This is Not My Backup Plan by Z Zoccolante I’ve never been a person to have one specific dream. During one month as a child, I wanted to be a writer, a basketball player, a karate instructor, and a garbage man. I wanted to dive for buried treasure, breathe underwater, fly, and read people’s minds. My make pretend worlds carried over into my real one. I’d wash the dishes and do chores while in character. Living various...
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How to Remove the Corset of Addictive Patterns by Z Zoccolante In the midst of her novel Lost and Found, Carolyn Parkhurst includes a beautiful paragraph about studying the remains of women long ago, and how we might find their bones bent into the shapes of their corsets. “You’ll see that after all those years of stricture and compression, the constant embrace of whalebone and satin and steel, her body has changed its very...
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I Fell on my Head in Pole Dancing Class: Here’s what I learned. By Z Zoccolante As I lift myself in the air, my hands slide a few inches down the pole. For the fourth time, I wipe the alcohol sprayed towel along the steel. In class tonight, the move we’re learning begins with a horizontal scissor kick, and ends with our entire body balancing on one side of the pole. I pull my body up and form the scissor kick with...
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What Defines Art? by Z Zoccolante “If you could have one last conversation before you died,” my friend asked me, “what would you want to talk about?” The answer to this question provides insight into your passion and the career you might pursue. One friend answered by saying they’d talk about art and the purpose it has in the world. For Members only Listen to or download the podcast of this blog....
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5 Ways To Overcome Clutter And Feel Empowered by Z Zoccolante This morning I stumbled upon the article 7 Things the Most Successful People Don’t Do As I began mentally checking off each number, I came to #5 and stopped: #5 Successful people don’t tolerate clutter. “Oh no! I’m that person.” Exhibit one, my desk: My husband lovingly tells me I’m a messy roommate because I leave piles around the house on a regular basis. Although...
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2 Things To Trust When Life Isn’t Going Well (First Published on Peaceful Dumpling) By Z Zoccolante Once upon a time last week I was driving in rivers of traffic when I saw two people on the shoulder of the road. Their two cars had been in a fender bender and they were standing next to each other in the open, talking. What caught me was that they were smiling at each other like they were best friends, like one had just told an inside...
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