Day 30 of 30: A Day in the Life of My Dreams
Hollye Jacobs on speaking things into existence
Hi friend,
We’ve made it to Day 30 in our month of journaling!
Whether you’ve been writing diligently each morning or using the prompts as food for thought—or completely ignoring our very official declaration of April as the month of journaling—it’s a moment to celebrate. We’ve survived more than a year of this pandemic, and I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to glimpse a return to normalcy (or as I now call it “normalcy”). I hope that revisiting these prompts has been fruitful and generative, helping you think back on what you’ve already endured, helping you prepare for what comes next.
Just yesterday, I got an email from a member of our community named Thea that moved me so much. She wrote in to say that this April challenge helped her begin her daily writing practice again after a year of grief, and that yesterday’s prompt “Forks in the Road” felt perfectly timed, as she had just stood up to a bullying boss and lost her job. It was like the universe sent a little message confirming that she’d done the right thing, and that this was just one of those forks in the road.
The last thing Thea expressed was amazement and gratitude at being connected to one another. I share that feeling. I can’t imagine the last 13 months without this community—without knowing that we’ve all been enduring this huge interruption together, trying to process our joy and our grief. I speak for the whole Isolation Journals team when I say, we treasure and are so grateful for you.
To close out this month, we’re resharing my all-time favorite prompt. It’s from my dear friend Hollye Jacobs, and it’s called “A Day in the Life of My Dreams.” I found this prompt incredibly challenging at first. Ever since I got sick, the future has felt daunting. After the ceiling caves in on you, you never assume structural stability—you learn to live on fault lines. The act of imagining a future life, especially one of your dreams, can feel daring, even dangerous—because it requires hope. Since the pandemic hit, we’ve been living with uncertainty, unable to make plans, reluctant to dream about the future. But there’s power in articulating our dreams, in speaking them into existence.
One last thing—or really, two: some housekeeping notes. After a month of sending you emails three times a week, we’re going to give us both a break and take this Sunday off. We’ll resume our weekly prompts the following Sunday. The other thing is that we have two amazing offerings for paid subscribers coming up. On Saturday, May 8, we’ll be meeting at the Hatch, our virtual writing hour. Then on Sunday, May 23, I’ll be in conversation with my brilliant friend Melissa Febos in a Studio Visit.
I’ll be hosting both from my writing shack, and I can’t wait to see everyone’s faces.
Sending love,
Suleika
A Day in the Life of My Dreams by Hollye Jacobs
A few years ago, I was professionally betwixt and between.
I was ready for a new chapter but found myself rudderless, not knowing which way to turn or how to proceed. I felt wobbly and uncomfortable in the unknowing. Throughout my life, I had always felt a magnetic pull to particular lines of work, from my time at Ralph Lauren to hospice nursing and grief counseling to writing a book about my cancer journey. Finding meaning in my work life had always come quite naturally, but suddenly the natural pull was gone.
In its absence, my rigamarole was to dive into bottomless despair. This involved self-criticism on a good day and feelings of worthlessness on a normal day. I had fully subscribed to this culture’s edict that in order to be worthy, I had to produce, earn money, accumulate accolades, and jump through all the hoops. Living in this state created a vicious cycle that was wholly exhausting. I realized I had to put a plug in the current of this energy suck.
I did this through an exercise that I call “A Day in the Life of My Dreams.” Every morning, I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat down with my journal to write. I turned off my thinking brain and opened the door for my dreams to emerge.
From the time I started writing “A Day in the Life of My Dreams,” my perspective brightened and my energy lightened. The stuckness that I felt evaporated. To my utter surprise and delight, I found that I began to have the exact experiences that just so happened to be in my dream life.
Your prompt for today:
Imagine yourself at some point in the future—maybe a year from now, maybe five, maybe ten—living the life of your dreams. This is a normal day, not a holiday or a special day; rather, it is a typical and perfect everyday. What do you see? What do you feel? What do you hear? What do you taste? Who is there with you in your dream day? Describe the day in present tense, from the moment you wake up to the moment that you go to sleep. Creation begins with imagination.
Today's Contributor
Hollye Jacobs, RN, MS, MSW is a Resilience Coach in private practice. She’s the New York Times-bestselling author of The Silver Lining: A Supportive and Insightful Guide to Breast Cancer. She can be reached at hollye@thesilverpen.com or on Instagram and Twitter @hollyejacobs.