I told you guys I was chicken shit.
So of course I chose the least dangerous PEW (acronym for “purge emotional writing”) path and wrote all my negative emotions out on a word document and then when the 12 minutes was up, I deleted it. For 5 days, though not in a row. Read further to learn why.
This exercise made me feel emotionally lighter. Though in between PEW sessions I thought about all the things I was angry or sad about, the things and people that piss me off and why, so I would have an idea of what I was going to write about. Not sure if that was a good thing or not. Maybe it just showed me that I tend to keep negative emotions buried deep inside me and they need coaxing. Or maybe it was because I knew I’d be filled with anxiety if I didn’t ponder those unpleasant thoughts and feelings ahead of time. Because then I might eat up half of my 12 minutes staring at a blank page.
Another take away is that unlike other things I have vowed to start and finish, I started and finished this one. I’ve always believed myself to be a very determined person, the kind who hitches themselves to an idea and follows it through to the bitter end. However, as I’ve gotten older, my follow through is lacking. So this exercise gave me a (albeit weird) sense of accomplishment.
I think this is a practice I’m going to come back to in the future. When I’m feeling irritable and negative. But instead I will employ the fire method. Perhaps when we’re camping and Hubs has made a fire. Maybe I won’t do it five days in a row. Maybe just once. Or two times in a row. Whatever feels right at the time, I suppose.
Now back to why I didn’t do my PEW exercise 5 days in a row.
On Day 4, Hubs and I had ourselves the Best. Time. Ever. Purging the emotions that had been disturbing my peace onto a computer screen just wasn’t a priority that day.
On that Saturday, we attended a concert at Red Rocks. We saw The Avett Brothers live. After almost two years of pining for the days when we experienced the joy of live music, we got to see one of my favorite bands play at the best venue of all.
It was spectacular. The temps were perfect, the views spectacular. The crowd was in good spirits and their was such a feeling of love in the air for not only the music, but humanity as well. We chatted with the folks on either side of us, talking about which Avett Brothers songs we were most looking forward to hearing and sharing other music-related recommendations. I am especially looking forward to watching the Avett Brothers documentary the strawberry blond millennial from Los Angeles gushed on about.
Here are some pics:
It doesn’t seem right to not include a bit of The Avett Brothers music with you all in this post, especially for those of you who are not familiar with them. Here’s the tune I was looking forward to hearing live the most:
Header image courtesy of ***https://tenor.com/search/angry-typing-gifs
Pollyanna's Path 
Red Rocks is the best venue! We saw Depeche Mode there in 1990 when we lived in Denver. And happy to know you’re feeling lighter!
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It sure is! Thanks for your comments 🙂
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What a spectacularly fun day you described!😀 Great song! I think I’d have trouble with the PEW assignment. My frustrations are often short-lived, because something awesome always happens to ruin a bad mood.
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Yes, I think that’s the point I was getting at. It really was the best concert I’ve been to. Thanks for your comments!
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Rhonda,
How fun! Pictures are amazing! Song was too! I always enjoy the music you pick. 😎 Glad to know this exercise is working well for you. Have you ever thought about handwriting your feelings? For some reason, there’s this brain, heart, hand connection that happens when I write longhand that just isn’t the same as when I type. Then rip up your pages. Shred those suckers into tiny little bits! Then clean up your mess and throw it away. Then it’s out of your life! Again, it’s a physical release that’s just freeing! Or burn them if that’s what you prefer! I hope that whatever and however you do this, you achieve the results you want! Mona
PS I miss your stopping by to say hello! I hope you visit again soon! Until then, stay cool, my friend! Mona
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Hey there, Mona! I actually have been going back to pen and paper over the last couple of months. I think it’s good for my writing just to do it differently sometimes-in a way, it’s more satisfying than just typing on my laptop. I have been reading your posts-but it never lets me comment, even if I go directly to your website. It’s so weird! Thanks for your comments, friend 🙂
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Rhonda,
I’ve been aggressive about overcoming whatever it is that WP has against me. In the last year (give or take), so many people have not been able to comment on my posts whenever they go through the WP Reader to reach my site. I now have a Comments Issue section listed at the bottom of every post. That’s allowed everyone who’s had problems commenting in the past a way to get around the situation (knock on wood!) and they are now able to comment. Just click on the link provided and it takes you back to my home page. Then click on the new post or any other post, and you will be able to comment again. I know it’s an added step, but there’s nothing else I can do about WP.
Otherwise, what’s the point of having a blog if it won’t let you interact with your blogger friends? I hope you try it out the next time you stop by. BTW, if you don’t see your post appear immediately, don’t worry. If it’s been several months since my blog post has received a comment from you, it’s going to make me manually okay you and, of course, I will. After that first approval, you should be able to comment to your heart’s content and my site will recognize you.
There was a time when I could tell who had visited my site even if they didn’t leave a comment, but those days appear to be long gone. Unless you say hello by commenting or hitting the “like” button (I’d prefer your interaction, you always make the dialogue so much better), I have no clue you’ve stopped by. Anyway, I’m glad you’re doing well and you’re back to blogging. I’ve sorely missed you, my friend and I hope you give Wayward Sparkles another chance. Mona
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Looks like an amazing night you had! I read about this PEW exercise on Crystal Byer’s blog and was so intrigued. I haven’t given it a try yet- truth be told, I feel a bit of trepidation about it. I tend to keep everything I write but I also want to be able to go back and revisit these emotions and reevaluate how far I’ve come but I absolutely see the power in spewing all the negatives and then letting it go by way of the delete button! Certainly if I ever try it, I will also surely document it 🙂
Great post! 🙂
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Aw, thank you so much! I tend to keep all of my writing too, so this felt a little strange to me, especially the first day.
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