Today’s Season of Seasons: Insects Hole Up Underground

September 28, 2024September 29, 2024Leave a comment

I’ve always been a very seasonal person. This year, I honored the changing of the seasons with more attention and intention. The slipping from summer into autumn is no exception.

Festive earth-toned vases, leaves, and pumpkins replaced the summertime shells and coastal bits and bobs once autumn officially arrived. Apple scents fill the air instead of clean ocean aromas. Pumpkin spice coffee brews each morning through Thanksgiving, only to be supplanted by peppermint on the morning of Black Friday then hot buttery rum flavor on the first day of the year. Sometime before the end of January, grounds from Rook or Bongo Blend from Bongo Java in Nashville will once again find their way into my filters, but I’ll savor the seasonal flavors until then.

I am content in this season of change. Some things might not be how I would prefer them, and despite the thick layer of fatigue I am wearing as summer morphs into autumn, I am content.

I lay fear to the wayside. The morning’s crisp breeze and the early evening’s sporadic raindrops electrify my face. The sun’s vibrancy energizes me when it rises and its pastel ribbons pacify me when it sets.

I move slower, both on purpose and because my body needs to in this season. Walking at a slow-moving pace has become the norm for me. While some might see it as a curse, I see it as a blessing because I have more time to notice and appreciate my surroundings.

I currently prefer cozy to noise and solitude to large gatherings. As the leaves change from muted to vibrant to bland, they will soon be released by their branches and crisp as they become part of the Earth. I’ll heed their lesson and let things that no longer serve me go while turning inward to cultivate my inner peace before it crisps into oblivion.

I’ve been collecting the little serendipitous moments I notice throughout my days and trust each is a piece to a completed puzzle of purpose.

This smattering of observations leads me to thinking about Japan’s 72 Microseasons. I first learned about them through this short video on the Headspace app:

Click here to see a presentation about the microseasons as a part of my yoga teacher training.

I’ve completely adopted the microseasons into my days. The seasons actually begin in February instead of January, and they can help us be more present by observing the subtle changes in nature. Most of those changes in Japan align with our climate and natural calendar here in the Northeast. Scroll down for a downloadable worksheet I created for a list of all of the microseasons.

The microseason for today, September 28, is “insects hole up underground.” Yesterday morning, while walking to my car at 5:40 AM to leave for school, I heard less insect songs and noise than I had earlier in the week.

If the microseasons speak to you, please consider signing up for my six-week movement and journaling series called “In This Season,” which begins next week in Point Pleasant. The classes will explore both whatever season we may find ourselves in, regardless of where society or others say we should be, and the current microseason. Through movement and journaling, we will meet ourselves where we are and be present with our right-now selves both on the mat and through our words.

If the class isn’t an option for you, consider reflecting upon both your current season and the current microseason in your journal every day. Steal even just five minutes from your day and hide in your closet if need be. Acknowledging your right-now self can help with acceptance and a sense of worth. What came before no longer matters. What does matter is you, in this moment, exactly as you are.

And you are perfection.

Japan Micro Season Handout Colors Download

If you are local and searching for a quiet, meditative writing experience, join me on October 20 and/or November 17 for SoulSparks at Embodied Physical Therapy.

Thank you to those who have purchased and/or read Enduring the Waves ! If you haven’t, I guarantee you’ll make at least one connection to Kelly’s story. Click on the book cover for ordering links and more, including a Reader’s Guide (kind of like a study guide for the book, should you be interested in a deeper relationship with it). Please reach out to me via email (jillocone@gmail.com) if you are interested in having me speak or present at your next book club or community group meeting. I’m happy to meet you!

Thank you for joining me on my journey. I’m so glad you are here.

With light and love,

Jill

If you’d like to stay current with my journey, please consider signing up for my newsletter here:

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“Today’s Season of Seasons: Insects Hole Up Underground” was posted on jillocone.com on September 28, 2024. Views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the writer, who was not endorsed or compensated in any manner by any entity; views do not represent any of my employers. Copyright 2024, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.

A New Season

September 14, 2024September 14, 2024Leave a comment

My days are longer but shorter, as this new season presents a variety of remarkable yet welcome shifts in my awareness and being.

