Today Was a Good Day

Reflections on Community & Comfort in Challenging Times

Happiest Sunday Monday, WBP crew! It’s great to be here for another week, albeit a day later than usual.

At the start of the year, Sunday was a quiet day of writing and personal reflection. We’d spend time as a family and find our way to brunch, watch football, but mostly I’d write. Edit. And write some more.

And I loved it.

But there were a couple crucial things I craved. Changes I hoped to make, community I hoped to have, and Sunday staples I was still struggling to find.

And somehow, in an unassuming but important shift, several of those desires fell into place in the span of a couple weeks. As quick as I am to call attention to, attack, obsess over, and assess the challenges of right now, I am making a conscious effort to relish close connections, community, safe spaces, and security with equal fervor.

And although I didn’t get to write nearly as much as I wanted to yesterday, I had an almost perfect opportunity for the latter.

::cue Ice Cube’s “It Was a Good Day”::

Deciding who gets to hold the leash remains a hotly debated family issue.

My daughters and I woke up early, walked the dog, and had a girls’ morning at home (which, of course, included MULTIPLE rounds of our new favorite game, Zingo) while we awaited my husband’s return from caring for a family member. We fed our spiritual souls in church, me in service and them in rooms for each of their age groups. We ate lunch together at home and rushed to meet Daddy along with our friends and their families at the field where we played (and won!) our coed kickball game. After the game, the girls fed the ducks and played in the park. And then we came home for dinner before rushing off to New Members’ Night at our new church. We finished off the day with some football as we set intentions for another week.

One that will be busy, and stressful, and take everything in us, but that also represents our collective commitment to chasing our dreams.

There’s A LOT I detest right now. About America. The world. Our reality.

But there is so much I loved about the last twenty-four hours (or a bit more by the time this goes out 😊).

And as Sundays shift, I remain thankful for this space, for our discussions, for your thoughtful engagement, and for the ways I’m continuing to grow as a writer by sharing my work with this vibrant community.

But as much as I appreciate this crucial source of stability, I’m also grateful for change.

And a lot has changed in the last few months.

For one, I’m deep in drafting my second book with plans of finishing it by the end of the year. There are no words to adequately express how much I love this novel. It’s challenging, intense, relatable, and real. And I take so much joy in seeing the ways I’m continuing to improve at the craft of writing as I work through how to tell this story.

In addition, I’m hosting multiple writing groups a month. And I’ve even partnered with an amazing fellow writer here to develop a series of in-person events in Atlanta.

So busy living in the moment, we forgot to take photos. Adding in to next weekend’s agenda.

On a more personal note, and as I alluded to above, I’ve found an ATL church home and joined a coed kickball league with my husband where our kids cheer us on surrounded by the type of close friends, communal parenting, and collective joy that characterized so much of my childhood.

It’s all the things I have wanted for so long.

When I wrote and An Ode to Atlanta a while back, it was a love letter to a powerful city that I recognized and respected from the moment we moved here. Today was a beautiful realization of the very dreams I held for myself and my family when I wrote that piece.

And for that, I’m beyond grateful.

I’m working on an essay about the Supreme Court during my breaks from the book, which are carefully timed between writing groups and creative coaching clients. I’m clarifying the vision for my career as I continue to push the bounds of what’s possible, what’s practical, and what I desire. And I’m feeling grounded in the incredible community we’ve intentionally worked to build.

With all that’s going wrong, I’m taking a pause and giving praise for the things in life that feel really, really right.

Like my youngest sharing with me about God’s “awesome plan” for her life after a morning in children’s church, my legs being EXTREMELY sore from a return to healthy but intense competition on the kickball field, and my heart feeling full even if only for one day. One moment. One weekend.

Challenges continue.

Injustice persists.

But for now, I’m resting and relishing the sense of satisfaction from believing better was possible, and intentionally (and relentlessly) rebuilding my life to find it.

And for one day, today, seeing it beautifully unfold before my eyes.

You. This. Today. It’s all a dream.

Until next time…

Your turn. What’s good? I mean that in the sincerest way possible. What pockets of joy have you found? What beautiful communities have you had a hand in creating? What are you celebrating today? This week? This month? These aren’t rhetorical questions, I really want to hear from you.

The fight continues. And it’s in quiet moments of community and camaraderie that we’ll all find the strength to keep going, the inspiration to remind us that better is possible, and the peace of managing the things within our control.

And if you’ve found anything in this piece helpful, insightful, or inspiring, please take a moment and forward it to a friend. Word of mouth is a powerful way of continuing to get my work out to the world.

I’m happy you’re here!

Mentally centering for the battle and need a piece that packs a punch? Got you. Take a look at Dear Joy-Ann Reid…, Unbought, Unbossed and Unafraid, or Still Short of Breath: On George Floyd, Memorial Day & Continued Dream Seeking.

And if you’re new to The Writer’s Block Party, Welcome to the Party, I (Still) Have a Brain Injury & An Unforgiving Minute give great context on who I am and what we’re building.

Thank you for reading. It means more than you know!