Blogs, Poetry Outlet

I’m Thankful For…

By Nova Janes

A Blog by Nova Janes

I want to have an open avenue for discussion of some important issues that have been a huge part of my life and personal struggle to just, well, survive.  Sometimes I feel so alone, so afraid, so inadequate.  Sometimes these struggles just need to have a voice.  The purpose of this blog is to show that there are tools, like poetry, and ways that we can address significant issues.  Over the next few months, I will talk about anxiety and depression, addiction, identity and other things I care about as well as some lighter topics like love and life and what happened under the bleachers. This isn’t just to provide comfort like a shared misery but to provide a space to write together, breathe together, to know that you are not alone—not today.  Because I am thinking of you.

This blog is a space for my poems as well as other poets, local if possible. Each week we will explore a different facet of everyday life.

These Moments

Take so many
Pictures, Fix them
To your memory
With Glue and broken
Flashes. Catch them,
In my secret glances
As they twirl and twist
And quickly pass us
Growing gardens
of these moments
I dare to keep with you.
I know I’m late on the thanksgiving posts but it’s never too late to be grateful for what you have.  It’s important to take time, every day, even if it’s just a few minutes, to reflect on what the week has given you.  This last week has given me time with the in-laws and a chance to get to know my new family better. It has given me extra shifts at work greatly needed to make rent. It has shown me my wonderful husband working hard so that I could take the weekend off – a beyond rare occurrence because of work, more work, and school. It has brought me to the mountains with my best friend and a chance to marvel at the wilderness in our backyards.  It has brought me peace and time for inner silence and, most importantly, has renewed my fire. Today I feel that glow from knowing that I can do anything.

About the author:

Nova Janes is pursuing a degree in English teaching at the University of Utah.  Her love of poetry and writing and a passion for the importance of reading inspired her to reach out to others through discussions of subjects that often get looked over—though the importance of these issues is real.  Struggling with anxiety and depression for most of her life, overcoming drug abuse, and finding a way to balance the real world drives Nova’s desire to inspire others.

This article was originally published on December 15, 2016.