on intuition
I am officially deep in the throes of it, now: editing my book (which, this time around, involves re-writing entire chapters!), while also in the midst of a season of travel and speaking. It means a ton of focused concentration, while switching between the topics of my most recent two books as well as the creation of a new one. Depending on how many rounds of edits this current book will require, I anticipate that my schedule will be like this until mid-December, or so. Then after that … calm.
I’m so excited about the space that is to come. I’m not under contract to write anything (this current book is the second of a two-book deal), and as of now, I don’t have any speaking gigs lined up at the beginning of the year, and I’m trying to keep it that way. The last time my schedule felt this open was when I quit my law job, over sixteen years ago, without so much as a plan. During that time, I decided that I was just going to follow my instincts, creating work that I wanted to create, and see what came of it. What came of it were books, speaking opportunities, photojournalistic adventures — just wonderful. I’ve always been a person who trusts her gut, and honestly, it rarely leads me astray. The idea of having some upcoming space to really tune into my inner voice is very exciting.
But I’ve got to get through this season first.
Yesterday, as I was thinking about what I wanted to write for this post, I went outside with my camera to see if I could find anything interesting to photograph. I was walking around my back garden, when suddenly something whizzed around my head and landed on a bare branch of a young tree. When I looked to see what it was, I was surprised to find a huge dragonfly, one that was bright orange. I’d never seen a dragonfly this colour before, and I couldn’t believe my luck that my camera was in my hands ready to go! I love dragonflies, and this one was magnificent, so I snapped a few shots.
A quick Google search indicated that this is a Flame Skimmer, also known as a Firecracker Skimmer — and as someone who has made the concept of “light” part of her work, you know I loved this. (Strange I’d never seen one before, they’re native to the area.) Whenever I notice something new in nature (or I notice something over and over again), I look up any symbolism associated with it — not because I believe that they’re omens or portentous, but because whatever website or other I stumble upon often reminds me of something I should probably think about in my day-to-day life.
The Flame Skimmer’s purported symbolism didn’t disappoint: “Orange dragonflies also issue a sign that tells people to follow their guts. Instead of wasting time dreading decisions, focus on what your instincts are telling you.”
Noted!
So if you’re receiving this in your email inbox or are stumbling upon this post online, let these images be your nudge to follow your instincts this week. We’re often wiser than we believe: let’s lean into that wisdom as we tackle the challenges that come our way.
Have a great week, friends.
don't forget to mark the milestones.