Field Notes: Poetry as catharsis
What I learned on Day 1 of the Stafford Challenge
Hello, dear friends! It’s been an icy, snowy mix this week in the Hudson Valley. A friend in Florida report cars are submerged in street flooding. The weather feels endlessly volatile. I’m trying to counter the turmoil of the outside world with deep breaths to calm the inner world. I’ll share a breathing exercise below to help, too.
Onto today’s Field Notes, every (more or less) Wednesday, in our new format:
First, something surprising, delightful, or thought-provoking.
Second, something actionable you can do today.
Third, something worth remembering — worth reminding ourselves again.
1} Something delightful and surprising
Today marks poet William Stafford’s birthday — January 17, 1914.
A beloved American poet, he wrote a poem every day, in the morning, following his whims, seeing what surfaced. “It is like fishing,” he explained once, according to the Poetry Foundation.
That persistence inspired another poet, Brian Rohr, a father, working full time, who “was not writing as much as he would like, and recognized that he does his best when there is a container.” He decided to write a poem a day for a year and invite anyone and everyone who wanted to join him.
He called it the Stafford Challenge and it begins today. 800+ people have signed up to write a poem a day for a year, including me. It’s free. (You can join here.)
What I love about this is that poetry is spreading, that a human who saw a need created something and invited other humans.
And here is what I learned, on Day 1 of writing a poem in the morning:
Writing poems can be healing.
When you have a thought in your head that won’t go away, lay it down on paper.
The marvelous thing about a poem is there are no rules.
You can write NO NO NO NO over several lines, and that’s totally ok!
You can use a dash any way you like — see! —
You can skip around.
You can rhyme.
You can evoke old memories, smash them with new moments.
You can let it all out.
Writing poems can be cathartic.
And all of us can do it.
There is no Poetry Gatekeeper. Poems are an outlet and a processing tool for all of us.
Try it when you feel your head is full of rage or frustration or sadness.
Try it when you feel bursting with joy and laughter.
Laying these emotions down is so good for us and so good for our bodies.
2} Something to do today
Try box breathing to calm yourself.
(Note: I am not a doctor and nothing in this newsletter is medical advice. If you have heart issues or concerns, please ask your doctor.)
Our breathing happens all the time without us noticing — thank goodness! — but that means it can easily shift into shallow and faster when we are stressed. Taking deeper, slower breaths calms our body.
Box breathing is simple:
Inhale for 4 counts
Hold for 4 counts
Exhale for 4 counts
Hold for 4 counts
Repeat
Here’s a video below and a longer explanation from the Cleveland Clinic.
3} Something worth remembering
Our little choices every day add up.
How we choose to eat, sleep, forgive ourselves, care for other people matters. How we respond to the weather, the frustrations, the joys matters.
And we can always begin again.
To our journeys,
Brianne
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A thought about your ‘exit poll’ for me newsletters are about relationship so even if a particular issue isn’t 5 star it adds to the conversation between writer and reader. Its more important to stay in conversation than to have a life changing conversation each week, which sounds exhausting and high stakes for both of us. (Other readers might feel differently, which is where it gets tricky.)
Here’s to poetry, breathing and your attractive painting Brianne.