Wonderful read. I always appreciate the openness and vulnerability in your writing. I think many readers will get a lot out of this very relatable piece.
I don't think happiness is less entertaining to read. I get what people are drawn to disaster and faux pa, sometimes drama and suffering could make a person feel better about their own life. But there's a place for contentment and satisfaction too, and it can be just as rewarding to bask in the joy of others, especially if it is well earned and deserving. :) so, in short, keep writing about it all. The good, the bad, and the beautifully mundane.
I really agree that the beautiful and mundane are equally interesting to read. Lord knows you’ve earned them. Keep going on the journey and thanks for the shout out!
Loved this Elaine. It must be quite scary putting yourself out there by testing more intimate content in your writing - I've had similar qualms. But I think it speaks to the connections you're building here and your own confidence in telling your story. Also the stability that your relationship brings as a safe haven: I didn't have that either until my current relationship and it's a gamechanger.
On that note, I love this (slightly sexy) John Donne poem on this theme too (which as a fellow lit grad, you've probably read!) Though it's more about lovers parted by the seas, I think it speaks beautifully to the safe haven a steady and loving partner can bring and how that supports our own individuality.
I read this many years ago now but yes, I don’t think I fully understood how amazing love can be with the right partner. ❤️ I’ll have another read. Thanks for sharing. 🤩😘
Thanks for the shoutout and for sharing some interesting articles~ definitely going to check them out :) I think reading about the happy times is just as nice as reading about disaster dates, especially with your current insight and awareness of your patterns.
It can be so disorienting trying to figure out the dynamic of a healthy relationship after all the past bs. I loved reading about how you and your husband found your rhythm - and how, like you said, you keep choosing each other.
Also, thank you for being so open about your sex life. I love reading about the sex lives of women, especially in long-term relationships - i don’t feel like i come across it much.
And no, I don’t think happiness makes writing any less compelling. I see ‘writing’ as ‘feeling’ (I know, what an unbearably wanky thing to say), but when someone’s joy transmits through the screen like osmosis - oooh I LOVE. I think human brains are wired to be drawn to a negative thing because of our survival mechanisms so dw about happiness turning anyone off.
Wonderful read. I always appreciate the openness and vulnerability in your writing. I think many readers will get a lot out of this very relatable piece.
Thank you so so so much! 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🥰
I don't think happiness is less entertaining to read. I get what people are drawn to disaster and faux pa, sometimes drama and suffering could make a person feel better about their own life. But there's a place for contentment and satisfaction too, and it can be just as rewarding to bask in the joy of others, especially if it is well earned and deserving. :) so, in short, keep writing about it all. The good, the bad, and the beautifully mundane.
🫶🏻 haha that’s lovely — settled lives are “beautifully mundane” and I love it!
I really agree that the beautiful and mundane are equally interesting to read. Lord knows you’ve earned them. Keep going on the journey and thanks for the shout out!
Thank you, lovely friend 🥰🤩
Loved this Elaine. It must be quite scary putting yourself out there by testing more intimate content in your writing - I've had similar qualms. But I think it speaks to the connections you're building here and your own confidence in telling your story. Also the stability that your relationship brings as a safe haven: I didn't have that either until my current relationship and it's a gamechanger.
On that note, I love this (slightly sexy) John Donne poem on this theme too (which as a fellow lit grad, you've probably read!) Though it's more about lovers parted by the seas, I think it speaks beautifully to the safe haven a steady and loving partner can bring and how that supports our own individuality.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44131/a-valediction-forbidding-mourning
PS - love Philippa Perry too!
I read this many years ago now but yes, I don’t think I fully understood how amazing love can be with the right partner. ❤️ I’ll have another read. Thanks for sharing. 🤩😘
Thanks for the shoutout and for sharing some interesting articles~ definitely going to check them out :) I think reading about the happy times is just as nice as reading about disaster dates, especially with your current insight and awareness of your patterns.
🫶🏻😅🙏🏻 Can’t wait to read more of your funny, charming adventures and culture shock capers. ❤️🥰
It can be so disorienting trying to figure out the dynamic of a healthy relationship after all the past bs. I loved reading about how you and your husband found your rhythm - and how, like you said, you keep choosing each other.
Also, thank you for being so open about your sex life. I love reading about the sex lives of women, especially in long-term relationships - i don’t feel like i come across it much.
And no, I don’t think happiness makes writing any less compelling. I see ‘writing’ as ‘feeling’ (I know, what an unbearably wanky thing to say), but when someone’s joy transmits through the screen like osmosis - oooh I LOVE. I think human brains are wired to be drawn to a negative thing because of our survival mechanisms so dw about happiness turning anyone off.