A birthday wish

I called five places “home” during college, and the most memorable one was an old elementary school. It was built in the early 1900s, and after decades of educating the children of Laramie, Wyoming, the elementary school moved into a modern space. A developer bought the old building, put up walls, changed little else, and started charging rent. (The guys across the hall still had a basketball hoop and gym flooring!)

Practically everything fell apart the moment my roommates and I moved in: the refrigerator door wouldn’t close properly, the bathroom light went out (we used a desk lamp for weeks), the toilet ran, and one of the rooms lacked blinds to close out the bright parking lot light at night. But we had chalkboards, and as we stepped into a season that we knew would be trying, I immediately sketched out “The Good Wall.”

The Good Wall was my attempt at naming the good in an overwhelmingly stressful, vague, and challenging season. I shared a room with a close friend but whenever I pulled out my trundle bed for the evening, we only had a foot of floor space left. The walls were paper thin and the city was shuttered with pandemic protocol. The Good Wall was essential to helping us finding joy, hope, and encouragement together.

For the most part, it worked.

We filled in the chalkboards each week with little moments we were thankful for. Seeing beauty, laughter, and God’s provision sketched across the walls that year was one of the only things that kept me going.

Letters from Grandma.

Yoga class.

Getting Aisha a library card.

Hablé español y bebé té con mi amiga.

A working bathroom light.

Singing my favorite song at church.

Cross country skiing to visit friends.

The Persian poet Hafiz wrote that “the words we speak become the house we live in.” More recently, John Acuff wrote a brilliant book about how the messages (“soundtracks”) we articulate and internalize shape SO much of who we are and how we grow. “What soundtrack are you playing right now?” is a common question in my household.

That year, I knew I needed a good soundtrack, so The Good Wall was born. I’ve also kept a “joy jar” by my bed for six years now, and every January I read through my favorite moments of the last year.

The stories we read, the stories we share, the stories we tell ourselves and others…these all matter so much. That’s why I love reading, good conversations, studying the Bible, and writing creative nonfiction. That’s why I believe that the words we surround ourselves with matter deeply.

This last year was mostly characterized by the word “new.” Marriage and moving tipped a few dominoes…New state. New house. New last name. New job. Layoff. New commitment to growing my Wordsmith writing and editing business. New church. New friends.

New new new.

On Friday I will celebrate a birthday, and in closing, I wanted to share a few words that I’m hoping will shape this next year:

Steadfast, rhythms, belonging, faithful, hopeful, brave, courageously young.

I’d love to hear what’s been on your Good Wall or Joy Jar this week and what words you’re hoping to shape this year.

Please hit reply and share a bit with me—let’s sow, grow, and tend the good.

Cheers from your wordy friend,

Emily M

P.S. I would highly recommend reading John Acuff’s book, Soundtracks. If you want a fun podcast that will cheer up a car ride and set you on a trajectory to avoid overthinking and form healthy habits, here’s one of my favorite interviews.