The creative writing activity is a brilliantly enjoyable activity! Thank you. I couldn't decide on which prompt to choose. I have always found solace in storytelling. When I crafted the piece 'The Jacket,' it was a way for me to share my own emotional and familial bonds, and the urge to connect. I explored themes of intuition, empathy, silent relationships, and the struggles that often go unnoticed during the process of individuation and identity creation.

We all have a story, yet we often overlook the beauty in the mundane and I enjoy engaging the narrator in my mind to bring a simple interaction to life.

In some ways, this creative activity was a great outlet for me to pursue. It allowed me to explore creative outlet that I haven't really explored yet (due to the chaotic life that I currently live). My poetic piece was a way to connect my fascination about nature and its weird adaptation that it can overcome to live anywhere. I am getting into foraging, and have recently learned Queen Anne's Lace as an endemic species to NE America. They are wild descendants of domesticated carrots, and have stronger flavors of carrots than commercial carrots! I wanted to write a piece (or an ode) to its unimpressiveness. It grows practically ANYWHERE and it baffles me that we have chosen to domesticate this plant. In a way, it is a creative piece to explore a humble plant transformed into what it is today, but reminding back to its roots.

This is exactly how I would describe my experience while writing the short narrative and also immediately afterward in reflecting on how that felt for me emotionally and physically. I think in looking at what I wrote I surfaced how I often see myself moving through the world and was grateful to find that I can offer myself some grace and compassion both subconsciously and explicitly. I've read it over a few Times Now and it continues to make me emotional because it reminds me of how harshly critical I can be of myself and that can sometimes lead me to feeling isolated or as if I don't deserve support. I didn't think I could surface so much emotion by simply writing a few paragraphs from the perspective of my favorite purse. I want to give her, and myself, a giant hug. Hunt also notes that these types of exercises can produce,

“greater cognitive flexibility in students’ personal and professional lives.” I couldn't agree more with this as I am now wondering more deeply how I perceive myself in this world on a personal and professional level, and what I might not be considering from others perspectives. I feel as if I've been pushed to take a 360 review of myself and be multidimensional and recognizing my resiliency.