I have been writing this entry for a while now, and every time I add a sentence or two, my list of things to do beckons and I abandon my flow of words for tasks with a blank box waiting to be checked off, but not today.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve said goodbye a thousand-plus-one times to the lazy days of summer, and with it, the ability to go at my own pace

I’ve said hello to new routines, new students, new challenges, and a thousand-plus-one responsibilities thrown at me all at once. It’s always an adjustment reacquainting myself with so many post-Labor Day changes, but this go-around is different.

I’m finding that I need more rest, and instead of go-go-going, I am honoring my knowings. Surprisingly, acknowledging my needs has led to a significant decrease in experincing a fear of missing out.

Take this weekend, for example. I was really disappointed earlier this year when tickets for the Sea Hear Now festival with Springsteen and the E Street Band headlining Sunday’s show sold out before I could wrangle them into my virtual shopping cart. However, in this moment, I am incredibly relieved I didn’t score those tickets. I am definitely in a season where I need peace and rest, and I cannot even imagine heading to Asbury Park tomorrow for the festival. I’d much rather be at home preserving myself and my energy, and I am not feeling the slightest bit of guilt or fear from missing what promises to be an epic performance. I mean, it’s Springsteen in the sands of Asbury Park, for crying out loud, but my needs to rest and recharge away from crowds and noise come first.

I’ve declined other invitations that I’d normally jump to accept, and I’m already betting I won’t make my annual pilgrimage to the local seafood festival next Saturday, either. It’s a strange yet welcome change, this absence of guilt in saying NO, and I like it.

In this season, I find myself craving quiet music, instrumentals and yoga-ish meditative melodies instead of my standby hardish-alternative favorites. I can’t remember a September where I didn’t blast Rage Against the Machine, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, or Foo Fighters on repeat, but here I am, typing this with quiet piano music providing the soundtrack to my now.

In this season, I say goodbye to anything upending my sense of peace and hello to myself and to contentment, which is more important to me than being happy.

Happy is an emotion that is fleeting as best. Contentment, however, is a way of life. It means I am at peace with what is, and I do my best not to allow “what could be” to taint my right-now peace.

I am content with seeking quiet, in reflecting, and in experiencing softer moments with those I treasure. I find solace on my yoga mat and in creating offerings for my students and others who find themselves in a similar season.

I am content with my path to this moment and abandon any strive for perfection because I accept myself exactly as I am.

I find meaning in observing my surroundings, in my interactions with students and others who are a part of my daily journey, and in honoring my knowings.

Life has been a bit heavy lately, and a number of uncertainties still hover me like ominous clouds. In time, each will dissipate to reveal more of the sun, and I will stand lighter yet stronger, quieter yet wiser, bolder and brimming with resoluteness in that joyful, bright light.

On the flipside, if you are reading this and want to extend an invitation to me for a gathering, please do. I might not be able to join you this time, but next time, I hope to be with you.

If you are local and searching for a quiet, meditative writing experience, join me onSeptember 22 for SoulSparks at Embodied Physical Therapy.

Thank you to those who have purchased and/or read Enduring the Waves ! If you haven’t, I guarantee you’ll make at least one connection to Kelly’s story. Click on the book cover above for ordering links and more, including a Reader’s Guide (kind of like a study guide for the book, should you be interested in a deeper relationship with it). Please reach out to me via email (jillocone@gmail.com) if you are interested in having me speak or present at your next book club or community group meeting. I’m happy to meet you!

Thank you for joining me on my journey. I’m so glad you are here.

With light and love,

Jill

If you’d like to stay current with my journey, please consider signing up for my newsletter here:

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“A New Season” was posted on jillocone.com on September 14, 2024. Views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the writer, who was not endorsed or compensated in any manner by any entity; views do not represent any of my employers. Copyright 2024, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.

My Yoga Mat’s Magic

July 29, 2024July 28, 2024Leave a comment

I often joke that the phrase, “I am always in the way” is the running title of my future memoir because I find myself in the way more so than not.

It’s nothing new. Ever since I can remember, I have often been an unintentional yet awkward barrier to movement despite my awareness of where my feet stand and the space around me. The irony is that sometimes when I move to get out of the way, I end up more in the way.

It’s quite frustrating when I unwillingly transform into a giant rock stuck in the middle of a free-flowing stream that blocks the currents of water, traffic, and imagination. My exasperation spills over, and when it mixes with the noise of distractions and the crippling chatter of internal condemnation, I become hindered physically, emotionally, mentally, creatively, and spiritually.

