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
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.)
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.
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.
***
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!
***
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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Thank you for doing this work and sharing it. It’s a great public service and you are now seen as friends by all your readers
ReplyDeleteDear Sister Mavens of Mayhem, as one of your readers, I thank you. You make me laugh, cry , reflect on life and my surroundings. And even on occasion give me goose bumps. Keep those wonderful thoughts coming. ❤️
ReplyDeleteYour blogs today have touched my heart. I too have experienced a sense of connectedness and camaraderie when reading all of your blogs. Thanks to each of you! You have also sparked new ways of thinking!
ReplyDeleteKeep writing Mavens of Mayhem. We your readers are waiting for you to make us think, laugh, cry, and feel connected. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks to all of you, and to each of you, for sharing yourselves with us. As usual, your reflections do not disappoint. The past four years seem to have flown by.
ReplyDelete5 Women Mayhem has afforded me a meaningful way to appreciate the power of connectedness through the written word. I have laughed, cried and found peace in this crazy and often frightening world because of all of you. Thank you.As an aside one if the the bright spots of my summer was meeting Marilyn Moore. Marilyn, you are everything I thought you would be and more!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your wisdom, humor, political insights, and your personal journeys. I look forward to your blogs! I learn and am inspired and entertained. Sisters!
ReplyDeleteThanks to each of you for doing the work and for showing up each week. I look forward to every post! This project is a generous act of love!
ReplyDeleteAlways look forward to reading your blog. To the very important things we must think about and act on, to the memories that we can relate to and even cry over, to the ones that make us just smile or laugh out loud. Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to each and every entry. Thanks for always being honest and sharing!
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful for the gift of your writings. They often make me ponder anew (or in a new way) some of what we experience but often don't take the time to think about more intentionally. Be encouraged to continue to put Mayhem out there!
ReplyDeleteThese are WONDERFUL! I am honored to read them! ❤️
ReplyDeleteI remember it almost like it was yesterday, after reading something one of you wrote I shared a comment that maybe I should gather a group of men and do something similar. Some of you encouraged me to, so I did and today people read "The View from 8 Angles" blogs by men I've come to know in Lincoln. https://medium.com/8angles Thanks to you, 5 women, who have risen above today's mayhem and shown the way to 8 men.
ReplyDelete