In the beginning was the word ...

The process of writing an article, selecting an outlet for it, then submitting it for publication was a lot like having kids.  You make them, groom them, and refine them.  You try out all kinds of outfits on them to see which fits.  Then you send them out into the world in the hope they they don't come right back.  Kind of kidding!  Really it was a complete creative process.  From beginning to end, the excitement grew.  It was just an assignment at first to be completed for credit.  The closer I came to this last week the more I secretly hoped that someone might read my article then actually select over all the others.  I can see me doing this article submission again.  It looks a lot easier than having another kid!  

Thought Lines

This assignment, since I chose to accept it is to free write without thinking or editing.  Even so, I titled this piece "Thought Lines."  So here I am at about the middle of my program with the bulk of my coursework behind me.  This writing class has really sparked some creativity in me.  Believe it or not, when I was in high school I was picked to be the future editor of the New York Times!  30 years later and I am finally tapping into my natural abilities.  Not that I have any real talent for writing, or even much along the lines of editing, but I like the creative process.  I used to write in journals then throw them away before they could be seen.  Or maybe I was afraid to re-read them and see who I was for myself.  I think I've been hesitant to commit my thoughts to paper in fear of being discovered.  So what's new today?  I have a laundry list of assignments to plow through this week.  Sometimes I think I can't do any one of them justice because they get lost in the pile.  I wish my classes were spread out more but my objective was to get as much done before high school football begins in August.  I adore my 3 boys and am blessed that they still want me to be a part of their stuff.  The balancing act between being their mom and working full time and school full time is worth the trickery.  They used to drain me (aka: suck the life out of me) but then someone told me that it was all in your approach to your service.  If you acted out of resentment and obligation you were going to drain.  If you acted out of love and caring you would replenish.  I don't always get it right but I love the irony that my teenagers are teaching me to get a better attitude.  So I'm feeling kind of melancholy, if you can't tell.  A little ho-hum about this post lacking wit and levity.  But this is me in this moment.  

Extraordinarily Inspired

Caroline Myss is a spiritual teacher who says that there is no such thing as an ordinary moment.  If you're having it, it matters.  The Dalai Lama says that he has never met an ordinary person.  This is what inspires me: finding the awe in every day moments.  The more present you are, the more open and aware you are to inspiration.  A simple perspective would be that motivation comes from outside of you and inspiration comes from inside of you.  Its source may be external but it resonates internally.  When writing, I can recognize inspiration because my inner voice is doing the work rather than my mind.  The flow of ideas is also differentiated by more right-brain engagement.  For me, writer's block is more likely to appear when I'm trying to fit round words into a square format.

The Wisdom of Ethan

Some people know who they are from the moment they are born.  Such is Ethan. He hears his own drum and marches only to it.  It is not within him to live outside of himself nor to take any unnecessary actions.

At seven years old he came down with a virus that really set him back for several days.  All he could do was lay there as his body fought the infection.  After several days when his color returned, his mother encouraged him to go outside to play. Ethan's immediate response was, "But why would I want to do that?  Then all that rest would go to waste."

That boy has an old soul.