Vicki Atkinson's Blog, page 19

Peek Inside: “Surviving Sue” – Sonny’s Secrets

In my “Heart of the Matter” post last week I shared a sweet story about my dad, Sunny Sonny’s life philosophy.  The older I become, the more I realize there’s plenty to borrow from his positive personality and naturally sunny outlook.  Good stuff…loads of it.  But today I want to share another “Peek Inside” moment – a book club question from a dear reader.  I love the layers of understanding and deepening of my own perspective – unexpected gifts from those who’ve joined me by reading “Surviv...

In Plain Sight

It’s idiom time! Thank you, once again, Merriam Webster:

I had an experience last week that reminded me of one of my favorite topics when I was in teacher mode, a unit about the limits of human perception…being unable to see what’s in front of us.  I don’t know how much fun the lecture was, but my students loved this video. 

Have you seen it already?  It’s just 90 seconds long . I don’t want to give anything away, so if it’s new to you…take a peek and then come back.

Spoiler Aler...

Podcast Friday: Pancake Edition

*Note: No pancakes were harmed (or consumed) in the making of this episode!

I’m not sure how it happened, but Wynne and I are celebrating our Golden Podcast Anniversary.  No, silly people.  Not 50 years of podcasting – 50 episodes – and we’re a little thunder-struck:

Thank you to listeners!  Nearly 2000 ‘listens’ and I’ll be honest – only a couple in that tally are Wynne and I tuning in to make sure we sound only slightly goofy.  I mean…there’s a sliding scale. A little goofy is good…but...

From the Inside-Out

So much can happen in a year’s time.  When I think about my inspiration to write about Dr. James Pennebaker’s book, “Opening Up by Writing it Down” I’d swear I wrote this post just a couple of months ago.  Turns out…it’s been a year. Almost exactly.  Whoa.  Where did that time go?

Across the past year, my dear friend and collaborator Wynne Leon and I have enjoyed discoveries galore about our common goals and interests in writing for wellness. Blessed with wonderful writing partners on Hea...

Stevie the Wonder Cat

I am not a cat person…achooooo!  But cats intrigue me – they always have. One of my all-time favorite Steinlen posters is “Clinique Cheron” because of the beautiful composition of cats (and yes, a few doggos, too) in the artwork.  I love it and a version of has hung proudly in nearly every room of our house as I rotate pieces from time to time.  Like moving my friends around to see who wants to hang out together (wink!) and catch a fresh view.  (Yes, the recurring nail holes drive hubste...

Podcast Friday: Sharing a Secret

I’m going to share a secret. 

I get nervous…really nervous when I’m talking about my book, “Surviving Sue”.  Even when I’m chatting with my dear friend Wynne Leon on our podcast.  I’m continuing to learn how to talk about the motivation to write my mom’s story… about living with her and persevering.  Yes, surviving.  The level of exposure for writers of personal narratives can be intense and I held very little back when I wrote about Sue. 

Two things come to mind today when I thin...

Peek Inside: “Surviving Sue” – Writing for Resilience

I’m pretty excited.  It’s only January 11 and the new year is full of surprises. Good ones! I wrote about Wynne and I being included in the CWA (Chicago Writers Association) Speakers Bureau last week and I’ve already had a nibble on one of the offerings – about navigating elder care.  Woo-hoo!

Yet another opportunity surfaced, and I’m thrilled to share I’ll be teaching a course this summer on writing, resilience and healing.  Here’s the detail.

It’s a four-week in-person offering i...

A Greeting Times Three

Sun, moon and stars…

A pink stripe in the eastern sky while Venus twinkled heavenward

The half-moon said both good day and goodbye

And descended into the western horizon…tucking itself in for the day

A greeting times three…

I like it.

This was a fleeting experience this morning. January is making itself known with a forecast of snow, rain, ice. All the precipitation players are on deck. 

But for a few moments this morning, pink hues ruled. 

The image is not ...

Peek Inside: “Surviving Sue” – Speakers Bureau

Two years ago, I’d just finished my experiment.  My writing experiment.  My audacious and scary commitment to write 500 -1000 words a day as the story about my mom, Sue, poured out of me.  What began on October 1, 2021 as a lark, a project about writing for resilience and healing, turned into a book.  Nearly 99,000 words by the time January 3, 2022 rolled around.  (Shout out, once again, to my dear friend Linda who nudged me every step of the way.  Reading and reading and reminding me of...

When You Crack Yourself Up: Shake & Bake

Our kitchen remodel was close to a yearlong process, and I can’t believe – looking back to a year ago at this time – I was staring down the removal of our oven as we ‘roughed it’ with a makeshift kitchen (mostly in the basement and in our laundry room) for months and months.  It’s a testament to my dear friend Jen and her amazing team that we can look back on that time period without any major heartaches or hard feelings.  Jen and company were great – especially as we stretched the process o...