Dear ,
If all your shopping is done and you are sipping eggnog by a crackling fire, hurray! And if you, like me, are famous among your family and friends for last-minute dashes (and for wrapping up printed-at-home photos of the gift that will be arriving soon, hurrah for you!
I did stop the sale on both my year-long TAG, I'M IT! AND three-month TAG, I'M IT! journals on December 6th, but I have had so many nice emails telling me how much people were enjoying giving TAG, I'M IT! as a gift that I decided to offer it again, from now until January 6th.
(I promise I am not being "sales-y": one person gave all the members of her two centering prayer groups a copy with the inscription, "Im grateful for you" and another sent me the nice words three of his friends had written him after using it for a few days.)
I don't think you'll get it before Christmas, but Amazon says copies ordered today will arrive on December 28th, and you can always print out a picture of it and wrap it up for your loved one(s)! (Yes, you can tell them that I do this and have a good laugh about it.)
January 1st is the perfect time to start this practice, which offers the chance to:
- be consciously thankful every day for the good in your life
(and the gift of getting to be alive)
- acknowledge that, even on the least productive, most difficult
days, you accomplished at least a few things that mattered
to you, and most likely someone else as well
- keep a record of (and savor!) the most uplifting "gifts"
of your day, including stuff like an email from your brother
praising something you wrote, a warm smile from a stranger
as she held a door open for you, the cup of coffee your husband brought you as you were working, the compliment paid you
by a friend, etc., as well as actual, physical gift
- read a hand-selected, thought-provoking or inspiring quote
each day
- choose three small, do-able, most-important-to-you things to accomplish the following day
There are two versions because, after making the year-long version (find out more about it and purchase here), I got great feedback from readers that it would be nice to have a smaller, more portable version for traveling, and it also occurred to me that people might want to try the process
out before investing in a journal that lasts a whole year Plus, it's less expensive, always a nice option. (Find out more about this version and purchase here.)
The year-length TAG, I'M IT!, which sells for $17, is on sale for $15.30, and the
three-month TAG, I'M IT!, which sells for $9.99, is on sale for $7.99.
Here's a little background, if you're interested:
I made and published this journal last January so that I would have the exact format I wanted for the daily practice I've been using on and off for many years.
This practice grew and developed from its beginnings as two separate lists—one a synchronicities list inspired by Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, the other a gratitude list inspired by Sarah Ban Breathnach's Simple Abundance. Years after that, a course for entrepreneurs by Christine Kane
propelled me into keeping these lists nearly every day. Over time, this process expanded, and I got tired of writing my headings over and over. I kept envisioning the format I wanted, and finally realized I could make it myself!
I've been delighted to hear from WordPlay clients and students and friends—and even a few strangers via Amazon reviews—that other people are finding this practice makes a real difference to them, too.
On Thanksgiving, in The Daily Word (a small daily devotional I use), I saw the perfect words to describe TAG, I'M IT!: "As my day winds to a close, I take time to appreciate and celebrate each moment of the day that has touched my heart."
In the interest of full disclosure, telling people about my books is something I find very hard to do. But I truly am still amazed at how much difference this practice makes in the way I feel—and it only takes five-fifteen minutes. If this is something you'd find
meaningful and life-enhancing, I don't want you to miss out on it because I don't like to market!
If you want to find out more, Dr. Sara Rose recently featured me on her podcast, RoseCast. She's uses TAG, I'M IT! herself, and this
Dr. Sara Rose, Ph.D., is a national board-certified and licensed professional counselor operating in private practice in Charlotte, NC. Her work aims to help individuals live happier, healthier lives with her unique approach to
therapy and counseling. She graciously featured me on RoseCast, not once, but twice!
If you're interested in trying out this daily practice, here's what its cover looks like (the image is the same sunset photo I took at Sunset Beach, North Carolina, on one of my Coastal Writing Retreats, but it says "A Three-Month Journey" on it).
Again, so you don't have to scroll back up, the year-length TAG, I'M IT!, which sells for $17, is on sale
for $15.30, and the three-month TAG, I'M IT!, which sells for $9.99, is on sale for $7.99 through this Friday, December 6th.
May your holiday season be filled with peace, love, and joy, , and thank you for being a zine reader. I'm grateful for you!
Maureen
MAUREEN RYAN GRIFFIN, an award-winning poetry and nonfiction writer, is the author of Spinning Words into Gold, a Hands-On Guide to the Craft of
Writing, a grief workbook entitled I Will Never Forget You, and three collections of poetry, Ten Thousand Cicadas Can't Be Wrong, This Scatter of Blossoms and When the Leaves Are in the Water. One of her long-held dreams came true in July of 2015 when Garrison Keillor read one of her poems on The Writer's Almanac. She believes, as author Julia Cameron says, "We are meant to midwife
dreams for one another."
Maureen also believes that serious "word work" requires serious WordPlay, as play is how we humans best learn—and perform. What she loves best is witnessing all the other dreams that come true for her clients along the way. Language, when used with intentionality and focus, is, after all, serious fuel for joy. Here's to yours!
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