A few months ago, Jordan, the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sapien Magazine (a new, online publication) reached out: “I’m in the process of starting my own magazine” she wrote. “It’s going to be all about exploring what it means to be human, and what it looks beyond the phone and computer screen. Embracing messy homes and burnt attempted recipes. Trying to stray away from all things curated, but still praising the beauty and prettiness in mistakes.”
Jordan asked if I would submit a piece on the theme of comfort for the inaugural issue. Her goal of creating something beautiful and real – something untethered by Pinterest perfection – really resonated with me, so I said yes. Yes to the messes and to the mistakes and to finding beauty in our everyday reality.
So I cleared my schedule, made some coffee, and sat down to write.
Writing, however, is a funny thing. I don’t really consider myself a writer – blogging is inherently different; you simply write about whatever is on your mind at the time – but a writing assignment? Did I, in fact, actually have something to say on the topic of comfort?
My early drafts read like a dreary senior essay, What Comfort Means to Me. Good lord. So I threw it all away, and closed my eyes. “Comfort” I thought. “What comes to mind?” My comfort is my boys, their arms wrapped around my neck, the heaviness of their bodies in my arms. The scent of my husband. His scruffy face on my lips.
Opening my eyes, I started to write. It turns out I did have something to say. And true to form, the writing was a release. An acceptance, of sorts. And I was so honored by Jordan’s words on the piece:
If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the very personal essay written by @shanachristine on our blog last week. In it, she writes about the comfort she- and her young son- found in her body after a life changing event. Her piece is both funny and heartbreaking, and highlights the resilience of survivors everywhere.
If you’d like to read it, my article can be found here.
Hope you are all enjoying your weekend, and, despite recent events, finding comfort.
xo,
S