Elixirs and apothecaries failed to free me, as did wizards, hokum, and positive mindsets.

Last year, however, I unexpectedly encountered the one magical object that could unstick my stuck: my yoga mat.

My yoga mat allows me to breathe into places I wasn’t aware existed and provides the space I didn’t know I needed. Growth invariably happens as I remain present and rooted upon my mat while pursuing my right-now self’s desire for peace.

My mat is my own country, the continent of ME with a map full of gleaming treasures and plenty of bulldozers to obliterate barriers and boundaries. I am at home on my mat, and in the space around my mat during community practices, others are at home on their own magnificent continents of themselves.

My fortuitous discovery is where healing began, a healing that led me to nurture the brilliances of my mind, my body, my spirit, my soul, my life force, and my being, with each of their colors kaleidoscoping together while igniting their individual, radiant hues.

From my mat, I learned to appreciate my body instead of being at constant war with it. I formerly regarded myself as being trapped inside a defective vessel cursed with autoimmune disease and other flaws deemed unacceptable by society. Now I regard those curses as blessings, as they have taught me resilience. With my new awareness, I accept my beautiful vessel as a glorious container for my kindhearted soul and unabashed spirit teeming with authenticity and incredible love.

Shame and regret no longer have a seat upon my mat, nor does the jabbering voice of self-doubt. I am at peace with all parts of my journey, including those I did not choose, because I did the best I could with what I knew in those times.

My intuition assures me my gifts both on and off the mat are precious and needed. Creativity and goodness flow through me and from me, and my mat helps my spark to kindle the light in others.

The space of my mat led me to ME, and I don’t have to run away from myself anymore.

Now I relish the opportunity to be in the way as my healing continues.

I am indebted to my yoga teacher and mentor, Katie Morgan, who sparked my journey to becoming a trauma-informed 200-hour yoga teacher by lighting my path with her magical fireflies.

While I am unsure of where my yoga teaching path will lead, I welcome every opportunity to connect with others who might be seeking a similar experience on or off the mat. Please reach out if you are interested in talking with me about possible opportunities for growth, classes, workshops, or movement.

If you are local, I’d love for you to join me on August 15 in downtown Toms River from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Garden State Distillery! We’re planning a fun evening with short readings, Q & A, and mixing & mingling.

Thank you to those who have purchased and/or read Enduring the Waves ! If you haven’t, I guarantee you’ll make at least one connection to Kelly’s story. Click on the book cover above for ordering links and more, including a Reader’s Guide (kind of like a study guide for the book, should you be interested in a deeper relationship with it). It’s a great beach read, and since it’s beach season, what are you waiting for? Order it. already!

Please reach out to me via email (jillocone@gmail.com) if you are interested in having me speak or present at your next book club or community group meeting. I’m happy to meet you!

Thank you for joining me on my journey. I’m so glad you are here.

With light and love,

Jill

If you’d like to stay current with my journey, please consider signing up for my newsletter here:

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“My Yoga Mat’s Magic” was posted on jillocone.com on July 29, 2024. Views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the writer, who was not endorsed or compensated in any manner by any entity; views do not represent any of my employers. Copyright 2024, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.

Thank You, Manchester Library!

July 24, 2024July 24, 2024Leave a comment

I had the honor of presenting a program I titled “Enduring Life’s Waves” at the Manchester Township branch of the Ocean County Library on Monday, July 22 with 24 guests present.

It was my first public presentation about my novel. I brought many brochures I picked up on my first two Dublin trips, as well as my travel journals and photo books to enhance my presentation. While preparing my talk and accompanying presentation, I looked at a number of images I took ten years ago while on my first trip to Dublin and more from my 2016 trip I call my “Mission from the Universe,” and marveled how when I took these pictures and saw these locations with my own eyes, I had no idea my novel would be the end result. Having faith in following the signs that appeared in my days changed my life in so many unanticipated ways.

I spoke about just that, trusting the path even when you cannot see the first step, and how important it is to be present in the moment at hand. So many times we go rushing through our lives, meeting this benchmark and crossing this or that task off our lists that we fail to stop and recognize with all of our senses where we are in the present moment. That’s one of the points of James Joyce’s masterpieces Ulysses, a writer and work that played pivotal roles in my journey.

