The rawness of this is beautiful and heartrending. After listening to Eucalyptus, I think you captured the melancholy longing found within that song perfectly. Your work is brutally honest in a quiet, reflective way, like a mirror that doesn't hide any imperfections.
I've had several songs heal me throughout the years depending on what's happening in my life. The artist that holds that space for me the most is Florence + the Machine, particularly her album Lungs. Another song that always hits me and makes me feel seen is this one by Lord Huron: https://open.spotify.com/track/1bqrRn1pJWowNLA5N9L6uW?si=d0c764bf0c484d88
Wow, thank you, love. I appreciate you. The melancholy longing is truly the tone that sets the whole album and often the tone I fight against in my own life. Longing for more, longing for the past, longing for who we've been as a couple, longing for the hopeful idealist I used to be, but in the longing is where I lose the present. It's where I lose the beauty of what is, and so, I'm trying to find the fulfillment in the now. I'm trying to stop grasping. Writing is something that helps me look back in a momentary way that helps me understand where I've been while at the same time, showing me how I feel Now, showing who I am.
Thanks for sharing the music that has touched you and has helped you feel seen. It's all so important, isn't it? This connection to the creations of others that bring us closer to ourselves. Have you ever listened to Gregory Alan Isakov?
This one got me, the deep cut and the observance of it. “I, too, like writing about things falling apart. I like writing into the pain and the loss and the fear. In some sort of weird way, it makes me feel better.” I’ve always felt this deeply. I enjoy your writing for the way it shows the life that can hide in the dark corners of our human experience and for the lyrical sentences woven through, I enjoy it also for the kinship I seem always to find in it.
Thank you, Holly, you beautiful soul. I do often find myself writing into those dark corners. It's the only way for me to illuminate the truth of what I really think and feel. I'd love to read some of your writing if you're ever open to sharing it. <3
I completely agree with Holly, too. I write about the hard things in life, too. It’s like sharing the most vulnerable parts of myself in my writing is healing in some way. I can sometimes share the things through my writing that I don’t have the courage to share out loud. It feels liberating and it’s real and it’s raw. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Those illuminating truths are what draw me and so many others into your writing—I’ve always felt more at home in those depths. I’m planning to participate in this year’s 1,000 words of summer, if anything fruitful comes of it I’d love to share some of it with you.
I'd love to read it! I really want to participate in 1,000 words of summer to help me with my novel, but I don't even know if it will or how it will. I feel so stuck. Maybe I'm not meant to be a novelist. Maybe a failed memoir was all I was meant to write in terms of book-length works. I was hoping I'd gain some clarity before 1,000 words of summer started but I am still so very much in the dark when it comes to the story I'm trying to write.
You're far further in this process than I am, though my saying so may not change the way you feel about it. I believe your memoir is meant to be out in the world, though at this point it's unclear what form it will take, it seems to me it is destined to be read. I am embarking on the 1,000 words of summer in an effort to get back to writing as a way to process and understand this experience of existence. I was writing constantly last year and at some point the words faded and I let them. It seems time to get back to them. Here's to letting some light in on the stories we're trying to write.
I love the way you describe that crossroads where you stand, watching what you love unravel and in turn leaning deeper into the keeping of it. You touch the weightiest things with such light, eloquent fingers. x
What a beautiful way to put it. Thank you. It's often the easiest way to find gratitude—to imagine your heart without to be grateful for what is. Thanks for reading, love.
Oh Jessy I am crying!!! This dropped into my inbox when I had a bit of breathing space and I had a rare chance to truly devour it! It moved me so much - for so many reasons... for the experiences I have had that the words reminded me of... for the experiences I have feared and thought of... oh gosh. Your writing is medicine. Thank you for letting us in on these words. And thank you for introducing me to The National... listening to the album right now!!! xxx
Aw, love. I'm glad to hear the piece came to you at a time you could read it. I had it scheduled to publish at a later time today, but when I sat at my desk this morning and made some last minute edits, I decided to just go ahead and publish it. Looks like it was the right time to publish it. I'm happy you resonated with the piece in a way that moved you. It was one of the harder pieces to write, especially the poem. Thinking through all the things we share, all the things that make up our life, all the memories. Oof. It was a lot. But it was healing in all the ways that it was painful. I hope you enjoy The National album. If you have the time and space, listen to High Violet as well. It's so damn good.
I could feel it all and appreciate you moving through the discomfort of writing it because it’s healing to read as well. Will make sure I listen to that one too!! In between having to listen to Disney soundtracks for my 3.5 year old of course!!! 🤪 xx
haha it is most definitely a battle of the music when you have a kid. Thankfully, Pressley has never gotten too into "kid songs" but he sure does love his country music and his oldies. His song right now is "Sugar Sugar" by the The Archies and it currently borders on obsession. He asks Alexa to play it constantly.
Love that! I’ve also tried to discourage Sophia from too much kid music… her current favourite to sing at top of her lungs is This Girl Is On Fire by Alicia Keys!!! Xx
The rawness of this is beautiful and heartrending. After listening to Eucalyptus, I think you captured the melancholy longing found within that song perfectly. Your work is brutally honest in a quiet, reflective way, like a mirror that doesn't hide any imperfections.
