Something Worth Writing For

22 + Questions for Intentionally Seeking Joy in the Midst of Conflict

In the mornings before work, while I’m “putting on my face,” as we call it around these parts (AKA applying makeup), I love to listen to podcasts.

One particular morning, while scrolling through Spotify in search of new podcasts to discover, researcher and storyteller Brené Brown’s Unlocking Us climbed up my smartphone screen. I tapped on the icon, listened to an episode, and then found myself returning to the podcast again on my walk later that day, and then again in the car while driving to pick up dinner that evening. By the end of the week, I had binged a couple dozen episodes. I LOVED the show.

While I could go on and on about Brené’s wisdom, my rabbit hole ventures through her research on shame and vulnerability, and her incredibly inspiring podcast guests, one of the greatest takeaways I’ve learned from this podcast is a recurring theme across many episodes: the paradox of seeking joy in the midst of conflict.

In a conversation with her friend, author and activist Karen Walrond, Brené mentioned being “not okay” right now. At the time of the episode, “right now” was March 2022. Pandemic procedures were still in place, and the media was peppered with news about coronavirus variants, the prevalence of police brutality directed toward Black Americans, extremely upsetting laws being passed in both Karen and Brené’s home state of Texas that demoralized trans children, and the war with Russia and Ukraine.

Despite being “not okay” with all of that fear, pain, and hardship, Karen reminded Brené of the importance of seeking joy.

How? I wondered. How can anyone seek joy in spite of all this heartbreak? In the podcast episode, Brené with Karen Walrond on Accessing Joy and Finding Connection in the Midst of Struggle, Karen reminds listeners that, and I paraphrase, “I am/we are responsible for accessing joy in order to remind ourselves of what’s worth fighting for. No matter how small, you can hang hope onto joy and the intentional seeking of it.”

I had to pause the podcast.

I returned my green-capped mascara wand back into its pink tube and opened my notes app on my phone. Immediately, I typed these words:

What’s worth fighting for is worth living for is worth writing for.

I thought about the aforementioned situations that, like Brené, were also rendering me “not okay,” and my mind drifted back into the past, recalling many struggles and hardships that had threatened to break me. They hadn’t, though, and I remembered how far I had come despite them. Rather than ruin me, my experiences had inspired me to write about them, to wrangle the fear, pain, and difficulties and channel them into stories. I asked myself, How can I access joy in spite of the raging dumpster fires that threaten to steal it?

I can return to my core: I am an artist, advocate, and writer. Rather than continue to spiral beneath the horrors unfolding in my community and in the media, I can use what I’ve endured and make a difference in the lives of others. I can turn my struggles into stories.

As a storyteller, doing exactly that—writing stories—can provide you with access to joy despite conflict. But what might that joy even look like? And how can you share your stories to inspire others?

I’ve curated a selection of questions that invite you to lean on the 22 cards of the tarot’s Major Arcana as guideposts for your search. When you are ready to get started, simply tap/click the button below to access your complimentary workbook. This workbook is being offered exclusively to Substack subscribers. Thank you for your support. I hope you find joy in using this resource.

Are you unsure how to get started learning the cards and what they mean? My easy-to-follow resource, Tarot 1-2-3: Learn to Read the Cards Intuitively in Three Easy Steps, can help. Simply tap/click on the link above or visit my shop, The Intuitive Storyteller Hub, at www.haintbluecreative.com/shop.

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In her more than thirty years as a storyteller and visual designer, Amanda “Mandy” Hughes has written and designed over a dozen works of literary, Southern Gothic, and women’s fiction under pen names A. Lee Hughes and Mandy Lee.

Mandy is the founder of Haint Blue Creative^®, a space for readers and storytellers to explore, learn, and create. She holds a Bachelor and Master of Science in Psychology, and she has worked as an instructional designer for nearly twenty years.

When she’s not writing, Mandy enjoys the movies, theater, music, traveling, nature walks, birdwatching, and binging The Office. She is a tarot enthusiast who uses the cards to enhance creativity and foster wellness. She lives in Georgia with her husband and four sons, two of whom are furrier than the others (but not by much). Visit her website at haintbluecreative.com and follow her on Instagram @haintbluecreative.