things. But we do, all of us, come back from, return from, difficult things. That fierce, hard-won joy is part of our human birthright, and it's something that we can claim at any time and that, even in the hardest of times, we can celebrate being in these bodies. That in and of itself is an act of resistance."

 

Practice.

Set a timer for eight minutes and journal or take notes in response to the questions below and the quotes above:

—What are your thoughts on Russell’s song “Demons” and her words above?

—What difficult things from your past have you returned from? What difficult things are you navigating now?

—What are some of your personal demons that are related to your writing life? What lies do you believe? What unwanted patterns and habits keep you from having the writing life you want?

—How do writing and everything connected to your writing life give you joy anyway?

—How can you send your personal demons related to your writing life to the back of the bus? What would that look like?

If you like, use your notes to begin writing a new essay, story, poem, or letter to a friend.


Today’s Daily Nourishment was provided by Charlotte Donlon.

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Daily Nourishment for September 30, 2024: When You Feel Disconnected from the Present Moment

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Daily Nourishment for September 28, 2024: The Places That Form Us and Hold Us