#HaikuChallenge21 -- 500 Daily Haiku

It began on March 17, 2020 — as lockdowns started, fear over this new thing called “COVID” multiplied by the minute and I began writing a daily haiku as an antidote to what I was experiencing. Today marks 500 daily haiku and it’s time to reset, recalibrate and reflect. While I will not be writing a daily haiku (until January 2022 when I will write one each day for the month of January during my yearly #HaikuChallenge), you can be sure I will still share my observations, musings, and photos on my blog and on social media. To those who have followed along for the past 16+ months…thank you. I am grateful to you for companioning with me as we navigated and continue to navigate the strange pandemic world we are living in. Haiku has made me more mindful, more present, and more grateful for noticing the “ordinary” — that truly becomes the “extraordinary” when viewed with haiku eyes.

five hundred haiku

my pandemic poetry

time to say adieu

#HaikuChallenge21 -- New Year, New Challenge

January heralds a new beginning, a new year, filled with both reflections and expectations. For the past several years, I have challenged myself and others to start the year with a daily mindfulness practice — in the form of creating a haiku informed by something you have noticed or experienced during the day. I post my haiku to this blog, as well as to Twitter (@pamressler), Facebook (facebook.com/stressresources) and Instagram (@stressresources) using the hashtag #HaikuChallenge21 Haiku are micro-poems, said in one breath and steeped in observation. You may choose to follow the anglicized format of 5-7-5 (three lines, first line 5 syllables, second line 7 syllables, third line 5 syllables) or be more free form with your haiku.

During the ongoing pandemic, I challenged myself to dig a bit deeper in observation and have been creating a daily haiku ever since March 17. My daily haiku are simple, and are paired with a snapshot of something I noticed that day. If a whole month of daily haiku seems to ambitious why not try a day or two? As our worlds have shrunk, they can also expand as we notice and observe more deeply. Wishing you and yours a safe, healthy, and mindful new year…filled with observations and beauty.

IMG_6304.jpg

reflecting on the past

observing in the present

ready for next steps