Welcome to Twosday with Two-Cents Simone.
I need to write. Thank you for indulging me. If I bring you good thoughts and smiles, this relationship works.
Roughly six weeks ago I left my job at Heath Ceramics without another in the queue. I was there for the better part of 15 years. Sometimes a voice creeps in, "How long will your savings last?" Still, it's remarkable how little that thought visits.
This is what trust feels like.
This week, I’m wrapping up a life-changing, online course called Write of Passage. It's not a pyramid scheme. Sentences with "life-changing and online" demand that qualifier.
But if pyramid schemes excite you, watch LuLa Rich on Amazon Prime. You'll be dumber for it. That's the point.
This year, I’ve quit drinking, dating, and my job. I’ve picked up writing, meditating, and myself. At some point, I’ll get back to at least two of the things I’ve dropped. There’s no rush. My soul is resting.
I Recommend things that move me.
Who needs another podcast? You do. Everything Is Alive is an unscripted interview show with inanimate objects. It’s thoughtful, clever, and delightful—a magical combination.
This Spotify playlist is nice for concentrating. I’m listening as I type.
If you nerd out on writing well, you’ll love this book called On Writing Well by William Zinsser. That’s a well-written title, isn’t it?
Two Cents to help you.
Which compliments do you receive more than any other? It’s not important whether you agree or not. Listen to what you hear repeatedly. These are clues. I hear: “You have great energy!” Now you…
My new friend Naz gave me a Twitter lesson. I learned that it’s NOT cool to like your tweet, but it IS cool to retweet yourself. Hmm. I like my Facebook posts because more people see them. This isn’t cool, but neither is Facebook.
On the Twitter topic, asking yourself “What’s the tweet?” is remarkable at getting you to the point of anything. Break it down to 280 characters.
Write It Right is a word lesson.
"Don't tell us that the radio blared loudly; blare connotes loudness. Don't write that someone clenched their teeth tightly. There's no other way to clench teeth." —On Writing Well by William Zinsser
Redundancy happens often in writing. Don’t weaken a strong verb by adding a redundant adverb. Strip it. Pros write tight prose.
Show and Tell gives you a peek into my week.
My mom lies here, decorated by the earth. In time, grasses will grow. She passed away on April 27, 2021, so her grave is still fresh. I walk to and through her cemetery on Tuesdays while my kids are at after-school activities.
I Say is from an essay I’ve written.
“Drama is not a prerequisite to a difficult decision. You can stop something that you’ve had enough of. You can end a marriage that you don’t want to be in any longer. You can say no because you want to. And you can do it with grace.”
Read the full essay here.
More or Less?
Feed me with feedback. What would you like more of and less of? This newsletter is for me to write and for you to think and smile. Let’s make it reciprocal.
P.S. If you find a typo in any of my work, email me. I’d like to know about it.
See You Next Twosday!
You rock.