Jewels in the Crown (an annual post)

Each day is a life. Each life is a jewel in the crown.

Jena SchwartzOctober 29, 2019Comment

Some Words of Encouragement for Regular People

What if you let go of the pressure to produce and focused more on what feels good?

The Sacred Is Never Somewhere Else

My head is foggy, so I wonder why I sat down to write a blog post. But I think that may be the reason, actually. To sit and write even when I am not the least bit inspired feels worthwhile.

11 things during my son's piano lesson

Real LifeJena SchwartzOctober 22, 2019writing practice, showing up, listening, lists, 11sComment

Cutting and rearranging in revision

So often, the material we start with winds up being necessary at first -- as way into the writing -- but ultimately extraneous.

Creative ProcessJena SchwartzOctober 22, 2019revision, writing exercise, submissionsComment

My One and Only House

Overwhelm happens. And thankfully, so does perspective.

Real LifeJena SchwartzOctober 14, 2019health, wellness, annual exam, pap smear, cervix, cancer, melanoma, gratitude, perspectiveComment

Balancing Practice with Action

Jews believe in two schools of being and doing.

Jewish Life, Creative ProcessJena SchwartzOctober 9, 2019Comment

Returning

Inhale. Exhale. Thought thought thought thought thought. Leaves fluttering. Eyes heavy. Inhale. Exhale. Car warm. Drowsy. Thought thought thought thought. Inhale. Exhale. Temptation to check timer. Inhale. Exhale. And then, finally, the chime. Aaaaaaaah. I did it.

Story Time: Inhabit Your Writing

Jena reads a story by Rabbi Alan Lew, illustrating the value of being present to the path of the creative process, rather than letting questions and outcomes.

11 things for when you don’t know what to write

We need you over here. There is only one you, and the lifetime of stories you carry in your bones. It doesn’t much matter where you start, only that you do.

"Be the Chicken"

Maybe I'm not so much like the chicken after all. But I do love the simplicity and whimsy of the picture, so perhaps that, at the end of the day, is why I like it and will keep it on the fridge.

Observations, Real LifeJena SchwartzSeptember 23, 2019creativity, Spontaneity, creative process, writing prompt, playfulnessComment

How Many Times?

How many times do you need to hear
that you are enough?

PoetryJena SchwartzSeptember 22, 2019poetry, poet, poems, Jena Schwartz poetry, forgiveness, grace, Contemplative Poetry Comment

Just for Today

PoetryJena SchwartzSeptember 16, 2019running, writing, presence, release, letting go, self-care, poetry, poemComment

Help Always Comes

It's the same mountain, you know. The one and very same mountain you've been scaling your whole life.

Community, Creative Process, ObservationsJena SchwartzSeptember 14, 2019Jewish Mysticism, death, Faith, trust, Keep going Comment

Broken Glass

Like glass, I feel very breakable and very strong these days, a strange, living contradiction, a container of Whitman-esque multitudes.

ObservationsJena SchwartzSeptember 10, 2019freewrite, unedited, writing prompt, writing practice, broken glass, anxiety, broken, whole, healing, wholenessComment

It's Not a Performance

It's like the rabbi reminds the congregation at the start of the Torah service, every time there is a bar or bat mitzvah: We are not here as performer and audience, but as a community.

Real Life, Observations, CommunityJena SchwartzSeptember 9, 2019self-love, friendship, connection, writing practice, being, TrustComment

Playing with Affirmations

As I enter a new season in my life and work, I need more encouragement than ever — and it feels right to be finding new ways of offering that to myself.