I've had several songs heal me throughout the years depending on what's happening in my life. The artist that holds that space for me the most is Florence + the Machine, particularly her album Lungs. Another song that always hits me and makes me feel seen is this one by Lord Huron: https://open.spotify.com/track/1bqrRn1pJWowNLA5N9L6uW?si=d0c764bf0c484d88
Wow, thank you, love. I appreciate you. The melancholy longing is truly the tone that sets the whole album and often the tone I fight against in my own life. Longing for more, longing for the past, longing for who we've been as a couple, longing for the hopeful idealist I used to be, but in the longing is where I lose the present. It's where I lose the beauty of what is, and so, I'm trying to find the fulfillment in the now. I'm trying to stop grasping. Writing is something that helps me look back in a momentary way that helps me understand where I've been while at the same time, showing me how I feel Now, showing who I am.
Thanks for sharing the music that has touched you and has helped you feel seen. It's all so important, isn't it? This connection to the creations of others that bring us closer to ourselves. Have you ever listened to Gregory Alan Isakov?
This one got me, the deep cut and the observance of it. “I, too, like writing about things falling apart. I like writing into the pain and the loss and the fear. In some sort of weird way, it makes me feel better.” I’ve always felt this deeply. I enjoy your writing for the way it shows the life that can hide in the dark corners of our human experience and for the lyrical sentences woven through, I enjoy it also for the kinship I seem always to find in it.
Thank you, Holly, you beautiful soul. I do often find myself writing into those dark corners. It's the only way for me to illuminate the truth of what I really think and feel. I'd love to read some of your writing if you're ever open to sharing it. <3
I completely agree with Holly, too. I write about the hard things in life, too. It’s like sharing the most vulnerable parts of myself in my writing is healing in some way. I can sometimes share the things through my writing that I don’t have the courage to share out loud. It feels liberating and it’s real and it’s raw. Thank you for sharing this with us.
yes, exactly. There is so much I struggle to say things out loud. It's like my throat is blocked.
Those illuminating truths are what draw me and so many others into your writing—I’ve always felt more at home in those depths. I’m planning to participate in this year’s 1,000 words of summer, if anything fruitful comes of it I’d love to share some of it with you.
I'd love to read it! I really want to participate in 1,000 words of summer to help me with my novel, but I don't even know if it will or how it will. I feel so stuck. Maybe I'm not meant to be a novelist. Maybe a failed memoir was all I was meant to write in terms of book-length works. I was hoping I'd gain some clarity before 1,000 words of summer started but I am still so very much in the dark when it comes to the story I'm trying to write.
You're far further in this process than I am, though my saying so may not change the way you feel about it. I believe your memoir is meant to be out in the world, though at this point it's unclear what form it will take, it seems to me it is destined to be read. I am embarking on the 1,000 words of summer in an effort to get back to writing as a way to process and understand this experience of existence. I was writing constantly last year and at some point the words faded and I let them. It seems time to get back to them. Here's to letting some light in on the stories we're trying to write.
I love the way you describe that crossroads where you stand, watching what you love unravel and in turn leaning deeper into the keeping of it. You touch the weightiest things with such light, eloquent fingers. x
What a beautiful way to put it. Thank you. It's often the easiest way to find gratitude—to imagine your heart without to be grateful for what is. Thanks for reading, love.
Oh Jessy I am crying!!! This dropped into my inbox when I had a bit of breathing space and I had a rare chance to truly devour it! It moved me so much - for so many reasons... for the experiences I have had that the words reminded me of... for the experiences I have feared and thought of... oh gosh. Your writing is medicine. Thank you for letting us in on these words. And thank you for introducing me to The National... listening to the album right now!!! xxx
Aw, love. I'm glad to hear the piece came to you at a time you could read it. I had it scheduled to publish at a later time today, but when I sat at my desk this morning and made some last minute edits, I decided to just go ahead and publish it. Looks like it was the right time to publish it. I'm happy you resonated with the piece in a way that moved you. It was one of the harder pieces to write, especially the poem. Thinking through all the things we share, all the things that make up our life, all the memories. Oof. It was a lot. But it was healing in all the ways that it was painful. I hope you enjoy The National album. If you have the time and space, listen to High Violet as well. It's so damn good.
I could feel it all and appreciate you moving through the discomfort of writing it because it’s healing to read as well. Will make sure I listen to that one too!! In between having to listen to Disney soundtracks for my 3.5 year old of course!!! 🤪 xx
haha it is most definitely a battle of the music when you have a kid. Thankfully, Pressley has never gotten too into "kid songs" but he sure does love his country music and his oldies. His song right now is "Sugar Sugar" by the The Archies and it currently borders on obsession. He asks Alexa to play it constantly.
Love that! I’ve also tried to discourage Sophia from too much kid music… her current favourite to sing at top of her lungs is This Girl Is On Fire by Alicia Keys!!! Xx
nice! Pressley asked for Baa Baa Black Sheep yesterday and I was like nooooooo haha. We listened to it on repeat until he let me put on The Lumineers.