I am a lover of lists. I make grocery lists + packing lists...dream lists...things to get done on our house lists...who I am + who I want to be lists. I also like Moonlists. I've followed along with Leigh's sort of everyday questions to friends + neighbors over the years + was inspired to ask myself the same questions too. I have mentioned her first book here before.
But I'm not sure I've mentioned what these lists have offered me over the months that I've contemplated + written them. These lists have pointed out the tendency for my other lists to be somewhat future oriented. I often make lists of what I want to buy or pack or what I want to accomplish in the days to come. Moonlists are made thinking back over the recent past...the last two or four weeks. These lists can seem a bit mundane or unnecessary at first (like I've been sweating on morning walks for weeks now...or we've been eating cucumbers at every meal). But when I read back over them, they feel like juicy snapshots of exquisite, forgotten moments. I mean, of course I want to remember the fireflies flickering over the ripening strawberries...and Jo's puppy's exuberant ear licks when we picked them up outside their apartment as the fire alarm blared.
During the past few months, I've been making these lists with my partner. We discuss our individual answers + I write down bits of the conversation. I'd done some of the prompts before + reading over what I wrote the last time offers some perspective + contrast. It's interesting to hear his insights on what has stood out to him in the recent past...which might be something I'd totally forgotten about or thought about differently. It could be lovely to discuss these sorts of questions over the phone with a willing, long distance friend or relative...or with a child.
I do think Leigh's books are lovely, but this is not a nudge to spend or acquire. The idea for Moonlists came from hearing about an older couple who came up with questions to answer every two weeks which coincided with the moon cycles. We can form our own moonlists by following Leigh's lead + focusing on the near past. Instead of asking, "What is your favorite memory of summer?"...one could be prompted to describe a taste, smell + sound remembered from the last two weeks...or "What has your mind been coming back to repeatedly?"
It can be lovely to take a moment to stop + think about these simple questions. Putting thoughts + sensations + feelings into words that can be written can shed some much needed light on what previously felt mundane, chaotic or impossible. These lists have been a lovely way to connect + share...with others + with myself.
Love,
Jane
But I'm not sure I've mentioned what these lists have offered me over the months that I've contemplated + written them. These lists have pointed out the tendency for my other lists to be somewhat future oriented. I often make lists of what I want to buy or pack or what I want to accomplish in the days to come. Moonlists are made thinking back over the recent past...the last two or four weeks. These lists can seem a bit mundane or unnecessary at first (like I've been sweating on morning walks for weeks now...or we've been eating cucumbers at every meal). But when I read back over them, they feel like juicy snapshots of exquisite, forgotten moments. I mean, of course I want to remember the fireflies flickering over the ripening strawberries...and Jo's puppy's exuberant ear licks when we picked them up outside their apartment as the fire alarm blared.
During the past few months, I've been making these lists with my partner. We discuss our individual answers + I write down bits of the conversation. I'd done some of the prompts before + reading over what I wrote the last time offers some perspective + contrast. It's interesting to hear his insights on what has stood out to him in the recent past...which might be something I'd totally forgotten about or thought about differently. It could be lovely to discuss these sorts of questions over the phone with a willing, long distance friend or relative...or with a child.
I do think Leigh's books are lovely, but this is not a nudge to spend or acquire. The idea for Moonlists came from hearing about an older couple who came up with questions to answer every two weeks which coincided with the moon cycles. We can form our own moonlists by following Leigh's lead + focusing on the near past. Instead of asking, "What is your favorite memory of summer?"...one could be prompted to describe a taste, smell + sound remembered from the last two weeks...or "What has your mind been coming back to repeatedly?"
It can be lovely to take a moment to stop + think about these simple questions. Putting thoughts + sensations + feelings into words that can be written can shed some much needed light on what previously felt mundane, chaotic or impossible. These lists have been a lovely way to connect + share...with others + with myself.
Love,
Jane
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