Author Archives: April Lee

i’ve truly lived

i’ve been feeling kind of off lately. same ol’ same ol’ in many ways, yet the sensation always seems fresh and raw.

physically, due to my most recent samter’s flare-up. after nine weeks of clear sinuses following a round of prednisone and iodine rinses, it’s disappointing to return to the land of the mouth-breathers.

in my own skin

for the past five years, i’ve enjoyed facilitating a women’s group on facebook. at the beginning of each week, i pose a monday musings question for the members to ponder and discuss. this week i asked the following question
 
 

“are you comfortable in your own skin?”


 
 
someone in the group said she assumed that i was referring to body image.

fun facts & favorites

i finally started updating a few things on my website this week. when i got to the “facts & favorites” section, i realized two things: 1) my favorites have remained much the same throughout most of my life, and 2) it might be fun to share these lists.

echo not expected

four years ago, in april 2018, i wrote a blog post entitled awaken. move. nourish. it was all about how not only my mind and soul, but also my actual physical body, reacted to my international move.
 
 

 
 
over the last 18 months, since i relocated to another continent, i’ve gone through quite an upheaval.

nine nights (the pink house present)

i’ve slept in the pink house nine nights

i’ve done five loads of laundry
and set up the kitchen
i’ve arranged my toiletries
and cleaned sinks and toilets

i’ve folded my tops
and hung my dresses
i’ve searched for one item
in 44 different boxes

best of all
i’ve been warmly welcomed in the community

and yet .

excuses

you may have noticed that my studio notes are a bit late today. here’s why . . .
 
 
we’ve been moving out of winterchase


 
 
and into the pink house


 
 
i’ve moved many times throughout my adult life, short distances and long, even to a different country.

questionable

did my life even happen
if i didn’t write it down?

there’s been so very much
going on over the past
several months

lots of good things
a few sad things
new things
hard things
routine things

but because i’ve felt so
pulled in many directions
i haven’t been journaling
haven’t been filling in
my appointment book

at least glad
i’m blogging again
keeping track with facebook
just haven’t been writing
like i excessively do

this is odd and unfamiliar
behavior for me
makes me feel

detached
in a daze
out of sync
not-quite-able-to-grasp

and it leaves me
wondering

did my life even happen
if i didn’t write it down?

the house we have loved

and the time has come once again to pack up and move. this time just 10 miles up the road, to the pink house in wallace. yes, we’re finally doing it (although we’ve picked the week with the worst weather). several crucial items are already gone, including our very comfortable bed and the washer & dryer my dad bought us years ago.

understanding the rain

i am in a women’s creativity group that meets once a month. during the march get-together, one of the members supplied two writing prompts. she asked us to choose one of them, then freewrite for seven minutes. today i’d like to share my spontaneous words from that activity, no edits.

a very special gift

so today i’d like to tell you a story about a very special gift (some of you may have read my facebook post about it several months ago).

our italian home, villa magnolia, had one previous owner, a doctor. our new residence in wallace idaho, the pink house/aka mccarthy house/aka the dire house, was owned the last 55 years by a doctor.