Reflections on Milestones Reached

Since we began 5 Women Mayhem in February 2020, some of us have now written 50 blogs.  Some of us have written less, some more.  But we thought this summer was a perfect time to pause and reflect on the curiosity and mayhem of writing our blog.

By Mary Kay Roth

It all started with my dad’s old gray t-shirt. That’s the very first blog we posted for 5 Women Mayhem more than four years ago. It was about how I had stashed one of my dad’s old shirts, way back in a dresser drawer. And I can still remember how the process of writing that blog actually quieted the grief of losing him.

Since then, I’ve written about planting pansies and enduring pandemics. Surviving 50-year high school reunions and surviving cancer. Losing beloved dogs and finding my parents’ lost love letters. 

Surprises have happened along the way.

Perhaps best of all, our five bloggers have become a close family, supporting one another through blogs that made us cry – blogs that didn’t quite work (oops) – blogs that felt a little too dangerous to post (and we did anyway). 

Perhaps, just as surprising, our readers have joined the mayhem, gathering around us in a way that continues to flabbergast me every single week.

Now, whenever I’m introduced to someone new, they’re very likely to say something like, “Hey, you’re one of those Women of Mayhem.”

I can’t think of anything I’d rather be.  

(And, by the way, my dad’s t-shirt is still in the back of my drawer. And the smell of it still makes me cry.)

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Why I Write 

By Mary Reiman

When I realized this month was my 50th post for 5 Women Mayhem, it gave me pause. I’ve always been well aware of why I read. I have never considered myself a writer, so had not thought about why I write. Not until this group was formed.

What have I experienced since saying yes when invited to the Mayhem? The gamut of emotions:

•       Honored to have been invited to be part of the Mayhem.
•       Amazed by the power of the written word.
•       Surprised how quickly 5 weeks fly by.
•       Anxious when nothing bubbles up as a possible topic.
•       Continually learning how to frame and focus a story. 
•       Fear the blog won’t come together coherently.
•       Relief when posted.
•       Joy when readers comment with their own reflections and connections.
•       Grateful when someone finds it worthy of sharing.
•       Finding my voice = finding myself.
•       Forever thankful for the friendships created and enhanced from this endeavor.
•       And most importantly, great appreciation to you, our readers.

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On Being a Blogger

By Marilyn Moore 

It’s happened several times….I meet someone, and they say something like, “Oh, I know you.  You’re one of those mayhem writers.  I read your blogs all the time.”  And I’m stunned.  How did they find us?  Why do they read us?  A friend’s mom, visiting Lincoln from Scottsbluff, tells me she reads us every week, and her friends do, too, and they’ll be really interested to know if what I’m like in person is what I’m like on paper.  (I’m interested in that, too….) Another friend has a friend in Indiana who can’t wait to hear what I have to say about the latest political outrage (and I can’t wait to write about it.)

For most of my professional career, I wrote a message to my colleagues every Monday morning, naming it “Musings” in my LPS position and “Connections” while I was at Bryan College of Health Sciences.  I tried to share relevant information, encourage and inspire and focus on mission, occasionally entertain with amusing observations of life in a classroom, comfort and console in the hardest of times, and once in a while, when I just couldn’t help it, comment on the political happenings of the day.  I thought writing the blog would be similar, except only every five weeks, instead of weekly.

But it’s not the same.  We can, and do, write on anything…if there’s an off-limits topic, I haven’t found it, yet.  It has been wondrously freeing knowing that my writing represents only myself, not an institution, and I can opine on topics and issues and political officeholders without fear of harming either the school district or the college.  I can write of matters spiritual, patriotic, academic, and personal…and I learn something about myself every single time I write.  While at LPS and Bryan College, I was writing to a specific audience, my colleagues, the audience of 5 Women Mayhem is unknown.  It always feels a bit like stepping into an unknown space when I press “publish,” not knowing who in the great world wide web will chance upon these words and read them.

I have often said that I write to figure out what I think, and this blog, in this time of mayhem, has sharpened my thinking, broadened my reading, enhanced my vocabulary, and connected me in ways I don’t yet know to people I have not yet met.  I’m grateful to my fellow bloggers in mayhem for the journey we share, and I’m most thankful to our readers who make us a part of their online lives.

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Seeking Flow and Mastery Amidst the Mayhem

By Penny Costello

I can’t say I consider myself a blogger. I’m more of a sporadic contributor to this blog. Sometimes I feel like I am the Mayhem in 5 Women Mayhem. I was thrilled and honored to be invited to participate in this group of esteemed journalists, educators, and communicators when we embarked upon this journey four years ago. It’s a true pleasure to be able to read their posts, share in their process, and be nourished by the heart, humor, knowledge, perspective, and passion that my Sister Mavens of Mayhem, as I like to call them, each bring to the table and the screen.

For me, this process continues to be a sometimes-arduous exercise in finding the flow from my brain, through my hands, and onto the keyboard. I can carry an idea around in my head for months, and when I eventually accomplish turning that idea into a written piece, I’m generally pleased with the result. I tend to gravitate toward stories about nature, personal reflections, or stories about my dogs and grandkids. And having had this opportunity to reflect and share about my journey of recovery from traumatic brain injury and its impact on my life, my career, and content creation process has been a very important part of my healing path. So, Dear Readers, thank you for going on that journey with me, and for your kind responses and comments.

The healing journey continues. And while I get frustrated when I hit that impasse point between my brain and my hands, I need to be as supportive and accepting of myself as my Sister Mavens are. I am determined to better understand and redefine that creative process. I’m inviting myself to continue to forge a new pathway, to access that flow and the joy that comes with being in it, and to strive for mastery and consistency in my writing endeavors.

It's all about connection, isn’t it? Connection brings a sense of shared experience, synchronicity, and belonging. That’s the spice of life, as far as I’m concerned. And I’m grateful every day for this group of amazing women with whom I have the pleasure of navigating through the mayhem, and for you, Dear Readers, for your interest, support, and feedback. Thank you!

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Seeking Balance, Wending Through Life Together

By JoAnne Young 

We started this blog about the same time as Covid began to flash around the world. Major mayhem. Since then, the five of us have connected with you all more than 200 times. One of the greatest benefits is that many of you have connected back with us, nearly 1,100 times with comments, showing us that you, too, have known love and loss and secrets of the heart. You, too, are seeking balance in a world that wants to pull us too far this way or that way and knock us off our feet.  

You’ve had the same frustrations we’ve had with our public servants, who don’t seem to remember they are in office to serve the best interests of all of us. We know that some of you have shared your own thoughts with our elected officials. Thank you. 

I read over some of my 50 or so blogs this week and remembered how therapeutic it was to write them. Each one of them provided counsel to me as I wrote them, and again as I reread them. 

One of those, “Words to the Wise Women,” written in April, included advice from journalist and author Ben Montgomery on cloistering. I think of it often. 

Find a sect, a fortress, a coven of those who are like-minded with whom to dwell in the dark times, he said. “Find your people and take care of them. Stick with them. Genuinely love them. Learn from them. Write them letters. Swap stories on barstools. ... Nurture and sharpen one another. Do not be exclusive. Others will come in search of what you have found. Invite them in. Cheer them on.”  

Thank you for cloistering with us. We feel you. You are our community in this mayhem and we need each other. 

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