An Artemis April

The Definition of Strength, The Moon and Four Extraordinary Astronauts, and a Question about Trash

My collection of hearts. I refer to this collection in my “Strong AF” blog post.

Friends, it’s been an April of sunshine and thunder storms. Literally and figuratively. The world is a lot. Sometimes it can feel like the words I have to share don’t matter in the big picture of it all. But then I’ll read someone else’s words. And I’ll find comfort, or gain a new insight, or laugh for a moment. And I am reminded that our words do matter. Our writing does matter. Our reading does matter.

In case you missed them, I’m including links to my last two blog posts:

April 8th: Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old

April 15th: Strong AF

Writing Prompt:

For this post, I returned to Rupi Kaur’s Writing Prompts for our prompt. I hope you find the prompts useful. I use them as a starting point. I set my timer for five minutes, and I just write - and almost always by hand, I very rarely use my computer for my five- minute writing exercises. Remember, the prompt is just a place to start, a way to get the pen moving without overthinking things. Sometimes my writing stays on topic. Sometimes what comes out is nothing I could have predicted. You never know until you write. And, at the end of the five minutes, if you found you wrote gibberish, remember it was only five minutes.

“How will you show up for yourself today?”

Something I’m Wondering About:

My last Substack’s Wondering (about coffee tables) generated some conversation. (You may not see it here in the comments, but I did receive emails from a few readers about it!)

This time my question is — What’s the difference between trash and litter? It’s a complicated question, I think, because these two words can be used as nouns and verbs. But I’m wondering about these words as nouns, things we throw away. Is there a difference between trash and litter? Do you tend to use one word more than the other? Why is that?

Wendy Stamp of Approval:

I loved getting caught up in the Artemis II mission to the moon! (For most of my childhood, I dreamed of becoming an astronaut.) There are so many posts, and so much has been shared already. But, this video (about 16 minutes long) really moved me. The love these astronauts share — for their career, for each other, for our planet — I get teary-eyed each time I hear these four extraordinary individuals speak. And if you haven’t yet watched this, I hope you’ll take the time to view it. It has stayed with me long after the video concluded.

This Date in History:

Author, comedian, actress, and producer Ali Wong was born on April 19th. In 2024, Ms. Wong became the first Asian woman to win an Emmy for a Lead Role, earning the Emmy for Best Actress in a Limited Series. Her book, Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, & Advice for Living Your Best Life is still on my want-to-read list. Have you read it?

Actor Hayden Christensen, best known in our family for portraying Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels, also was born on April 19th.

Until Next Time —

I hope you grant yourself the time to step outside, look up, and just watch the sky in wonderment.

Reminder: My next blog post publishes on Wednesday, April 22nd. If you haven’t already, please visit my website to sign up. You can expect my next Substack to arrive in your inbox on Sunday, May 3rd.