February 2021: Rabbit Holes
The Commitment: Pick something you're excited about. Explore it. Become obsessed. Dive in head first, and when you climb the long ladder leading you back to the the real world, each rung dragging you out of your revelry, don't expect to be the same.
(If you participate in the monthly challenges, tell us your revelations here.)
The Reason:
Rabbit Holes are important for creative, intellectual, and everyday excitement. Rabbit holes make you pop up in the morning and stay up late drinking wine or coffee, or eating ice cream or olives. Couldn't sleeping in and going to bed before midnight just be signs that you're not excited about something at the moment? There is no better feeling than finding something you are interested in and diving head first into the depths and roots it, or stumbling upon someone you admire and flashing back into that person's life, immersing yourself as truly as you can.
Find that rabbit hole. Someone or something you need to go deeper into. Maybe you've read all their books, but you don't know their life. Dive deeper. Listen to what they listen too. Learn about their life, their death. Pick up their habits. Watch their interviews, read their books and quotes, study their art, engross yourself in their life's goals, passions and shortcomings. Do it as they did it.
And tell us who or what you choose!
"I've been obsessed with Joan Didion for years. Ever since I read Year of Magical Thinking and Blue Nights and Play it as it Lays. I read them in very influential times in my life. I read Year of Magical Thinking right before my brother died and Blue Nights pretty much right after. For anyone who's read them both will know how weird and mismanaged that was. On the plane home to meet my family after learning of my brother's death I gave away my marked up and dog-eared copy of Year of Magical Thinking to the woman sitting next to me on the flight. I was a few Bloody Marys in and had switched entirely to vodkas by the time she told me that her husband had died on that day, one year before. When she asked if I'd ever lost someone close to me, I had to respond, 'My brother died this morning.' She promised she'd mail the book back to me, but we all know how that goes. I can't remember at all how her [Didion's] name originally fell in front of me, but pretty much since I became aware of her, I've trusted her.
I know as much about her life as her other readers, on the surface a lot, in reality probably not much. She tells things as they are and how she feels them, but she's never weepie, never complaining. I always wondered how much she cried while writing those books.
In the height of her social life the time period was rife with culture and excitement and although I get the feeling she was not entirely in the thick of it all, it seems she was dancing along the sidelines, dipping her toe in and out, taking sips as she pleased. That's another time of her life I want to explore.
I haven't watched her documentary yet. I haven't read many of her essays. Can't wait to start."
- Bel Esprit Editor, Emily Menges
If you participate in this month's challenge, write in and tell us how it's going or how it went!
For the Next 1,000 Days, Janury 2021, Post-Experiment Thoughts:
Will continue as best I can. Honestly, I still don't think I fully understand nor appreciate the art of the short story. I guess, like most things, it takes more than 30 days. I liked most of the stories I read, but not enough to really figure out why everyone harps on about their importance...I guess I'll have to keep at it.
Where there any short stories you loved? Comment below.