Flourish Anyway® Today: When the World Is A Lot
I shared this on Instagram a few weeks ago, and I needed to return to it today:
Much love to the creative souls who feel deeply but refuse to be sidelined or 100% undone by the chaos and evil and devastation
but who also know they need to tweak how they inhabit their days in order to continue doing their work and making their art
while honoring their capacity and caring for their bodies, minds, and souls
and figuring out how to flourish anyway.
*
I am working hard and resting hard and taking more time than usual in between each thing because, as you know, the world is a lot right now.
I have so much goodness in my life
and my heart continues to break for the hard stuff all around me, all around us.
More than one thing can be real and true at the same time
and I know I’m not suffering from the bad parts like so many people are.
But I still feel and carry the weight of this world within me
and I have to put more time and spaciousness in between all of the things because we can only handle so much at a time.
(And if I owe you something I apologize for the delay.)
Also I just need to add how much I enjoyed preparing our home for the poetry salon on April 30 and how I’m super thankful for this space and how we can welcome others and practice hospitality and host gatherings that give us all a boost of connection and community.
May we all give and receive boosts of connection and community.
Much love to the creative souls. May we flourish anyway today and all days.
💚Charlotte
P.S.
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Charlotte Donlon is a writer, spiritual director, and gatherer whose work centers on helping people explore themes of belonging, artful encoutners, spiritual growth, and how to Flourish Anyway®, even when life is full, busy, or chaotic. Her work has woven together themes of belonging, art, and soul exploration for more than 25 years. With a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing (2015-2018) and a certificate in spiritual direction (2018-2020), Charlotte guides writers and other creative souls in developing sanctuaries of acceptance and connection.
A Christian in the Episcopal church who believes the tenets of the Nicene Creed, Charlotte employs a universal framework of belonging and connection in her spiritual direction work. She fosters meaningful, soulful conversations and gatherings that are welcoming to all—regardless of faith tradition or spiritual inclinations.
In 2020, Broadleaf Books published Charlotte's first book, The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other.Spiritual Direction for Writers: Everyday Rituals for Your Writing Life is slated for release by Here Below Books in September 2026. Three volumes of Charlotte's "Guidebooks for the Soul"—Take More Retreats, The Great Belonging Project, and Belonging Through Art—will also be published in 2026.
As the founder of several initiatives, Charlotte has established herself as a thought leader and an authentic presence at the intersection of creativity and spirituality. Her essays have been featured in publications such as The Washington Post, The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Catapult, and The Millions, among others. A new essay about art conservation, Joan Mitchell, and mystery is forthcoming with Image journal.
For those interested in staying updated on Charlotte's latest work, news, and insights, subscribe here.
Flourish Anyway® is Charlotte’s online hub for all of her writing, spiritual direction, small press, gatherings, and other offerings.