Author: Mallory

Hi, my name is Mallory, and I'm from Indiana! I'm passionate about art, music, learning, and fitness. In my free time, I enjoy dancing, practicing yoga, and stitching my thoughts together through creative writing. I'm always looking to add just one more book to my library. Some random facts about me: I took piano lessons for ten years, I'm a cake artist, and I'm obsessulated with Wicked. Thanks for checking out my blog!

XERO to 360

“What you consistently do is what you adapt to…If we want to heal, we have to learn to process.” ~ Brianna Wiest, The Mountain is You

I’m pondering what direction I’ll take with this idea that’s come full circle in my mind. A progressive idea laced with movement, balance, and growth. I know it will revolve around forward motion, but that notion is not as uncomplicated as one might imagine. We are, after all, dealing with reality. Life is sometimes a “one step forward, two steps back” dance with fear, pain, and our inner selves. The darkness we try to hide from. I’m going to review part of my journey from this last rotation around the giant yellow star that’s glowing at the heart of our solar system. The topic being: Day 0 to Day 360 of walking ever so slightly closer to the ground. But first, a short stroll down memory lane…

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Apricity

“The shadow proves the sunshine…” ~ Switchfoot

Apricity. I’ve been seeing this word all over social media the last couple of days. The warmth of the sun in winter. I think it’s safe to say we are all collectively in need of some sunlight. Is it just me or has it been an especially difficult January this year? I’m currently clicking these keys while my therapy light is shining over my shoulder. It does a pretty satisfactory job of moderately elevating my disposition this time of year. (Can I also say how intrigued I have always been by the idea of shadows versus light? Cue the infinite life lessons…and the perplexing logic of a certain revered groundhog.) I definitely believe Blue Monday is a real thing, and it’s just been graaaaaay ever since.

I was talking to a fellow writer friend at work the other day who entertained me with his witty ways and funny stories, and the connection was truly a breath of fresh air on what was indeed a rather manic Monday. (Are they all manic?) In the midst of the humor, he encouraged me to experiment with different tones of written expression, and get back to my former ways of lighthearted diction. And then! I saw “apricity” pop up on Facebook later that day. I was QUITE fascinated by the word.

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Wild Dreaming

Some say it’s the darkest before the dawn…the stormiest before the calm…

Domicile disarray abounds around, but I’m feeling introspective and only slightly sentimental on this rainy afternoon. The organizational demands are just going to have to be patient a little while longer, for alas, the writing mode strikes whenever it fancies. Follow me away into…

…a maze of greenery. And a tangled up enchanted opal apple orchard. It’s a wonder one could ever find one’s way out. A last dance in the moonlight with that dashingly handsome man. There’s something about the way he looked that evening. Wild daydream blue eyes. His voice and smile were so familiar, like I’d known him half my life. Enraptured distant memories came to the forefront of my mind, as the large clock on the castle wall sounded an alarmingly loud alarm. Midnight! And it was just getting good. My heart beat swiftly as he kissed my red lips, brushed my hair back from my rosy cheek, and whispered in my ear, “I’ll see you again.” I made it to the door a fraction before the twelfth stroke. Continue reading “Wild Dreaming”

Labyrinth

Dreams feel real while we’re in them. It’s only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange. ~ Inception

It was just another manic Monday of melancholy madness. Except that it wasn’t. It was actually two days in the future. The present can feel like the past when winter merriment gets involved. Ah, the Genesis of a new rotation around the good ol’ Sol. If you and I found ourselves in a conversation post the omega of the most recent full moon, odds are you might find a piece of it woven within this labyrinth of literary lunacy. An idea has been twisting and turning lately. Something I want to create…a belletristic maze within a maze, just so I can revel…nay…get lost in the depth of it. A multi-sensory aesthetic experience.

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Peace, Epiphany, and the Present

“And in despair I bowed my head, there is no peace on earth I said, for hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth goodwill to men…”

 “What do you want for Christmas?” It’s the question that starts circulating every Thanksgiving. Would it come across as derisive to ask for peace on earth? Listening to the news on any given day, all I should ask for is peace and an end to human suffering. Maybe it’s ridiculous to think of putting lofty idealistic notions on our Christmas lists and expecting anyone to actually do anything about it. Maybe I’m a hopeless romantic. Or maybe I just feel the need to be facetious right now, due to that Christmas exhaustion setting in. It’s the Eve of Christmas, and while I’m currently baking a cake which I’m totally jazzed about, I have a multitude of thoughts running through my mind. And so I shall put the proverbial pen to the paper whilst the aroma of spice fills the space in which I dwell.

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Trapped

“A writer is a world trapped inside a person.” ~ Victor Hugo

Those words resonate deep within my soul tonight. It’s relatively uncomplicated for the words to flow, but not so easy to actually open the door to share what’s inside. Will I be understood? A certain level of angst endures. Better to protect my inner world when it feels like the world is closing in. Such is the plight for this introvert. However, I just got out of a trap yoga class, and the novelty of it has placed me in a reflective frame of mind.

Rewind to a certain memory which is often involuntarily on replay…

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Terpsichorean Motion

“This is your time, this is your dance; live every moment, leave nothing to chance. Swim in the sea, drink of the deep; embrace the mystery of all you can be.” ~ Michael W. Smith

An idea has been oscillating in my head as of late. Of movement, nature, and time as one divine thing. Ticking clocks, the sound of Irish pipes, love songs, and a sky filled with stars. And a coming of age and innocence. Some thinkers perceive the ancient Greek goddess/muse of dance as a metaphor for the cosmic dance to which the entire universe moves. Terpsichore. “Delight in dancing” is what her name means. Yes, she’s a myth, but imagine: a powerful, radiant woman personified as the passion and rhythm of this universe. A force of orderliness that can’t be escaped. That is a beat to which I can sync.

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The Aqua Glow

“If water derives lucidity from stillness, how much more the faculties of the mind! The mind of the sage, being in repose, becomes the mirror of the universe, the speculum of all creation.” ~ Zhuangzi

In the last few years I’ve found myself exploring various therapeutic methods, and my documentation regarding these experiences has been quite stagnant. The chance of finding time to reflect in written form is tenuous amidst the flow of this experience we call life…an incessant drum beating that our hearts are ever trying to stay in rhythm with…

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Tribute to Cyndi

I didn’t originally write this as a blog, but thought this might be a good place to post it.

My heart is so heavy, and I’ve never had this much trouble putting words together. I don’t know how to express the impact this woman has had in my life. Cyndi was one of a kind. We met on the tennis courts about four or five years ago and became fast friends. But she was the kind of friend who became more like family. She was always there to help, or offer wise words of encouragement, or just to listen. Whatever we did, there was always good food involved, either prepared by her (she was an amazing cook!) or exploring new restaurants. Lunch dates, doggie play days, hiking, shopping, chats about life…so many everyday normal kind of memories together with her that I cherish.

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The World You Want

Raise your hand if you’re tired of misinformation hurting people.  Irrespective of each of our differences in political party, religion, or worldview, aren’t we all exasperated?  We all can get fired up because deep within us we want the truth.  The problem is we each think we have the truth, and we can easily point to the group whom we believe is responsible for the toxic ideas polluting our nation.  What is truth, and can it truly be known?  Or will everything we hear be questioned as possible fake news or conspiracy, causing us to live in fear and mistrust of information from now on?  Whatever is true, I want to believe that, but it’s difficult to know what or whom to trust anymore.  Everyone claiming to have “truth” promotes it with passionate conviction, yet with so many conflicting ideas out there, truth can seem elusive and relative. 

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