{"id":280,"date":"2022-04-12T22:32:38","date_gmt":"2022-04-12T22:32:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/12\/accidental-person\/"},"modified":"2022-12-07T22:41:38","modified_gmt":"2022-12-07T22:41:38","slug":"accidental-person","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/12\/accidental-person\/","title":{"rendered":"Accidental Person"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>I\u2019m reading Terry Tempest Williams\u2019 book, <i>Refuge<\/i>. One sentence pricks my soul. She writes, \u201cWithin every checklist there are those birds listed as \u2018accidentals,\u2019 one species, or at best a few, that have wandered far from their normal range. They are flukes in a flock of predictable migrants. They are loners in an unfamiliar territory\u201d (p. 88).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s me!\u201d my soul exclaims. \u201cThat\u2019s me!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-medium\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"188\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?resize=300%2C188&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-425\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?resize=300%2C188&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?resize=1024%2C640&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?resize=768%2C480&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?resize=1536%2C960&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?resize=700%2C438&amp;ssl=1 700w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?resize=482%2C300&amp;ssl=1 482w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?w=1400&amp;ssl=1 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pink Floyd, a Chilean flamingo that escaped from Tracy Aviary in 1988, on the shore of the Great Salt Lake where it spends most winters.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m an accidental person. The flamingo standing on the edge of the Great Salt Lake, wondering why she looks and acts and is so different. Why the other birds, while they might be kind to her, never fully integrate her into their flocks. Why even if they did, she\u2019d still feel like the accidental bird, never meant to be here, standing by this desert mountain lake. She belongs elsewhere, but she\u2019s forgotten where or how to get there. So, she continues to stand. Looking out over the water, she feels a vague stirring of recognition at the saltiness of the water and the sulphur smell of the air. She feels pulled toward something but she knows not what. Deep in her soul, she wonders where she\u2019s meant to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Photo credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/trent.photo\/1999\/12\/29\/pink-floyd\/\">Trent Nelson<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019m reading Terry Tempest Williams\u2019 book, Refuge. One sentence pricks my soul. She writes, \u201cWithin every checklist there are those birds listed as \u2018accidentals,\u2019 one species, or at best a few, that have wandered far&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":425,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,10],"tags":[74,75,40,33],"class_list":["post-280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-essay","category-experimental","tag-birds","tag-great-salt-lake","tag-nature","tag-wwol"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Accidental Person - Monica J. Williams<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/12\/accidental-person\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Accidental Person - Monica J. Williams\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I\u2019m reading Terry Tempest Williams\u2019 book, Refuge. One sentence pricks my soul. She writes, \u201cWithin every checklist there are those birds listed as \u2018accidentals,\u2019 one species, or at best a few, that have wandered far...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/12\/accidental-person\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Monica J. Williams\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mwilliams199\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-04-12T22:32:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-12-07T22:41:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1250\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Monica Williams\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Monica Williams\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/12\\\/accidental-person\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/12\\\/accidental-person\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Monica Williams\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/312cc1b5f9d0933cdbf56b2424c528bd\"},\"headline\":\"Accidental Person\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-04-12T22:32:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-12-07T22:41:38+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/12\\\/accidental-person\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":229,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/12\\\/accidental-person\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?fit=2000%2C1250&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"birds\",\"great salt lake\",\"nature\",\"wwol\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Essay\",\"Experimental\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/12\\\/accidental-person\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/12\\\/accidental-person\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/12\\\/accidental-person\\\/\",\"name\":\"Accidental Person - Monica J. Williams\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/12\\\/accidental-person\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/12\\\/accidental-person\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?fit=2000%2C1250&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-04-12T22:32:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-12-07T22:41:38+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/312cc1b5f9d0933cdbf56b2424c528bd\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/12\\\/accidental-person\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/12\\\/accidental-person\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/12\\\/accidental-person\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?fit=2000%2C1250&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?fit=2000%2C1250&ssl=1\",\"width\":2000,\"height\":1250,\"caption\":\"Pink Floyd, a Chilean flamingo that escaped from Tracy Aviary in 1988, on the shore of the Great Salt Lake where it spends most winters.