Sunday Journal Prompt

“Action is the antidote to despair.”

- Joan Baez

In Bird by Bird, writer Ann Lamott recounts a story of how, decades ago, her 10-year-old brother once felt overwhelmed by a school assignment about birds that was due the next day. He’d had three months to write it but hadn’t started. He was “at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the task ahead.” Their father put his arm around the child and said, “Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.” To help her from feeling overwhelmed, Ann keeps a small frame on her writing desk to remind herself that all she has to do is write what she can see through that one-inch picture frame—not the whole book at once.

What can seem overwhelming at first? How can you separate the whole into smaller parts to make it more manageable—and enjoyable?

 

 

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

Finding a sense of calm amid chaos

 

During the past few days, I’ve been at Comic-con in San Diego, which appears to be among the most un-Zen places due to the crowd and multiple attention-grabbing distractions. I saw folks who appeared to be meditating, sitting cross-legged with closed eyes along the periphery. My approach to find calm amid the chaos was to channel my mind to focus on one thing at a time—the intricate hand stitching a teen had done on the back of her costume, the energy of the room when Will Smith and Margot Robbie stepped on stage to promote their new movie, a baby dressed as Star Wars droid BB-8, the enthusiasm my son had when he played a not-yet-available video game—instead of trying to take it all in at once. I found myself feeling happily immersed in and energized by the circus.
 

What are some ways you can promote peace—even in the most unlikely of places or circumstances? 

 

 

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

– Theodore Roosevelt

 

This week, the phrase “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are” was enacted by at least two as-yet-unnamed heroes, the motorcyclist who died while trying to stop the barreling lorry at Nice’s tragic Bastille Day festivities and a second person—perhaps inspired by the first—who hurled himself into the truck’s cab and wrestled with the gun-firing driver until the truck stopped. Police sources confirmed that the tragedy would’ve lasted longer had it not been for the man’s courage. 

 

Write about whom you’re grateful for—someone you know or someone you don’t. Who has taken action that has made a difference?



 

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Be humbly what you aspire to be.”

– Henry David Thoreau
 

 

Perhaps you have a vision of what you want and what it takes to get there. Intending to become a respected writer, Henry David Thoreau set off for New York City in 1843 at age 26 where he attempted to shine in literary salons yet was not accepted by the literary world he sought to be a part of. The nature lover had tried to develop a writing career in the conventional way of his era. Eventually rejection prompted him to return to Concord, Massachusetts, where he lived in a humble cabin, further discovered his own voice, and wrote Walden and Civil Disobedience. 

 

How can you work toward who you are becoming in a humble, authentic way?

 

 

 



 

Sunday Journal Prompt

 “You can save me from the way I tend to be.”

– Frank Turner, musician 

 

Many people experience a default state that may not be the way they want to be. Perhaps you tend to envision worst-case scenarios about situations in your life or struggle with negative self-talk.

In his song “The Way I Tend to Be,” musician Frank Turner touches on darkness, but the tone shifts to a positive when reflecting on a person who “shines like truth” and “saves [him] from the way [he] tends to be.” Perhaps there’s a person in your life who boosts you, too. Or, better yet, maybe you can “save” yourself from who you tend to be. Turner, who has publicly discussed his struggles with depression, finds music as a catharsis—creating it and listening to it.

 

Who or what can you turn to for a spirit and energy boost when you need it?