April 7, 2025

Where the Bridge Begins

I am beaming in today from early morning Landscapes during our free week for anyone to try it out. We meet this Monday - Friday from 5:30-7:30amEST to quietly write and then our regular Tuesday / Thursday sessions from 11a-1pEST where we are a rowdy little fun crowd of freaks, weirdos, gays, and magic makers!

Landscapes is my favorite place to be, and I’d love for you to come try it out. Plus you can poke around our amazing digital hub where community members connect, we have a ton of recorded workshops to check out, and you immediately get plugged in with dozens of cheerleaders.

If you are stuck on writing, finding creative community, or just want to see what the hell we do : I’d love to have you this week :)

My dearest reader,

I am finding that while the world around us feels scarier every day, my internal life seems to be thriving. I am finally editing my book, my heart is full of romantic love, June’s spine is healing, my friendships are bountiful, my house is peaceful, and my meds are doing their little job. My spine pain is up and down but I am experiencing some relief.

As my inner world heals and expands I find that my outer world can be filled with more service work, advocacy, offering creative advising to friends free of charge, volunteer hours, hobbies, and dinner with beloveds. I have more space to consider how to be part of my own community on my road, in my digital sphere, and in my life on the peninsula.

I find that in times of deep self shame, depression, or PMDD this sort of balance is extremely difficult for me. This is not always a controllable balance, there is no pulling myself up from my bootstraps. There is only wading through and building the bridge to get to the other side. It is not always easy to see where the bridge begins, or how to construct it. This is where faith becomes paramount.

I woke up this morning to my love having freshly stacked wood and chopped kindling, a feeling of care and thoughtfulness that felt sacred to receive. My candle lit, I sit down to write. I feel peace in my body and this peace leads me to action, to more spaciousness.

This weekend I begin my mat pilates teacher training and I couldn’t be more excited to deepen my practice. I have no idea how or if teaching this movement form will fit into my life, but I knew I wanted to form connections with fellow students at the studio I have been going to, learn even more about anatomical posture and placement, and be able to pass this form on to friends and family.

Pilates has completely changed my relationship to and with pain, my body image, and my experience of strength. It feels like a language I was always looking for but could never find. I look forward to seeing how my improvisational choice making weaves in with this new teaching practice.

I of course have made a mood board of my future queer rural pilates studio by the lake and yes I will let you see it.

I love to dream, and I feel so lucky I let myself do it. I think today I will officially place my order for the roadside stand that still doesn’t have a name or an exact plan. But yesterday I measured the place where it will go and how to situate it and I can’t wait for beach goers to stop on their way to a swim.

May this time of great dreaming flood back into everyone who has ever dreamt alongside me.

Things of Note :

• My dear friend Tamara Santibañez has two upcoming AMAZING online workshops. Tamara is a profoundly talented writer, oral historian, tattoo artist, painter, ceramist, and someone whose political values truly align with their actions in ways beyond measure. I cannot recommend these two classes enough. Plus they are very affordable and recorded - get on these!

Tue 4/8 Brick Study : Looking for Windows
Mon 4/28 Transcription as Translation: Transforming the Aural into the Written

• I listened to this interview with the iconic Anne Waldman from 1976 and her sharpness and confidence is so clear, listening felt like its own meditation.

• Really into this new Kesha song feat T-Pain

  https://open.spotify.com/track/3YmHHuxf2jfGEllrfs1KV7?si=ea23f36f956f4b1d

• A newsletter from Nic Antoinette on their most beautiful failure. It was a gift to witness her in this process behind the scenes and publicly.

• Just going to say again - the workshop on using Sublime (knowledge library app) this weekend in Landscapes was SO amazing and you can watch the recording for free when you sign up for free Landscapes this week :)

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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.

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