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/12\\\/accidental-person\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Accidental Person\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Monica J. Williams\",\"description\":\"Writer, Adventurer, Reformer\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/312cc1b5f9d0933cdbf56b2424c528bd\",\"name\":\"Monica Williams\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/2c7de4a86ab7cfe4c0bd7e71e58b8aaa383084b03eca9da2fed8126bda4af6f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/2c7de4a86ab7cfe4c0bd7e71e58b8aaa383084b03eca9da2fed8126bda4af6f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/2c7de4a86ab7cfe4c0bd7e71e58b8aaa383084b03eca9da2fed8126bda4af6f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Monica Williams\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/mwilliams199\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/monica-williams-ph-d-48a237230\\\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/author\\\/admin_vb9gcv4d\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Accidental Person - Monica J. Williams","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/12\/accidental-person\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Accidental Person - Monica J. Williams","og_description":"I\u2019m reading Terry Tempest Williams\u2019 book, Refuge. One sentence pricks my soul. She writes, \u201cWithin every checklist there are those birds listed as \u2018accidentals,\u2019 one species, or at best a few, that have wandered far...","og_url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/12\/accidental-person\/","og_site_name":"Monica J. Williams","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mwilliams199","article_published_time":"2022-04-12T22:32:38+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-12-07T22:41:38+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2000,"height":1250,"url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Monica Williams","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Monica Williams","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/12\/accidental-person\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/12\/accidental-person\/"},"author":{"name":"Monica Williams","@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/#\/schema\/person\/312cc1b5f9d0933cdbf56b2424c528bd"},"headline":"Accidental Person","datePublished":"2022-04-12T22:32:38+00:00","dateModified":"2022-12-07T22:41:38+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/12\/accidental-person\/"},"wordCount":229,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/12\/accidental-person\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?fit=2000%2C1250&ssl=1","keywords":["birds","great salt lake","nature","wwol"],"articleSection":["Essay","Experimental"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/12\/accidental-person\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/12\/accidental-person\/","url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/12\/accidental-person\/","name":"Accidental Person - Monica J. Williams","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/12\/accidental-person\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/12\/accidental-person\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?fit=2000%2C1250&ssl=1","datePublished":"2022-04-12T22:32:38+00:00","dateModified":"2022-12-07T22:41:38+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/#\/schema\/person\/312cc1b5f9d0933cdbf56b2424c528bd"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/12\/accidental-person\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/12\/accidental-person\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/12\/accidental-person\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?fit=2000%2C1250&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?fit=2000%2C1250&ssl=1","width":2000,"height":1250,"caption":"Pink Floyd, a Chilean flamingo that escaped from Tracy Aviary in 1988, on the shore of the Great Salt Lake where it spends most winters."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/12\/accidental-person\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Accidental Person"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/","name":"Monica J. Williams","description":"Writer, Adventurer, Reformer","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/#\/schema\/person\/312cc1b5f9d0933cdbf56b2424c528bd","name":"Monica Williams","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2c7de4a86ab7cfe4c0bd7e71e58b8aaa383084b03eca9da2fed8126bda4af6f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2c7de4a86ab7cfe4c0bd7e71e58b8aaa383084b03eca9da2fed8126bda4af6f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2c7de4a86ab7cfe4c0bd7e71e58b8aaa383084b03eca9da2fed8126bda4af6f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Monica Williams"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mwilliams199","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/monica-williams-ph-d-48a237230\/"],"url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/author\/admin_vb9gcv4d\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?fit=2000%2C1250&ssl=1","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?fit=2000%2C1250&ssl=1",2000,1250,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?fit=300%2C188&ssl=1",300,188,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?fit=700%2C438&ssl=1",700,438,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?fit=700%2C438&ssl=1",700,438,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?fit=1536%2C960&ssl=1",1536,960,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?fit=2000%2C1250&ssl=1",2000,1250,true],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?fit=700%2C438&ssl=1",700,438,true],"write-post-thumbnail-large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?resize=1035%2C500&ssl=1",1035,500,true],"write-post-thumbnail-medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?resize=482%2C300&ssl=1",482,300,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Monica Williams","author_link":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/author\/admin_vb9gcv4d\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"I\u2019m reading Terry Tempest Williams\u2019 book, Refuge. One sentence pricks my soul. She writes, \u201cWithin every checklist there are those birds listed as \u2018accidentals,\u2019 one species, or at best a few, that have wandered far...","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":278,"url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/06\/07\/making-it-up-as-i-go\/","url_meta":{"origin":280,"position":0},"title":"Making it up as I go","author":"Monica Williams","date":"June 7, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Just as the sun rises Ever so slowly over the horizon, So I will proceed. Beautifully. Unhurried. Steady. And