11. Nourished – Marissa Mullen

To slow down, I tried many different “self-care” rituals, yet nothing seemed to help. My one saving grace, oddly enough, was making a cheese plate. 

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been passionate about two things: music and food. I discovered my love for music at a young age, and for my first job out of college, I began working as an assistant to Jon Batiste—whose prompt and Glorious Awkwardness you got to bask in just a few days ago. I loved spending hours in the rehearsal room, listening to Jon and his band mash up all sorts of genres, like a Bach prelude with a bebop rhythm. 

However, this was not just any ordinary job. From late-night television tapings to touring on the weekends, our schedule did not stop. I was constantly moving at a frenetic pace. To slow down, I tried many different “self-care” rituals, yet nothing seemed to help. My one saving grace, oddly enough, was making a cheese plate. 

It was something my friends and I had done in college, hosting wine and cheese parties—an overly eager first stab at “adulthood.” In the middle of my hectic work schedule, I went back to this: On my days off, I’d put on a soothing playlist in my sunny apartment and gather my supplies. I’d arrange blocks of cheddar, cut cucumbers and fold slices of salami into origami quarters. Working with my hands kept me off my phone. It allowed my mind to get quiet. It helped me reconnect with myself—even if it was just for that hour.

– Marissa Mullen

Prompt:

Reflect on a moment where you did something that left you feeling nourished and sated. Where hours passed, yet you didn’t even know it. When you were right where you needed to be. Maybe it’s a memory of spending time with a loved one, or a long discarded childhood activity—dancing, drawing, shooting hoops in the driveway. Maybe it’s a more recent hobby—kneading sourdough or, like me, making elaborate cheese plates. Write about this experience. Write about being nourished and what it means to you. Maybe like me, it’s making a cheese plate for my family and friends.Maybe doing these isolation journals is that inspiring activity for you. 

An activity that you don’t do with any expectation or any professional gain. Pointless activity that feels good. 

This could be something from a long conversation with a loved one, to painting a canvas. 

How does this memory make you feel? Are you able to incorporate that activity into your daily life today? How can you tap into this feeling more frequently?  

---

Dylan Brooks

Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia Canada
About: I'm a 27 y/o Canadian in practice; orbiting the planet of free form poetry/prose. What was once love letters is now a full-time creative writing passion, inspired mostly by self reflection and an outward connection to world around us. I have written nine poems prompted by The Isolation Journals project, and it's honestly THE closest I've felt to a community of artists. This has been a journey and the train won't stop here, so until it jumps the tracks, I'm grateful to Suleika and the Team for such a wonderful ride. Thank you!
Age: 27

whenever i need to hide or escape time –

i will most often wake up before sunrise.

when the world settles and softens into

a pocket of blissful silence –

everything new and so completely quiet.

i’m excited because this moment reminds

me of two things;

living by the farm and going fishing.

into a pair of old shoes my feet slide –

surgically stepping around the house so

i won’t catch an eye.

outside the morning dew beads off each

blade of grass –

i look upon the lake only to find glass.

with the tackle on my back i listen for a

sound or splash –

waiting for mother nature’s first move –

i always enjoy that.

into the flat open water it’s just me

and this boat;

rippling the surface of my cleared throat.

casting thoughts and catching reflections

embellishing ideas to everything wrote –

thinking of life and its general directions.

somewhere i can let out all the line –

you can have yours but i have mine. i

’ll reel myself in time after time

knowing that whatever happens –

i’ll be fine.