First Response, from Priscilla

 My collage inspired by the Prologue

During our first "LIAV Challenge" meeting back in November we had some great discussion and shared some of the writing from our journals inspired by the Prologue, the Introduction, and Part One of LIAV. It's hard to believe it's been four months since our last meeting and after reading more and more of LIAV with my Advanced Composition class (in honor of Angela Faith Kania) I am inspired to get this "challenge" going again.

Here are some of my responses for those of you that weren't able to make it to our first meeting. (The journal topics are in this font and my response are in this font.)

Prologue: Why 37 Days? What would you be doing if you only had 37 days to live? 

I tried to make a list of 37 things but only got to 17! Here are my top 10.

1. writing
2. sharing
3. connecting
4. LOVING
5. helping
6. creating
7. traveling (seeing
8. spending lots of time with family and close friends
9. hearing good music
10. dancing

My next 7 are...
-telling stories
-breathing fresh air
-singing
-making Annalee smile
-eating great food
-drinking good wine
-laughing

I really loved Valerie's quote, "I would sing...with no thoughts of success or failure."

Introduction--What if our lives are books? What is the sign of our presence?

*living with intention is the opposite of living passively--REFLECT--digest--ruminate. 

I see my blog as my "book," a physical place to write in the margins of my life. I really do write to remember--I want all of the nuances to fit together and make sense in life, and the more I write, the more I notice and the more I'm inspired, and the more things fit together and make sense. I also write my personal blog  because I truly love sharing things with people--sometimes to a fault. I just can't STOP and enjoy a moment sometimes--I want to share it, capture it, connect it, whether on Facebook, or with a camera or a text or a phone call. 

*So, how do I live to write in the margins of life, as Patti says? Is blogging my way of doing this?

We do so not by just passively flipping pages, by not remaining silent--by telling our stories...which leads to...

"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." --Anais Nin

Part One: Inhabit Your Story, Chapter One: Write to remember: What makes you, you? What is your story?

Notes I took from the chapter:

-"We inhabit ourselves without valuing ourselves" from Joyce Carol Oates poem

-"...here, no, this very moment is sacred..." from Joyce Carol Oates poem

-"Being lost only has meaning when contrasted with knowing where you are" from David Hollies, "Lost and Found" poem

-my mechanism for "storying my life" is blogging--it helps me learn from and leave something behind for others. 

-it is my strategy for learning--for determining who I am--who I yearn to be. 

-Reminds me of the quote: "Write to make the great escape. To save yourself." --G.Lynn Neslon

-Reminds me of my famous quote, "I am not lost. I am RIGHT HERE." while pointing to my pages of journals.

What is my story? This is all I could come up with:

Maybe more will come to me as I read!

I look forward to our next meeting and encourage everyone to post their own work inspired by LIAV!

~Priscilla

Just a few more days....

until our very first meeting of the LIFE IS A VERB CHALLENGE! woo hoo!

It's me, Valerie, here to give you the details about our first meeting.

We will be meeting this Friday, November 19 at 7:00p.m. at my house! My address is 273 Salem Church Rd, Mt. Sidney, VA 24467. I live on the back end of the farm, so if you just turn down the driveway and follow it around the barn you will see a long driveway that goes back into the woods. I'll make sure and have a sign hanging up! Feel free to call me at 804-205-4430 if you get turned around!

The meeting shouldn't last long past 8ish, ensuring that you have enough time to go out and have a fun Friday night (unless you are like me and usually collapse on the couch come Friday).

What do you need to bring? YOURSELF! That's the most important thing. It won't hurt either if you bring your book, paper & pencil.

So what are we doing, anyways? We are going to discuss the beginning of the book (prologue, introduction & chapter one) and talk about what we all want to accomplish personally with this challenge. We hope that you have already read and started to write/create for the first Chapter: Write to Remember and think about these questions:

What is your story? What makes you, you?

Feel free to journal, craft, write a song, make a collage, whatever way you find that you can CREATE.