loyal to my desires. As the sun Makes its way across the sky Every day No matter the weather, I will live. Steady. Predictable. Beautiful. I will shine, Even when storms\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Poetry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Poetry","link":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/category\/poetry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/686418033054515200_0.jpg?fit=682%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/686418033054515200_0.jpg?fit=682%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/686418033054515200_0.jpg?fit=682%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":949,"url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2024\/09\/23\/what-does-the-natural-world-provide-for-me\/","url_meta":{"origin":280,"position":1},"title":"What does the natural world provide for me?","author":"Monica Williams","date":"September 23, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Now that it's officially Fall, I'm drawn once again to the reds and oranges of leaves preparing to let go of their trees. I can't just watch from behind closed windows; my body yearns to be immersed in the crisp colors of Fall. This morning, as part of Grateful Living's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Essay&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Essay","link":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/category\/essay\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Fall-2024-Coldwater-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Fall-2024-Coldwater-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Fall-2024-Coldwater-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Fall-2024-Coldwater-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Fall-2024-Coldwater-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":290,"url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2020\/12\/09\/these-are-the-history-defining-moments-that-shaped\/","url_meta":{"origin":280,"position":2},"title":"These are the history-defining moments that shaped 2020","author":"Monica Williams","date":"December 9, 2020","format":"link","excerpt":"These are the history-defining moments that shaped 2020I wrote the following piece about my encounter with the picture of the cemetery in Jakarta shown at the link above.Looking at picture of the arial view of the graveyard, my eye is drawn to the gaping hole covered with two-by-fours in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Essay&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Essay","link":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/category\/essay\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":275,"url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/01\/last-days-in-lisbon\/","url_meta":{"origin":280,"position":3},"title":"Last days in Lisbon","author":"Monica Williams","date":"August 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"July 24, 2022 Sintra, Portugal A few steps into the cave: darkness.\u00a0I couldn\u2019t tell the difference between eyes open or closed.\u00a0Silence pressed upon my ears. I smelled dampness. Reaching overhead, I felt the cool stone ceiling. Reaching out right and left, my hands meet ruddy stone walls. Rather than claustrophobia,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Essay&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Essay","link":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/category\/essay\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/691426142746443776_0.jpg?fit=1200%2C736&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/691426142746443776_0.jpg?fit=1200%2C736&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/691426142746443776_0.jpg?fit=1200%2C736&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/691426142746443776_0.jpg?fit=1200%2C736&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/691426142746443776_0.jpg?fit=1200%2C736&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":846,"url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/18\/morning\/","url_meta":{"origin":280,"position":4},"title":"Morning","author":"Monica Williams","date":"July 18, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Birds chirp. A squirrel yips. The wierwierwier of a fly. A moth flits by the stair rail. Sunlight creeps forward. Soon, I'll no longer be in shadow. I come to the page burning from stomach to chest. Leftovers from a yesterday fraught with nerves. My body, holding on. I come\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Journal&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Journal","link":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/category\/journal\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Shadow-line.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Shadow-line.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Shadow-line.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Shadow-line.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Shadow-line.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":562,"url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/14\/the-smothering-comfort-of-clinging-to-safety\/","url_meta":{"origin":280,"position":5},"title":"The Smothering Comfort of Clinging to Safety","author":"Monica Williams","date":"February 14, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"A part of myself that needs love hasn't been loved. I do not love the achiever perfectionist part of myself, clinging to safety and stifling authenticity. When I write, I write for fun, freedom, and life. Then, the idea of publication catapults me into the familiar squeezing achiever who tells\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Experimental&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Experimental","link":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/category\/experimental\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Snake-overachiever.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1032&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Snake-overachiever.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1032&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Snake-overachiever.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1032&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Snake-overachiever.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1032&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Snake-overachiever.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1032&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=280"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":427,"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280\/revisions\/427"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}