Greetings from Asheville, North Carolina. In the span of a month, we celebrated both of our kids' birthdays (they are now 11 and 14!!??), packed all of our belongings in an 8x8 PODS container, and drove cross-country with six chickens and Mango (and, of course our human family members), caravaning Camper Van and Subaru. It has been a few days since we landed on this side, and I am just trying to catch my breath and adjust my eyes after driving for five days straight, laser-focused on the tailgate of the camper van. (Frido was driving the campervan with Satchi and Mango in front of me, and I was driving our Subaru with the chickens and Coco). I would still like to write about our five days on the road in a separate story, but for now, I am here focusing on helping regulate everyone's nervous system, including mine. Even our most easy-going furry family member, Mango, feels a little homesick, so you get the picture.
While on the road, I finished the last few pages of Hobonichi Day-Free Planner. I love this notebook because it has dated monthly calendars for 2024, but the rest of the pages are open. I have been using this notebook as my free-for-all journal. It's the place where it catches the last thread of my thoughts in the evening. (I often find myself falling asleep with my notebook on my lap and fountain pen leaving a mark). So, I loved the synchronicity of reaching the last page as I traveled, hoping to open a new notebook as we turned the calendar page to July in Asheville. But life is more complicated than that. As soon as we arrived, I found myself not having a lot of bandwidth to sit and think (or even have a moment to open the package of a brand-new notebook, which, you know, is so exciting). Frido and I are using our mental and physical capacity right now to come up with genuine and creative ways to support everyone in the family while still being present with Baum-kuchen. I read a statistic somewhere that "moving & relocation" is one of a family's more stressful life events. So that feels appropriate. My thought is that it's totally okay to take a break from my analogue routines when life itself demands a break. Sure. It's nice if I can write through all the seasons, especially through unique life events like moving across the country. But it's also a loving gesture to show myself to prioritize rest if there is any time left in a day (instead of falling asleep with a pen in my hand). I know there will be a moment soon when I get to open the shiny new notebook to start writing again.
A.C. breaks down the process of their daily writing habit in this month's story. I am so grateful that I happened to be at BK's analogue table when the conversation started. (I can't agree more about the magic of the BK analogue table.) Trina interviewed our friend Beate of Roterfaden for her Notebook People series. Both A.C.'s story and Trina's interview with Beate inspire me not to pursue perfection but rather to focus on the process. That is exactly the story I needed to hear from my friends as I juggle the complexity of our life-shifting moments. It is okay to start when I am ready to open the new notebook and write again, not to make each page perfect but to find myself again on those pages through the process. As I often mention, I am always a work in progress;)
-wakako
always a work in progress...
Asheville, NC // July 4th, 2024
**This is from our BK Love Letter for July 2024. If you would like to see the entire love letter we sent to our community including links to the new and updated BK artifacts, you can browse it via this link.
3 comments
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Hi Wakako! I’m so glad I noticed this link under your signature on an email! What a lovely site and offerings, and writing! I love analog writing too, and do daily journaling and as much art journaling as I can fit in ~ I managed to do a lot of that when we were on vacation in England this summer. It was delightful! So anyway, I appreciate a nice journal with nice, well-thought-out pages, and I’d love to hear what your favorite fountain pen is. I have experimented and haven’t found one that I like better than a reliable roller-ball. But I want to have a fountain pen I am devoted to! My daughter has used hand blown dipping pens and loves them. i haven’t gotten the hang of those either.. Anyway, delightful to read from you and see a little more about you here! :-) See you next week!
Well welcome to the NC mountains, with love from the rural Boone area!
Ooooo you’re so close to me. Here’s hoping that you’ll consider opening an Asheville satellite store once you’re settled, like maybe tomorrow?! ;) Anyway, we made a move when our kids were about those ages (to here, away from family & where they had spent most of their lives). So far, we think it was one of the best decisions that we’ve ever made. Many blessings to you all in this new season of your lives, and may this change be a wonderful one for you also!
I love the part about you falling asleep and leaving behind an ink mark. You left an indelible mark in many hearts, Wakako, mine included! As for moving, no doubt it creates a loss, a touch of grieving, and is one of life’s most stressful moments. The beauty of our journals is that they’re always there to catch us when we’re ready, a safe companion where we’re reintroduced to ourselves over and over again. Good fortune & success on your journey!