The Bold Soul: A Writer's Life in Paris

Feeling hopeful - and why

It's now Friday evening, after 10pm. My feelings of helplessness and sadness about the hurricane victims seem to be dissipating at last. Here's why I think the fog is finally lifting: I significantly limited my news-watching time in the past 24 hours. Having the TV on nearly all day was draining me emotionally. Giving myself permission to cut back was clearly a smart move. When I did watch the news, it helped to learn that troops and supplies have reached New Orleans and considerably more people were evacuated by bus and chopper today. That means more people have hope of surviving and starting over. I played with my part-time dog (my sister's Golden Retriever, Abbie, who is hanging out with us for the weekend). Having a pet around is very comforting and stress-reducing. If you've got one in your home, hug them extra this week. I wrote. I wrote in my journal. I wrote here at my blog. And I wrote and published a new issue of my Living Boldly newsletter, about how to cope with the helpless feeling - and in so doing, found my own helplessness easing. I updated my web site home page to list resources for... Read more →

Hurricane Housing

This just in: Craigslist.com in partnerhip with MoveOn.org, has set up a web site for people to offer or find temporary (and in some cases, long-term) housing for families and individuals displaced by Hurricane Katrina. If you know someone who is in a shelter right now and perhaps doesn't have access to the internet, check this out and get the information to those people so they can get out of those shelters and into a decent living space - and perhaps even find a job and begin to rebuild their lives. Some of the offers are incredible - I saw one listing from Oklahoma that they have housing available for 250-300 people and are sending buses to Houston to pick up refugees there who want to go. And no less generous are the offers from families to house 2-4 people in their spare room. THIS IS HOW A NATION PULLS TOGETHER! http://www.hurricanehousing.org/ Add a Hurricane Housing banner to your blog or web site and help spread the word! Read more →

Bloggers on Katrina

After successfully catching up on two client writing projects this afternoon (overwhelm level now having dropped a notch or two - WHEW!), I took a few moments to check out other blogs and news sources on Katrina. Here are reports from the front lines. They say more than I ever could. Amanda in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Made it out but sounds like not much left at her place. NOLAView, a blog from NOLA.com ArtsJournal.com New Orleans MetroBlog The Blog Herald From Kaye Google News I'll post others as I discover them. If any bloggers from the LA/MI/AL/FL affected areas happen to read this, know that here in New Jersey I am praying for all of you and your families, businesses and communities, and sending in my donations to the Red Cross (as soon as I can get through to them - their phone lines and web site have been swamped for two days due to the huge and much welcome response!) Read more →

Confessions of an Overwhelmed Writer

Help, I am overwhelmed. I'm overwhelmed on several levels. To start with, my writing business has blown through the roof and I literally am finding myself, for the first time in 7 years, in the unusual and uncomfortable position of having clients chasing me down wondering when I will get around to their project (usually I'm running after THEM). I am very happy to have more than enough business (this has not always been the case for me) but clearly, I've taken on more than I can handle and it's my own damn fault. I blame no one but myself, and the only thing I can do is apologize and try to do the best I can to catch up. I am also overwhelmed because of the many distractions that seem to have been happening around me lately, most of which I have no control to prevent or avoid. Fences, college-bound nephews, sister's house-closing, being there for a close friend who is overwhelmed with her own life, and the challenges I continue to face in living in a space with another human being (my mother) after so many years of living alone. When you live with another person, your time... Read more →