Having Joyce’s inspiration mesh and meld with my path was not something I would have expected, but here we are, and I look to the pompous bloke as wise because I shifted my view and looked through different lenses upon him, and to be honest, upon everything over the past ten years.

I would like to thank everyone who came to Monday’s program and the staff of Manchester branch of the Ocean County Library for trusting me with presenting a quality program where I hope everyone felt included and learned to follow their inner compasses.

Thank you to those who have purchased and/or read Enduring the Waves ! If you haven’t, I guarantee you’ll make at least one connection to Kelly’s story. Click on the book cover above for ordering links and more, including a Reader’s Guide (kind of like a study guide for the book, should you be interested in a deeper relationship with it). It’s a great beach read, and since it’s beach season, what are you waiting for? Order it. already!

Please reach out to me via email (jillocone@gmail.com) if you are interested in having me speak or present at your next book club or community group meeting. I’m happy to meet you!

Thank you for joining me on my journey. I’m so glad you are here.

With light and love,

Jill

If you’d like to stay current with my journey, please consider signing up for my newsletter here:

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“Thank You, Manchester Library” was posted on jillocone.com on July 24, 2024. Views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the writer, who was not endorsed or compensated in any manner by any entity; views do not represent any of my employers. Copyright 2024, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.

Thank You, Bethany Beach Books!

June 30, 2024Leave a comment

I traveled to Bethany Beach, Delaware last week with one of my best friends for my first real author event at a bookstore. Bethany Beach Books accepted my request for an author event earlier this year and it was an amazing milestone! I am forever grateful for Bethany Beach Books for hosting me. If you are in the Bethany Beach area, I highly recommend you visit this quaint book store. Might I add seeing my book near Elin Hildebrand’s most recent release was surreal!

Signed copies left at Bethany Beach Books waiting to be shelved.

I crossed off a few “firsts” on this quick getaway, including taking the Cape May/Lewes Ferry for the first time. We stayed at Hotel Bethany Beach, which I also wholeheartedly recommend. The price was right, the location perfect, and the accomodations wonderful. For meals, we enjoyed dinner at Mickey’s Family Crab House and The Cottage Cafe, and for lunch we sat next to The Gipper, Ronald Reagan himself, at Ropewalk. We enjoyed walking the main strip and browsing many surf shops and coastal decor stores. A few years ago, my niece and I stayed in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, for a few days, which is about 13 miles north. Delaware’s shore area is similar to Jersey but has a very different vibe and feel, and I hope to return someday.

Thank you to those who have purchased and/or read Enduring the Waves ! If you haven’t, I guarantee you’ll make at least one connection to Kelly’s story. Click on the book cover above for ordering links and more, including a Reader’s Guide (kind of like a study guide for the book, should you be interested in a deeper relationship with it). It’s a great beach read, and since it’s beach season, what are you waiting for? Order it. already!

Please reach out to me via email (jillocone@gmail.com) if you are interested in having me speak or present at your next book club or community group meeting. I’m happy to meet you!

Thank you for joining me on my journey. I’m so glad you are here.

With light and love,

Jill

If you’d like to stay current with my journey, please consider signing up for my newsletter here:

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“Thank You, Bethany Beach Books!” was posted on jillocone.com on June 30, 2024. Views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the writer, who was not endorsed or compensated in any manner by any entity; views do not represent any of my employers. Copyright 2024, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.

About Time to Promote “About Time”

April 19, 2024Leave a comment

I am pleased to announce the publication of About Time: A Coming of Age Poetry Anthology published by Red Penguin Books.

I had the distinct pleasure of serving as the collection’s guest editor, which was the first time I held such a role for an anthology. As editor, I sifted through the submissions after printing them and cutting off any identifiable information from each poem because I personally knew a few of the poets who submitted their work for publication consideration. I wanted every poet to have a fair chance regardless of whether I had a prior connection with them or not, so I blindly read each poem five times during the selection phase.

The challenge of whittling down the number of accepted poems from the pool of over 300 submitted poems was real. I ultimately divided up the poems into three categories: yes, no, and maybe, then carefully read each poem two more times before making the final selections.

The hardest part of the process was contacting the poets in the “no” pile. I have received more rejections than acceptances in my writing life and know firsthand how it stings to find out my work wasn’t accepted. I did my best to pen a graceful and encouraging rejection letter, and to my surprise, received some replies from poets thanking me for such a kindly worded email.

