Taken on November 6, 2017 at Parvin State Park in NJ

It’s my second-favorite time of year as nature’s autumn tapestries brighten before shedding their coats for the winter and every step outside resounds with a satisfying crunch under my feet. Eternal summer would be bliss, but November is like a comfy, cozy blanket after the hustle and the bustle of September and October.

For me, November also brings with its majesty both a time of annual reflection and a flare of symptoms thanks to the changing of the seasons. Please don’t take this as a complaint. I mention it as a matter of fact and I try my best to be stronger than the fatigue and the pain that arrive at this time every year. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose, and on the days when I lose, I finish those days with hope for a better tomorrow and I keep my priorities in check while acknowledging the frustration I experience.

That’s real. And that’s my life right now.

I’ve been querying my novel titled Chapter One-A Novel, but no bites yet. Emphasis on YET. I believe the universe will lead me to the right opportunity in time, and if that opportunity is no opportunity at all, I accept it and will gracefully move on.

Writing has provided me with much-needed therapy as of late. While most of what I’ve written is personal and won’t be seen by anyone else’s eyes, the act of writing has both calmed and energized me. It has led me to declare that I will no longer be a check mark in someone else’s list of priorities. It has empowered me to put myself first and announce my heart’s joy and my soul’s peace and happiness will be the most important boxes to check off in everything I do moving forward, and to hell with the consequences.

I am actively outlining two more books (one fiction/novel and one non-fiction about the history of surfing in New Jersey) and completing and submitting several unfinished poems and short stories. I’m also working out the logistics of a few ideas that have been swimming in my head for years to see if they are worth pursing or if I should put them to bed forever, the biggest limitations being money and time.

I’m swimming in words and loving every stroke forward I make as I tread through the changing tides around me.

I believe in myself as I look towards charting the course of what lies ahead for me. No matter the destination, I will show up and do my best while honoring my core values of authenticity and joy.

I am here, and I matter.

Truth be told, I wish it didn’t take me 48.5 years to learn that.

 Thanks for joining me on my journey. I’m glad you’re here.

With gratitude,

Jill

“November Amber-An Update” was posted on jillocone.com on November 6, 2019. Views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the author who was not compensated in any way by any entity. All rights reserved.