Lead like a dandelion

and you're invited

Thank you Darin, Alford, and Kathy for joining last Friday.

Hi,

Every Friday we gather in our Zoom room to write together.

We do lightning intros— what we are working on and where we are writing from. A warm-up writing prompt is given in the chat, and then we mute. We write in communal silence to the bottom of the hour then break for a quick stretch and group photo. You can choose to be on or off-camera.

We then mute ourselves again and write until the top of the hour. This is offered every Friday. We hope you can join us when it works for your schedule.

---

          Dandelion 
           
First dandelion
of spring 
stares up at me 
as if to say—
see 
you don't have 
to be large or flashy
to make the 
world a better 
place. 

---

I love dandelions. I was so happy to spot the first one in our front yard. I can’t wait to see them multiply over the next few days.

Yellow Joy: 10 things to know

Where will you see joy today?

A REAL BALLBUSTER: Untangling Testicular Cancer Together is now available! What people are saying:

“Julie B. Hughes’s latest book, A REAL BALLBUSTER: Untangling Testicular Cancer Together, is surprisingly uplifting and inspiring. When the cloud of cancer returned to threaten her family’s stability and joy, it met a fierce adversary. Julie leaned into her faith and marathon training for endurance, spiritual fortitude, and perspective to help carry her family through. One step, one painful mile at a time, she shares with us their unvarnished cancer journey. This story is a gift for anyone facing such a crisis. A strong believer in the medicine of movement, Julie includes a YouTube Channel dedicated to the self-care she embraced during months of painful uncertainty.”

—

Linda McLachlan

“Julie Hughes writes with honesty and compassion about the impact on her and her family when her husband Jeff is diagnosed with testicular cancer, not once but twice. She writes about the emotional roller coaster of the impact of Jeff's second diagnosis, the challenge to try to keep life as normal as possible for their two young children in the midst of it, how to keep going when it seems impossible. In parallel with treatment and hospital appointments, exhaustion and at times despair, there is school and games and above all for Julie her love of running. She generously includes guidance for simple movements at the end of each chapter, recognising that the carer needs encouragement to undertake self-care too. And she learns to never underestimate the positive effects of something as simple as a trip for coffee and a cookie or a friend’s cooked meal left on the doorstep (with dessert!). This is a book for anyone who has been touched by cancer, read it and you will know you are not alone. Julie has your back.”

—

Margaret O'Brien