We hope that you will participate and share your work BUT there is no pressure. I'd like to re-post the disclaimer that Priscilla posted:

Disclaimer: This is supposed to be FUN and not stressful. No competition, no teaching, just guiding and discussing and sharing and connecting and feeling better about life. If you forget your book, your snack, your wine, your mind, no worries--just come!

I'm so excited, are you? Good.

Me and my scrappy LIAV book (warning: reading LIAV while in the bathtub will result in crinkly pages...but I kinda like 'em)

See you on Friday and BRING A FRIEND! :) let's spread some love.

Get Ready!

A few days ago I received the Life is a Verb audio book with a personal note from Patti. She does a great job at making you feel special when you order something! The little red box under my address says "Please deliver to this fabulous person." How cool?

I also got these talisman rocks as well. "The word 'Talisman,' derived from the Greek verb "teleo," means, primarily, to accomplish, or bring into effect. The Talisman is an object marked with magic signs and is believed to confer on its bearer supernatural powers or protection. Virtually every religion in human history has offered as adherents small decorative objects which purpose is to do anything ranging between healing, protection or success."

Created by artists around the world, these talismans are made to remind us all of the lessons from 37days and Life is a Verb. AND, once again, I got cute little designs and a personal note from the artist, aka, "The Rock Fairy." How nice!

I ordered these items to be used at school with my Advanced Composition class next semester in memory and tribute to one of my students. Read about my inspiration here. We can test them out in our group, first!

Let's get started!

 Image from 37days blog

We have heard from some people who would love to meet locally so we'd like to go ahead and set up our first "Life is a Verb Challenge" session! If you can't meet locally, please feel free to participate and contribute to our blog. 

First, order your book at  Patti's store, or on Amazon. 

Next, let's meet!

Who: Anyone that wants to be inspired by the book Life is a Verb
What: Discuss the Prologue, Introduction, and Chapter 1 (only 7 pages, don't fret!)
Where: TBA
When: Thursday, November 18th around 7 pm
Why: To wake up, be mindful and live intentionally!
Bring: Yourself, a journal, writing utensil, your copy of LIAV and drinks and snacks if you want something to drink on or munch on

Preparation: If you want to do a little bit of pre-writing and/or creating in your journal, here are some "starters." Feel free to write and/or create art, music, poetry, or whatever inspires you after reading these few pages. 

Prologue:Why 37 Days?
1. What would you be doing today if you only had 37 days to live?

Introduction: Always Carry a Pencil; or How to Read this Book
1. What if our lives are books? What is the sign of our presence?

Part One: Inhabit Your Story
Chapter One: Write to Remember
1. What makes you you? What is your story?

Disclaimer: This is supposed to be FUN and not stressful. No competition, no teaching, just guiding and discussing and sharing and connecting and feeling better about life. If you forget your book, your snack, your wine, your mind, no worries.

"Life is slippery. Here, take my hand." 
-h. jackson brown, jr.






 

Join us!

Our group will be meeting once a month (date & placeT.B.A.) to share and connect our experience as we read the 37 stories that make up the six core practices of Life is a Verb:

1. Say Yes
2. Be Generous
3. Speak Up
4. Love More
5. Trust Yourself
6. Slow Down



Our goal is to read, discuss, write and/or create art based on one story per week.  During the meeting, we will  highlight each story for the month and share our thoughts and art in a structured, safe environment.   

This blog is a place to share and connect our experience as we read the 37 stories.  By participating  as a contributor, you can have your own "page" to post your responses, and creative works inspired by the book, thus sharing your experience  past the doors of our meeting group to the collective consciousness of the world.  

Don't live in our area?  Please join as a contributor to our blog!  Technology is a wonderful tool and we would love to have you participate, if even from afar.   

Email us at lifeisaverbchallenge@gmail.com or leave a comment below if you’d like to be added to this blogging group!  

If you'd like to order your own copy of Life is a Verb, visit Patti's store, or Amazon.