A Drop of Sunshine #6

February 2023: A Season to Heal

Hello Dear Ones,

This is scheduled to go out after my upcoming surgery. Hopefully by the time these words reach you, I’m on my way to a full recovery. As I anticipated this surgery, and daily (sometimes hourly) turned my anxieties over to the Lord, one central thought kept popping up: my entire life, let alone my goals and plans, will be on pause.

If it was a guaranteed two week pause, I might rejoice for the break. But it is an indefinite life pause. Healing is a journey, and far from linear. So while some things might be easier at 2 weeks, maybe some things (like returning to my beloved hiking) might take far longer... And when it comes to the creativity and focus required to complete artistic endeavors, doing so in a pain-med stupor is not conducive to good work.

Thinking of taking a one or two month pause in my creative life, at the time when I finally signed with an excellent agent and want to be working with her on revisions, is humbling. (And extremely motivating: I wrote over 30,000 new words in January and finished the rough draft of a new novel! Yay!)

Timelines and deadlines and goals are tricky beasts to conquer in daily life, let alone in times of stress.

So, for this season, I’m letting the goals float on by…

Thinking of life “seasonally” has so many blessings. It provides a chance for each season to simply be as it is, with no outside pressures or expectations. It comes with the hope of transitions into happier seasons to come.

As I personally enter into a season of slowness, of rest, of healing, I take heart in the thought of future seasons of adventure (New Zealand anniversary trip, home buying!) and creative growth (revising my novels, drafting new stories, going on submission with my agent!)

One step, one season at a time, God is good through them all.

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Until next time, I hope you enjoy this drop of sunshine.

Blessings,
Shelby

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Quote to Ponder:

“All the trees are losing their leaves, and not one of them is worried.” — Donald Miller

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What to Bake

Muffins: simple, healthy, delicious. I stocked the freezer with these so we have easy breakfasts during recovery.

Raspberry Oatmeal Muffins - Recipe tweaks: Add 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp lemon juice, DON’T soak the oats like recipe suggests (this creates an enzyme in the oats that makes them hard on the digestive system). Not soaking gives them a nicer texture anyway. I swapped raspberries for blueberries because I had them in my freezer.

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins - These taste like a brownie and I loved them.

Pumpkin Spice Superhero Muffins - These are from one of my favorite cookbooks Run Fast, Cook Fast, Eat Slow by marathoner Shalane Flanagan.

Chocolate Spinach Muffins - Don’t skip the flaky sea salt!

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What to Listen To

Vance Joy’s latest album, In Our Own Sweet Time, is delightful, easy-listening. It was my most listened to album last year, and my favorites include: Boardwalk, This One, and The Way That I’m Going. If you haven’t listened to his previous album, Nation of Two, start there. That album has been our road trip fodder for years.

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What to Read*

Normally I offer books to read, but my most recent favorite book was written by my friend Allie Millington, and it is not yet published. So, one day, some day, grab her laughter-and-tear-inducing MG debut from a bookshelf near you. Rather than offering a lesser book option, here are two excellent articles to ponder.

POPE JOHN PAUL II LETTER TO ARTISTS (1999) - brought to my attention by my dear friend, Rianna.

STELLAR ARTICLE ON BOREDOM - brought to my attention by this wonderful Substack newsletter: The Commonplace by Tsh Oxenreider.

Question for You:

What is one thing you love about your current season of life?

For me, it is the unconditional love and support I’m receiving from my husband, my family, and my friends during this hard time. I feel so loved and blessed to have such loyal people in my life.

Bonus Question: What are your favorite comfort movies/shows?
My recovery list includes:
Pride and Prejudice (2005)
Little Women (2019)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (I’m so excited to watch this one, I read and loved the book)
Friends + Office + Boy Meets World episodes

Until next time, wishing you sunshiny trails…

Shelby