Between earth and sky
Life from the maples: mindful journal prompts, gentle read recos, birdsong—and stories that take flight
Before there’s any sign of green. Before the maples and oaks push out their first buds and the squirrels jerk around like their tails are on fire, I imagine the roots under my feet broadening, expanding.
This morning I play a game of hopscotch to get down from my treehouse to the parking lot. Ice lingers on the steps, grey-white as mist after a rain.
My fingers like roots wind around branches and slender tree trunks along the path as though I’m spring avoiding the stiff snow and ice—leftover from a long winter—at the edges of the steps. Hands hug the rough bark of the maples, and I wonder who will win? This tactile conversation—fingers winding around branches, palms pressing into bark—becomes a kind of mudra. In Hindu and Buddhist traditions, mudras are hand gestures believed to channel energy, rooting the practitioner in the earth and cosmos. Cognitive scientists, too, argue that our hands are not just tools but extensions of our minds, shaping how we perceive and interact with the world around us.
I think of how Mary Oliver describes her experience dipping her hands into the pond in her poem At Blackwater Pond.
At Blackwater Pond the tossed waters have
settled
after a night of rain.
I dip my cupped hands. I drink
a long time. It tastes
like stone, leaves, fire. It falls cold
into my body, waking the bones. I hear them
deep inside me, whispering
oh what is that beautiful thing
that just happened?
It reminds me that even in the crusty, grey remnants of winter and in those lingering patches of ice, there’s always something waking—that beautiful thing.
So maybe the real contest isn’t spring against winter, but holding both as we allow, our fingers—and our hearts—to explore the becoming between earth and sky.
📝 Mindful writing exercise
Each time I write to you, I offer a mindful journal prompt—a gentle invitation to pause, breathe, and check in with yourself through writing. These prompts are not about perfect sentences or deep reflection (unless you want them to be). Instead, they’re a self-care pause—a moment to meet yourself on the page with curiosity and kindness.
Gather your notebook (or a piece of paper) and a pen. Find a comfortable place on a sofa, a chair at your desk, or on a cushion on the floor. Take a few moments to sense the inflow and outflow of breath. Allow your awareness to follow the breath as it expands your lungs and abdomen and exits through your nose. With each breath begin to let go a bit more.
This week’s prompt:
Using your fingers to create or explore textures can anchor you in the present moment, similar to mindfulness meditation. Take five minutes to explore a texture. It could be a plant in your home, a comfortable wool sweater, or the fur back or belly of your dog or cat. Lightly close your eyes and feel into what your fingers are telling you. What do you notice? How does this exercise influence your breath? Your heart?
🌿 Soundtrack for slowing down
For a bit of atmosphere while you read or write, here’s a spring soundscape from redwinged blackbirds by the river to accompany you:
🥣 Food to nourish you
I’m doing a spring fast and have noticed that most teas are wonderful cold—even in winter. I’ve been experimenting with fruit, jasmine, calming (camomile, lemongrass) and rooibos teas and have not only upped my water consumption but am enjoying my fast to boot.
Refreshing cold tea
4 cups water
2 to 3 teabags or 3-5 pinches of looseleaf tea depending on tea strength.
1 to 2 tsps stevia or other sweetener of your choice (optional)
Ice cubes (optional)
Bring water to a boil, then pour over the tea bags or looseleaf in a heatproof pitcher. Let steep for 5-10 minutes, depending on how strong you like your tea.
Remove the tea and stir in stevia while the tea is still warm. Taste and adjust sweetness as needed.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or overnight). I store my teas in mason jars in the fridge.
Pour over ice if desired, and enjoy throughout the day!
✍️ Novel-writing course
Great news! I have another novel-writing course coming up this May. The course combines online learning with group work and one-on-one mentoring. Do you have a story living inside you that you haven’t written yet? This course will guide you through writing with clarity, depth, and curiosity. You’ll come away with a real outline and the confidence to bring your novel to life.
Add yourself to my waitlist below. Receive $50 off once early registration starts. Will announce on my website and in my newsletter.
I took three of Lissa’s online novel writing courses as part of the Creative Writing Certificate at the University of Calgary, and she was instrumental in helping me find my voice as a writer. Through her insightful feedback and encouragement, she highlighted my strengths, pushed me to take risks, and gave me the confidence to grow. Thanks in no small part to her teaching, I went on to complete an MFA in Fiction, publish work in literary magazines, and receive provincial recognition for my writing.
—Antoinette Bekker, Psychiatrist, Writer (MFA)
Lissa Cowan is a beacon of excellence for writers. I am now a more effective writer with a completed non-fiction manuscript. Lissa helped me refine my ideas without supplanting them with her own. She helped me accurately communicate my message—in my own voice. By asking probing questions to enrich my text and by providing organizational suggestions to enhance my readers’ engagement, Lissa’s expertise helped me “cut the fat.” The result is a clear, and I believe more compelling read.
—Kim West, Instructor, Writer, Playwright, Marketing Manager, Fashion Consultant and Community Organizer
Thank you for being here. Take what you need, leave the rest, and know that your words—even the messy, unfinished ones—matter.
Yours in Ink & Earth,
Lissa M. Cowan
Find more mindful writing resources at: lissamcowan.com
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I am grateful to live + work on the unsurrendered traditional lands of the Algonquin people.