October’s “Write 31 Days” is over, yet it’s not over. With so many seeds left scattered, it’s hard not to pick one up and plant it. Here’s the one that’s been tugging at my mind–this John Greenleaf Whittier quote from the collection pictured in the last blog post:

The joy that you give to others is the joy that comes back to you.”

It reminds me so much of this collage and hand lettering exercise I did sometime during this past year and don’t think I’ve shared.

Which prompts me to share my surprising great enjoyment of faux calligraphy. 

It’s “faux” because although it looks like actual calligraphy, it’s not. It’s much easier. And less stress! (And cheaper, to boot!)

I took it on as a challenge, I suppose as a means of improving my collages. But what I got was a path to relaxing, to soothing within. I don’t know why it had such a calming effect on me, but it did. I guess it’s a form of “mindfulness” exercise. You have to focus, to pay attention to the right-here and right-now, and you do need to slow down to do it. In a world where we try to do everything fast and faster, this is a gift and a boon to the inner state. I recommend trying it.

This is not the instruction video I watched. (I can’t seem to find that.) But it gives you the simple how-to in a clear way. There are other similar videos on YouTube. You might like to try it this weekend or some evening when you want to do something quiet, slow, and calming. I hope you do, and then  let me know how you like it.

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Meanwhile, in another sense, October’s “Write 31 Days” is over but it’s not over. Above, at the top of this post, and every blog page, is a master page linkwith links to all the posts that appeared in October. So if you want to revisit any, it’s even easier than faux calligraphy. Just click on the appropriate link!

Enjoy!