I thoroughly enjoyed every part of my role as guest editor for About Time, from redesigning the book’s cover and selecting poems that best exemplified the book’s vision and theme to providing a publishing credit for many new writers. I hope to work with Red Penguin again in the future!

You can order a copy of About Time by clicking this link.

Please reach out to me via email (jillocone@gmail.com) if you are interested in having me speak or present at your next book club or community group meeting. I’m happy to meet you!

Thank you for joining me on my journey. I’m so glad you are here.

With light and love,

Jill

If you’d like to stay current with my journey, please consider signing up for my newsletter here:

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“About Time to Promote ‘About Time” was posted on jillocone.com on April 19, 2024. Views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the writer, who was not endorsed or compensated in any manner by any entity; views do not represent any of my employers. Copyright 2024, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.

The Red Light Conundrum

March 12, 2024Leave a comment

Today is a bad light day.

I travel through 26 traffic lights on my 15-ish mile drive to and from my workplace every day. There’s typically one or two mornings every year or two when I hit green lights all the way, and those are the absolute best! I’m a time traveler of sorts on such mornings with an incredibly fast commute while maintaining posted speed limits.

Not the case this morning.

I actually left a few minutes earlier than usual and planned to use the added time to write. Excited about the sentences I would create on my computer screen, I backed out of my driveway after pressing the play button on my morning playlist, drove three houses up to the stop sign, and turned left.

And it began, the first red light glaring at me a few blocks up the road.

Then another.

And so on.

Five red lights in a row quickly added almost three minutes to my travel time, and I had just left my house six minutes prior.

I thought I had cleared the stop-and-go cycle when I miraculously drove through three green lights, but I was wrong. I was at the back of the green-light pack, and as my comrades in commuting sped up, I lingered to avoid the officer I knew was hiding in the trees alongside the highway, and much to my chagrin, the yellow-then-red lights mocked me yet again.

Each light further irked me, especially those with no vehicles waiting for their turn.

Phantoms. Frustrating as all hell.

The overwhelmingly unproportional number of red lights ridiculing me from above added a total of six minutes to my commute and robbed me of the extra writing time I thought I had so cleverly planned.

I realized, however, that while this morning might have been a bad light day, it is not a bad day. In fact, it is a good day. Taking some breathing exercises after I got settled helped to clear my mind, and I still had time to write, hence this post.

Life can be like that at times, constantly throwing up red lights and barriers in our path. Instead of letting them defeat us, we can learn to accept the adage that everything happens at the right time. Some of us may experience immediate success with our goals and dreams, while others may have to work a little harder and a lot longer to make our dreams and goals realities.

While frustrating at the time, just now it hit me that perhaps those red lights might have prevented me from danger or harm. Maybe the extra time sitting in my car provided me with a springboard over the writer’s block obstacles that have recently plagued me so that the flow of words as I type this is smoother, more fluent, and more relevant.

The more I think about it, the color red is associated with the root chakra which provides grounding, stability, and safety. Words are rooted inside of me. I am open to all possibilities and trust the universe to support me, even if my journey is delayed by red lights and unavoidable obstacles.

I am grounded and have found peace.

Please reach out to me via email (jillocone@gmail.com) if you are interested in having me speak or present at your next book club or community group meeting. I’m happy to meet you!

Thank you for joining me on my journey. I’m so glad you are here.

With light and love,

Jill

If you’d like to stay current with my journey, please consider signing up for my newsletter here:

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“The Red Light Conundrum” was posted on jillocone.com on March 12, 2024. Views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the writer, who was not endorsed or compensated in any manner by any entity; views do not represent any of my employers. Copyright 2024, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.

2,657 Days…

November 4, 2021November 4, 20212 Comments

I’ve always been in tune with the universe and its breadcrumbs, even as a young child, but I spent more time ignoring them than following them. I’ve always known I am different, and for far too long, I tried to fit in through vices or by wearing a variety of masks, each of them a flat-out denial of who I really am in my heart and in my soul. I’ve always known I’m a writer, but I allowed doubt, indecision, and distractions to deny my calling. I’ve always known there’s a unique light shining inside of me, but I allowed too many sources of darkness to extinguish it over and over and over…

It’s time to let my light shine, and to hell with the consequences.

I am in tune with the universe.

I am different.

I am a writer.

