Joyful January - I'm in!

Next year (it feels weird writing that and it's less than 2 days away) I will be joining in with Joyful January where people from all over the world will be noticing and sharing things that bring them joy.

The idea comes from Satya Robyn and Kaspalita Thompson who began the River of Stones a few years ago which involved writing to capture a fully-engaged moment. I thoroughly enjoyed participating in that and wrote a small stone every day during January, 2012 (and in fact continued for the rest of the year). I still write them occasionally and you can see them at my other blog www.pausingforsmallstones.blogspot.com.

Satya and Kaspalita write -

"You might want to share an old photo of your dog, a quote you’ve found or a story you’ve heard. You might want to write a few sentences about something that you appreciated during the day. It doesn’t matter what – just anything that makes you smile or brings a little burst of joy."

You can find out more information at http://www.writingourwayhome.com/31-days/31-days-of-joy/. There's also the option of expanding the experience and receiving an email each day as well as other goodies.

To join in with Joyful January you post an image, a few words, share a quote or something that brings you joy and share on facebook, twitter, instagram etc with the hashtag #joyfuljan. I'm sure it will be great fun and inspiration looking through the images and words shared.

I'm planning to share an image or some words each day in January (I'm not quite decided on where yet) and some longer posts going in to more detail here. I'm looking forward to noticing and sharing what brings me joy in January.

Six Word Saturday - November 19th, 2011

Looking forward to the January River! 

• pausing a little each day to really notice something
• playing with words
• writing at least a little every day
• sharing your writing with others 
• reading other people's observations of their own small moments
• being more aware of and feeling more connected to your own world

Do these things sound good to you? If so, you may be interested in joining the January River of Stones, hosted by Fiona Robyn and Kaspalita.  

"A small stone is a very short piece of writing that precisely captures a fully-engaged moment." - Fiona Robyn 

This year in January many people paused to notice small moments and write 'small stones'. I found out about the project in December last year and decided to give it a try. I made a commitment to myself to write a 'small stone' each day in January. I ended up doing that and then decided to continue. I have written a short observation about a moment in my day every day this year (well, except 2). Mostly it's been lots of fun. Many times I have formulated a 'small stone' in my head when I've seen something and then gone to the computer to post it. There have been days when I haven't been able to think of anything to write and have opened up a new post and sat staring at the blank space for a while. Some days I have really enjoyed playing with words to capture my small moment and express it just how I want to. Some of my small stones have provided inspiration for longer pieces of writing. I really recommend joining in. I will be. Click on the badge below for further information. 

Six Word Saturday - July 2nd, 2011

A day to stay inside today. 

I could hear the rain when I woke up this morning and it has been reasonably steady all day. That is a change. The weather for the past few days has been quite glorious. It has been hard to believe that it is winter here. I have had conversations with friends about whether it is autumn hanging on or spring coming early. We decided it felt more like spring. Today, though, it is clearly winter! 

The July river of stones has begun. Click on the badge for more information about this fun challenge. I wrote my small stone for today as I looked out my lounge room window. 

The road is dark with water

The lavender shivers 

A Saturday to stay inside 

To read more of my small stones visit my other blog, Pausing to pick up small stones, and let me know if you decide to join in too. Part of the fun is reading other people's small stones! 

Fiona and Kaspa are married now!

I hope they had an absolutely beautiful ceremony and enjoyed their day with family and friends. I found myself wondering about their day a few times yesterday. It feels a little strange to be thinking about people I have never met but then I have been reading a lot about their story through the blog A River of Stones and the weekly newsletters Fiona sends out. 


Thank you Fiona and Kaspa for sharing your story and joy with the world! 


For part of their wedding present Fiona and Kaspa asked people from around the world to write a small stone and send it to them. See this previous post for more information. 


I write a small stone each day on my other blog, Pausing to pick up small stones. Yesterday I posted my wedding stone there and also sent it to Fiona and Kaspa. I thought I would post it here as well with a little of the story behind it. 

Tree wears a stunning necklace 
Bright orange beads 
Sparkle in the sunlight 

I have been noticing the shapes of leaves and trees a lot recently. That's one of the side effects of regularly writing small stones - more noticing of what is around us all the time. I was thinking about what small stone to write yesterday, knowing it would also be the one I sent as my wedding small stone. I was a passenger in a car and was noticing all of the trees at the sides of the road and how the sun played with the colours when suddenly I noticed one tree in particular - a palm tree I think with lots of orange berries which just seemed to hang around it like necklace. A bit of playing with the words when I got home and I had my small stone. 


I have enjoyed reading other small stones written for Fiona and Kaspa on their wedding day. You can read lots of small stones at www.theriverofstones.blogspot.com. I look forward to reading about the wedding soon and send best wishes to Fiona and Kaspa for their life together. 


Are you interested in doing a little writing every day and noticing and connecting more with YOUR world? Why not join the river in July? 

Small Stone Blogsplash - we need your help...

Kaspa & Fiona have taken over my blog for today, because they need our help. 

They are both on a mission to help the world connect with the world through writing. They are also getting married on Saturday the 18th of June.

For their fantasy wedding present, they are asking people across the world to write them a ‘small stone’ and post it on their blogs or on Facebook or Twitter. 

A small stone is a short piece of observational writing – simply pay attention to something properly and then write it down. Find out more about small stones here. 

If you’re willing to help, we’d love you to do things: 

1) Re-post this blog on your own blog any time before June the 18th and give your readers a chance to hear about what we’re doing. You can simply copy and paste the text, or you can find the html here. 

2) Write us a small stone on our wedding day whilst we’re saying our vows and eating cake, post it on your blog, and send it to us.

You can find out more about our project at our website, Wedding Small Stones, and you can also read our blog at A River of Stones. 

We also have a July challenge coming soon, when we’ll be challenging you to notice one thing every day during July and write it down. 

Thank you for listening, and we hope we’ll be returning from our honeymoon to an inbox crammed with small stones, including yours. 

Kaspa & Fiona