I
have been following Nancy's List for a few years. Nancy is an ovarian
cancer survivor and founder of a non-profit to support persons living
with cancer called Nancy's List. Her website( https://nancyslist.org/) includes many valuable resources. She is @NancyNovack on Twitter. I invite you to check out her website and Twitter account.
A recent email from Nancy not only included an introduction to survivor and author Suleika Jaoud (@suleikajaouad) but also one of her exercises. In her piece Suleika states that she reframes "the concept
of New Year’s resolutions by writing my way through a five-part series
of lists. I hope you enjoy the read, lists and writing prompts as much as I do. Enjoy !
Thank you Nancy for allowing me to share this with my followers.
Dee
Every Day is a Blessing !
From Nancy's List email:
I am honored to introduce you to Suleika Jaouad. I
befriended Suleika many years ago and have always have been inspired
and enlightened by her beautiful writing and most importantly, her soul.
I want to share her very moving exercise that she shared today.
But first, a little about this lovely woman ...
Suleika’s career aspirations as a foreign correspondent were cut
short when, at age 22, she was diagnosed with leukemia. She began
writing her New York Times column
“Life, Interrupted” from her hospital room at Sloan-Kettering, and has
since become a fierce advocate for those living with illness and
enduring life’s many other interruptions.
Suleika's essays have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Vogue,
and NPR, among other publications. A highly sought-after speaker, her
mainstage TED Talk was one of the ten most popular of 2019 and has
nearly five million views.
She is the creator of the Isolation Journals,
an artist-led community and publishing platform that cultivates
creativity and fosters connection in the challenging times of the
Covid-19 pandemic. She wishes to help others convert isolation into
artistic solitude. Suleika calls it "transforming life-interruptions into creative grist." Over 100,000 people from around the world have joined.
Born in New York
City to a Tunisian father and a Swiss mother, Suleika attended The
Juilliard School's pre-college program for the double bass. She earned
her BA with highest honors from Princeton University and an MFA in
writing and literature from Bennington College.
Suleika has been cancer-free for many years. But her leukemia has returned and she is likely facing another bone marrow transplant. She is in my heart.
And now, to Suleika ...
Hi friend,
In our household,
the New Year is the most spiritually, creatively rich season. Jon and I
both have rituals around it. In the days leading up, he always squirrels
away in his studio with a sheepskin rug and some water for a period of
fasting, and I recommit to my daily practice of breathwork and
journaling — shocking, I know!
Right now, amid
this newest wave of the pandemic, as I begin my second round of chemo,
these practices continue to be a lifeline. This has been a seemingly
endless season of difficulty and uncertainty for everyone — and yet, as
is always the case, it has also contained so many moments of beauty and
joy. Journaling is how I make sense of these contradictions and the
countless ambiguities of life. It’s how I come to understand the world
and my place in it, how I learn to carry all of it — the hard things as
well as the wondrous ones. As for breathwork, it’s what keeps me from
caterwauling and rending my garments while waiting in a multi-block
covid test line.
At the threshold
of a new year, I often find myself ruminating about the things I didn’t
get done, what I wish I had accomplished, where I need to improve. It’s
the voice of my inner critic, a voice I know all too well. To drown out
her chatter, I crack the spine of a new journal and reframe the concept
of New Year’s resolutions by writing my way through a five-part series
of lists.
I start with an inventory of things that I’m proud of, big or small, to savor and celebrate all that unfolded in the last year.
I move on to a second list—of what I’m yearning for. Often in the process, I uncover desires not yet known.
The third list is a
tough one but a cathartic one. I write down all the things that are
causing me anxiety, from the most mundane inconveniences to looming
existential dreads.
My fourth list is a
toolkit of sorts. I reflect on all the hard things I’ve gotten through
and jot down the resources, skills, and practices that saw me through
and that I can return to and rely on in the new year.
My fifth and final
list is my favorite: my wild ideas list. I set a timer for five
minutes, and in a completely unedited stream of consciousness, I jot
down every wild scheme, every grand plan, every creative idea that comes
to mind, no matter how harebrained or unrealistic.
These lists are
celebratory, energizing, exorcising, reassuring, and motivating. They
quell my inner critic, reminding me that I’ve accomplished so much, that
I know what I want, that I can face it all, that I have everything I
need, and that I can dream as big as I dare.
Your prompt for the week:
In place of resolutions, journal your way into the New Year with five lists.
What in the last year are you proud of?
What did this year leave you yearning for?
What’s causing you anxiety?
What resources, skills, and practices can you rely on in the coming year?
What are your wildest, most harebrained ideas and dreams?
Disclaimer ... David and I did this exercise out loud and it was very exciting. Just thought you might be interested …
With immense love and gratitude and wishes to Suleika for her deep healing,
Nancy