I will live, and my light will shine bright forevermore.

For over seven years and counting, the universe has been leading me in a particular direction, and if you’ve been following me or personally know me, you’ll understand what I mean. I never questioned the breadcrumbs, but I did allow the path to become obscured, the reasons why no longer important because they no longer matter.

Today, I understand everything with crystal-clear clarity, all the signs and the ‘whys’ behind all the heartache and all the joy.

It’s taken 2,657 days of faith and determination to ensure my novel, Chapter One-A Novel, is ready for publication, and it’s finally there. I’ve made this announcement before, albeit prematurely, but I assure you that this time it’s the real deal, and it’s the right time. Years of toiling to write and to revise have finally produced a wonderful and compelling story, one that will inspire others to trust the universe and believe in themselves, one that will illustrate the power of friendship and the triumph of personal ambition over setbacks and detours.

I am confidently querying agents and publication houses and wholeheartedly know I will be led to the right opportunity for me, and I will keep you informed along the way.

My only future request for you is to keep in mind that, when you read Chapter One-A Novel, you separate me from the main character as I am NOT Kelly Lynch. I am Jill Ocone, author and writer, and Kelly Lynch is her own person in her own right.

I’m working on five other writing projects (three novels and two non-fiction books), and look forward to bringing them to light like I did with Chapter One-A Novel but in far less time, for I am truly a writer now.

The wave is here. And I’m not sleeping, oh no…

On a side note, I am reading The Storyteller by Dave Grohl. Do yourself a favor and GET THIS BOOK. Dave Grohl has always been a cool cat, but I admire and respect him even more now. I’m planning on writing a post about this book soon.

And I’ll end my post with celebrating fact I scored tickets to my BUCKET LIST BAND, the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS! It’s finally happening in August, and I cannot wait!

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

With gratitude,

Jill

“2,657 Days…” was posted on jillocone.com on November 4, 2021. Views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the writer, who was not endorsed or compensated in any manner by any entity; views do not represent any employer. Copyright 2021, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact jillocone@gmail.com with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries.

The Blessings of “Un”-Summer

July 19, 2020July 20, 20202 Comments

Taken 7/13/2020 in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ

I’ve officially titled the summer of 2020 the “Un”-Summer as it’s been the strangest summer of all my forty-nine years.

But I don’t mind.

Summer is my season, face masks required or not. I’ve always been a summer girl, and despite the abnormalities of this particular summer, I’m reveling in its magnificence.

The sunshine and heat, the thunder and rain, the humidity with its accompanying brassiness… it’s all good in my book.

Days are longer, hair is messier, feet are bare, and the carefree feeling of summer is like no other.

Summer just brims with absolute goodness: nectarines and pluots and watermelon and berries and ice cream from the ice cream truck, pedaling around my neighborhood or up to the beach and back with the wind blowing through my hair, searching for tiny shells or sea glass along the ocean’s wash line with sand between my toes on an empty early morning beach with a friend, sipping my morning coffee outside while the birds and the crickets and the cicadas sing-sing-sing along with each other, reading and writing outside as a cool breeze caresses my face, observing the fireflies dance with each other as the sun goes to bed for the night, watching the plants blossom from seedlings into flowers and fruits and vegetables…

I still enjoy these summer blessings in light of our current circumstances.

To be honest, I think our current state of affairs has actually increased both my awareness of and appreciation for every summer moment and experience.

I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss the freedom of going to an amusement park without a reservation and a face mask, having lunch at some of my favorite restaurants that are currently shuttered due to a lack of outside dining availability or comfort, or strolling the boardwalk in the early morning without worrying about someone passing within six feet of me.

But the overriding arch here is that IT IS SUMMER.

I will continue living in my own little bubble of summerhood where life is good and bask in the glory of each summer moment and every summer day with appreciation for every summer blessing.

One of my accomplishments during this unprecedented “un”-summer is a complete revision/overhaul to my novel, Chapter One-A Novel, and this time, it’s the real deal. Over the past two months, I painstakingly dissected the manuscript and examined every word and sentence to improve its flow, voice, and story. That is why I’ve been absent from posting here; I focused wholeheartedly on the revision and did not want to become distracted by writing anything else. My hard work paid off, and I am wholeheartedly proud of and believe in the manuscript I produced. Chapter One-A Novel is now worthy of representation and publication. Here’s my one-sentence pitch:

Kelly Lynch, the twenty-something protagonist of Chapter One-A Novel, navigates the seas of friendship and the storms of loss as she travels from the Jersey Shore to Dublin, Ireland on a journey of self-discovery.

