How Strong is your Need to Write?

This post is a bit of an admonishment to myself for spending years writing on scraps of paper and then losing those scraps into the many boxes of children's art work and unopened mail and mementos of places visited.  Not sure if anyone can relate to this but life was so busy for years with work and family that writing efforts were more than once shelved.  

So now I ask myself how strong was my need to write? I would say very strong. Perhaps even very very....strong. I continued the link throughout our children's childhood with little stories here and there and nightly made up vignettes that sometimes became popular enough to turn into weekly bedtime series. 

Okay well pat myself on the back? no no no!  I chide myself (you may notice that I use Merriam-Webster's definitions of gentle reprimand in my use of these words) for not having pursued writing more seriously. The only thing I can do now is to continue writing! I cannot find or retrieve any lost stories so I have to continue anew but with more of a goal and vision than in the past.

What about you? How strong is your need to write? Is it compelling enough for you to keep a daily journal? That would be an excellent beginning!  Start one now! Not a haphazard one that only receives bi-yearly contributions but a from the gut actions and feelings to words kind of documenting. Okay if you don't want to spill your emotions on every single page then just write down what you did that day....it all constitutes writing.

If you are at all serious about this you know that writers are the most keen observers of life around them. Typically we are not as self absorbed as some and tend to easily find other people and situations engaging.  Which of course is why we like to write! So if you choose to not write about yourself you can always document your observations.

So start today if you can. Grab that journal that has been gathering dust in your ''gifts I don't know what to do with'' pile and begin to open a window for your untapped creativity. It may just become the therapy you have been needing for a very long time or perhaps a way to focus on your goals....writing down what needs to happen in your life and what has already been.  

I hope that in your day you find something that inspires you to write it down.  I found this copy of an old journal that belonged to my daughter and decided that an early morning wake up at 5:30 am with a good cup of strong coffee and a vintage Christmas lantern were all I needed to revive the writing arm.  Happy journaling!

Happy Writing!

The Fabric of our Lives

It has been a very very very long time since I posted anything on my blog. An eternity. My life has changed dramatically since those days of lilacs. I have experienced a huge tragedy in my life. Now from this I hope to inspire those that have faced adversity. Be it loss, illness, financial burdens, or whatever may trouble your weary soul. I want my posts to help others. If even for a few moments of your day when you read them.

Lately I go to random things to help me keep moving forward and living life. Sometimes it is as small as a piece of beautiful vintage fabric with a design I adore. Then with that comes the inspiration to create something of beauty. Or maybe just a palette of colours that can fit into your life, your home, your wardrobe, even your future. Sometimes we are drawn to certain patterns or colours as they reflect our lives or our memories. Did you ever have a favourite dress or shirt as a kid? I had a particular favourite. It was a blue floral pattern. It reminded me of the ocean and summer and happy days in California that seemingly went on forever. I wish I still had that dress or even the fabric from it.

But life is fleeting and complex and ever changing. Did we ever think that we would get to the place we are now? To whatever or wherever we are? I love to dip into the well of memories that was my childhood. The memories of travelling and seeing new places. A great and weary sadness has taken over my life so I need to relearn that childlike ability to find the joys of life. To eagerly anticipate the day. I need to do this in order to survive. Maybe together we can do this.