Unspooling the Hours
Dear Reader,
All I can think about lately is time. As thirty seven approaches it feels so close to forty which feels so close to midlife which feels so close to death. I know this is not true, that death comes when it desires and that I have plenty of time left. But the clock really seems to be ticking.
I have been finding new ways to plan and navigate my weeks, sometimes overfilling them leaving me wrung out. Sometimes leaving them too spacious, like an empty net. That’s what inspired my new class, The Cartography of Time, a three-hour live session on Zoom where we’ll map the shape of our days, our rhythms, and our needs. It’s happening on Saturday, May 3 from 12–3pm EST, and registration opens in a few days.
I am exploring the terrain of a week : Where do my energy levels dip throughout the day? How do my tools support me in these dips? When do I honor a dip and just shut it all down and when do I push through?
My awareness of time shapes my creativity, my relationships, my body, my pain levels, and my attention. There is a tenderness to this much noticing that doesn’t always feel manageable.
As I brush up against aging I see how my hands look different, how my body and mind require infinitely more alone time to recharge, and how quickly I need to tap out from social situations that cause stress.
What if we stopped trying to master time and mapped it instead? Arranging the blocks of a calendar to fit our needs and our desires : both energetically and practically.
These are not questions I want to ask alone or understand on my own. This is why I am bringing it to the classroom space. To design new weeks together instead of apart. I want to show you where I have solved the mystery and bring you in to help me fill in the missing pieces.
This week, try tracking the hour you feel most alive. Or the moment you most want to disappear. What does that data tell you? What might it help you plan for instead of around?
I find that I am learning to fear time less, unspooling the hours, and making room to get closer to the quiet pulse of my own life.

QUILT IN A WEEKEND MAY 24 + 25
TRAVERSE CITY, MI
There are spots left in my Quilt in a Weekend course next month hosted by Green Door Folk School in Traverse City, MI - let me know if you have questions about transportation or finding a place to stay! This is my first time teaching quilt class in person since 2020 and I will probably cry with excitement.
CLASSIFIEDS : Explore "letting go" in Writing While Tender, a trauma-sensitive space led by expressive arts therapist Sofiya Ko Sobremesa.Immersions is a week-long Spanish language and culture retreat through the lens of Barcelona’s creative community. Join us this summer! Dropped dreams & false starts? That fear after so many tries is real. Gentle Musings Ep.1: We're Here to Live Out Loud is your nudge to try again. 💿 ✨Capture life's fleeting magic in 30 seconds. Feta is your private sanctuary where ordinary moments become art. Start your gallery today.✨
Want to place an ad in next week’s newsletter or later in April or May? Read all about it here

Thank you for reading another installment of Monday Monday by Cody Cook-Parrott. If you loved this newsletter feel free to share an excerpt on social media, forward it to a friend, or link it in your own newsletter.
I also love when you respond! Or leave comments!
Not a paid subscriber? Support this newsletter staying free every Monday and receiving my advice column and behind the scenes of business series by becoming a paid subscriber <3