I know the universe will lead me to the right opportunity to put it into the hands of readers everywhere.

I hope that your “un-summer” blesses you with joyous memories filled with too many smiles to count. It will, if you make the best of it.

cropped-img_0764 Thanks for joining me on my journey. I’m glad you’re here.

With gratitude,

Jill

“The Blessings of ‘Un’-Summer” was posted on jillocone.com and on soulseaker.com on July 19, 2020. Views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the writer, who was not compensated in any way by any entity. Copyright 2020, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact jillocone@gmail.com with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries.

Digesting the Goodness

June 12, 2019Leave a comment

521c8921-b020-4a92-ae9c-89830ae4d8c2 I sit here enjoying the silence, exhausted yet satisfied, after spending four intense days at the Yale Writers’ Workshop at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

Had to insert a nod to one of my favorite songs from my own college experience, which did not end on a good note.

This experience, however, DID, on so many levels.

It’s true that everyone has their own shit going on, and most of us are orchestrated every day by a ridiculously rigid schedule, including me. My schedule from April leading up to the workshop was so slammed full, I couldn’t even fit a thin pencil line between events and responsibilities. Other writing events and conferences, editorial assignments, school-related tasks including yearbook distribution and end-of-year procedures, writing, family obligations, homework for my Yale workshop, and a never-ending list of chores related to moving and taking care of my uncle’s estate has stretched me thinner than a rubber band pulled back to its maximum length right before it breaks. I’m mystified that even though I came close to snapping a few times, I’m still in one piece like that rubber band.

As is true with my fellow sufferers of imposter syndrome, I did not think my writing was of the “Yale Writers’ Workshop” caliber. However, I literally had this quote appear in my social media feed right above an ad for the Yale Writers’ Workshop:

“There is freedom waiting for you,
On the breezes of the sky,
And you ask “What if I fall?”
Oh but my darling,
What if you fly?”
― Erin Hanson

With Hanson’s words resonating in my mind, I took a chance and applied despite my feelings of inferiority, believing I’d fail.

However, I realized it was time for me to fly as I wept tears of joy when I read my acceptance email on April 2.

I then cried for a different reason as I faced the truth I’d have to venture out of my comfort zone by driving on roads that frightened me to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.

I promised myself that when it was time to go to Yale, I’d focus solely on the workshop and put all other distractions out of the way, including my feeds, my calendar, and whatever was scribbled on my to-do lists, both real and perpetual.

And I did just that, minus a few Instagram posts…hell, when I see a USPS mailbox decorated like R2D2, I must share!

59c71cb2-50ce-4535-a10f-7f59866ab7fc I’m humbled to have sat in the presence of twelve other phenomenal writers in my workshop titled “The First Ten Pages,” including my teacher, “Marlena” author Julie Buntin. Everyone was kind, enthusiastic, and inspiring as we spent four intense days workshopping the first ten pages of each other’s manuscripts, as well as hearing from speakers Steve Almond, Betsy Lerner, and Chaya Bhuvaneswar. I gained new friends, new insight, and new ideas to re-craft Chapter One-A Novel to make it the best it can be for the reader. I see it, and my intuition knows it is right. My vision will become a reality. I’m looking forward to reading the revised drafts written by my fellow attendees.

And, good news! I successfully navigated the way to and from New Haven surprisingly without any fear! I can do it!

I’m also still absorbing the wonderful advice I acquired from presentations by Neil Gaiman, Amy Tan, and Colum McCann at the third annual Rutgers Writers’ Conference held the first weekend of June.

As I finish out the school year and digest the feedback about my novel, the first steps of Chapter One-A Novel’s re-crafting will begin tomorrow.

I plan to engage more with readers on my blog and to building a better platform over the summer while working on some other side projects.

I’m finally flying…man, my spirit guide would be so proud of me.

Thanks for accompanying me on my journey!

With gratitude,

Jill

Jill Ocone

Author & Writer – Certified 200-Hour Trauma informed Yoga Teacher & Reiki 1/2

Tag: novel

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2,657 Days…

The Blessings of “Un”-Summer

Digesting the Goodness