Discover more from The Feelings Union with Lisa M. O'Neill
This is a container, a place to think about and explore what it means to be a human navigating big feelings in a big, uncertain world. Thanks for joining!
Three things are the impetus for this newsletter now:
I have always been a very sensitive person. When I was a child, I didn’t realize how I was different but I knew I was different. Without understanding what was happening, I felt things deeply: my own emotions, sure, but also the emotions of others. I was an attuned observer and I read the body language of those around me; I internalized the news stories I overheard about war and violence and suffering; I felt the joy but also the pain of others so deeply and I often didn’t know what to do with that. I turned to writing at a young age and I honestly think it saved me. Beyond being enthralled with stories and struck in awe by the written word and what it could do, I found that when I wrote things down, it did something inside me. It reorganized me on a cellular level. It allowed me to make sense of all the shards I saw around me and organize them into something that meant something to me, something that felt whole and holy.
I miss having a regular place to share writing. For a long time, I ran my literary blog The Dictionary Project, and I loved having that space for ongoing meditations and writing in different forms. Over the last several years, as I have worked on longer projects and placed shorter pieces for publication, I have missed being able to share work in real time. So thank you for signing up and being part of this experiment with me.
We have been through an incredible, world-altering three years together. None of our bodies, hearts, or psyches are the same. I am deeply curious about the state of our selves, about how we give voice to the complicated layers of our emotional experiences, and about how we connect with one another in order to learn, heal, and grow. I see this newsletter as part of that conversation. I hope you’ll let me know what you think as we go.
Thanks so much for joining me at The Feelings Union. I’m really looking forward to the unfolding!
kind thoughts,
Lisa
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