That's the Thing

There are days when the only thing I want to do is vent.

Today is one of those days.

The thing is, venting does not always make me feel better. 

Sometimes, it just winds me up.

My colorful reminder from earlier in the month hangs next to my kitchen door.

It says, 

                     Create Space Today - to do one small thing that brings joy, happiness, or expansiveness - What is it?

I can't think of anything right away, so I close my eyes.

And breathe.

In through the nose to the count of five. Our through the mouth to the count of seven.

I do it over and over again.

There it is. That's the thing.

Creating Space: Three Months for Showing Up for What's Showing Up is a daily writing practice. Turns out that a lot of this writing explores the landscape of grief. My mother died shortly before I began, and this is what's on my mind most of the time.

Katherine Cartwright has been blogging since 2012, and each year brings new wonders. She asks big questions of the small things in life.