Only it seems to me that once in your life before you die you ought to see a country where they don’t talk in English and don’t even want to. ~Thornton Wilder
I ordered a coffee and a little something to eat and savored the warmth and dryness. Somewhere in the background Nat King Cole sang a perky tune. I watched the rain beat down on the road outside and told myself that one day this would be twenty years ago. ~Bill Bryson
I miss you.
Your tender love.
Your Warmth relax.
Your strokes caress
With you everything is okay.
My joy complete
My stress eased.
My space breathe.
My words flow.
Indeed …you take my breath away.
You are My love. My joy. My peace.
That’s the reason I WRITE
To tell my story
To Release
To encourage
To motivate
To captivate
Because what’s inside can’t wait to be released
I thank you. I praise you.
I Can’t wait to be with you again.
My heart. My writing soul.
The scariest moment is just before you start. ~Stephen King
Is that you? Is that me? We suffer a loss and we are frozen. We lose a key contract and we are frozen. When writing we want the words to flow and we are frozen. Sickness, health, business crisis, job-loss, a wayward child, spousal disappointment. In all of these, if we are not strong, we become frozen. Scared. Stuck.
We reflect on the story of the eccentric Miss Havisham in Charles Dickens novel, Great Expectations. Her fiancé left her at the altar and she remained scared…frozen in time. She lived the rest of her life in her wedding gown never able to recoup.
Steven King was the opposite. He was turned down numerous times for his writings. Estée Lauder too. She was turned away many times for something she believed in. Her product. Her perfume.
Both of these individuals persisted and never gave up on something they believed in. Both remained steadfast. Unfrozen. And in that state, they were able to achieve their best. They achieved success and became known among society’s finest.
Have you suffered a setback? Have you become frozen? Take the step to break-free! Become an object of admiration. Hold your head up high. Ask, seek, knock, connect! You will then be able to move on despite the odds. Unfreeze.
Need help? Lets connect.
Cheers!
Tis sad. As I reflect, I have come to realize that the very thing that I sought; the thing that I spent years to build; the very thing that I depleted my resources for…has turned out to be my worst nightmare.
Yup it’s education. I invested my resources in education. Every last penny that I had, I invested in higher education. When that was done, I took out student loans. My thinking? I’d have a great job that will pay me more than enough to cover my loans and have more left over to live comfortably for the rest of my life.
Alarmed I now realize that it’s not so… for the very thing I sought, hides from me. They say I’m too qualified! It makes me weak to think of their mediocre thinking. Sad minds that don’t realize that the very thing they seek – qualified, experienced, good worker, committed, dedicated, forward-thinking, hardworking, results-driven, is the very thing they push away.
So what do I do?
This rant was shared with me by a friend. Tis Sad. For her it’s education. For you it might be a relationship with your spouse, children, family or friends. It might be your house, car, assets that you have worked long and hard for.
But though my friend has a point and it’s hard when she’s going through this rough patch, the Future is Bright! Daily I encourage her to never give up. To fight the good fight. Things will get better. Through prayer, resilience, and continued fight for a better life, the revelation will come . As she seeks clarity in her path she will realize that one day soon things will get better.
Are you like my friend, frustrated with retarded career growth? Don’t go it alone. Let’s connect.
Cheers!
This is the beginning of anything you want.
The daily grind. Don’t you just hate it? Day after day you get up, do the same thing over and over, and over again. Alive but never really living. You dream of lazy days; or those days when you’ll be able to do just what you want to do. Be careful what you wish for though, because that too can become….. exciting? a thrill? mundane?
But if your dreams, hopes and aspirations is to break the montony… then Go for it!! Here are 9 Things to do:
1. Learn a new language.
2. Learn to play a musical instrument.
3. Travel for fun (not business).
4. Write a book.
5. Reflect on your spirituality.
6. Mentor youths (helps you stay young).
7. Become a trader (for fun). Helps keep your eye on your financial viability.
8. Get involved in your community.
9. Expand your mind, earn a PhD
Did any of these spark your interest? Can you add any? Do share. We would love to hear!
Cheers!
You can’t think yourself out of a writing block; you have to write yourself out of a thinking block. ~John Rogers
Writers block is a common phenomenon among writers. It’s the condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing. The question was asked and the list was compiled from advice gleaned from a Book Writers’ forum. The ideas are simple and delightfully thought-provoking. Here I share 21 of the more exhilarating.
Did any of the above resonate? Can you add any? Do share! We would love to hear!
Cheers!
Always thrilled to participate in South Florida’s Writers Of Color igniting, harnessing, directing literary imagination and creativity. Come see, hear, listen and be inspired March 2-3, in Miami.
I go to seek a Great Perhaps. ~Francois Rabelais
Rushing to a place where you don’t want to be. Why? Why do you do that? Why do you spend your life rushing around? Rushing to work? Rushing home to a place where you do not want to be. Rushing to water a failing relationship with family, friends or foe? Rushing to do what others want you to do?
Then after all the rush…when you finally arrive at your destination, you are miserable. Life seems hard. Unfair. So many questions. Why do you do it? Is it because you can’t do any better?
You rush to the job because you need to pay the rent-to have shelter. A place to rest. A place where you want to feel the solace of those who care. You need food. Independence. You need to feel worthy. To avoid the shame. To avoid the dread of what others may think.
Forget them. Take the steps needed to do you. To go after that dream. Make a plan. Work that plan. Keep it at the forefront of your mind. And when the going gets rough…work it even harder. You will get there… someway, somehow.
Here are a 7 tips to help you when you feel stuck. Need help? Let’s connect.
Cheers!
A new writer shared her Instagram name. It was nowhere close to her real names . I beckoned to her… smile in tow…”you do make it hard, don’t you? In haste she retorted “it’s so my employer can’t find me”.
I smiled.
How many of us are like that? We live our lives in compartments trying to separate our true selves from what those around us see publicly.
It’s a hard choice but sometimes you have to hide in order “to be“. I pray one day that you will be able to just be. To reveal your true identity and just be the you that you want to be.
Cheers!
Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works. ~Virginia Woolf
A group of writers were challenged to a Write In, Write Out Session. After free writing for an hour, Antoya Lee wrote this delectable piece that shows her talent waiting to be honed. Here I share:
If I push my beliefs, wants, and desires on you, and I succeed in having my way, should I be held accountable for my actions? If, my persistence made me successful in having my way but brought upon you harm and danger.
Or, should I be vindicated from my exploitation of your mind and body and be freed from punishment because of my intellectual ignorance? My mind’s ability to reason and understand based on the knowledge or lack thereof, stored within my mind.
Hear, the words, that proceed as I speak. Abuse and harassment, of any type: sexual, verbal, physical, mistreatment, recklessness, carelessness, ignorance and arrogance. Have you been impacted by such activities or behaviors? Were you the offender, or of your life, a victim of such social behaviors that are communicated amongst our social environment?
Sadly, were you an offender in any group or area of your social environment, where you mistreated, misrepresented yourself or something, in order to have your way and accomplish your desires and wants. Or, to support your beliefs and needs, with your friends, with your family, and coworkers, strangers and lovers, church or other group member affiliation.
Were you ever so persistent in having your way to the detriment of another against that person’s comfort and will?
Is rape or harassment just something sexual?
Or, could it be a form of social communication, verbally and physically, expressed in any type of social situation and setting amongst people in your social circle.
Could it be social manipulation, simply to accomplish one’s own disparate deeply desired wishes?
Not just sexual, but could rape simply, but greatly be social dysfunction, after all the offenses in every area of our lives that happened upon us, or we upon them.
I forgive you. Do you forgive me? Of social rape. Trying to have my own way.
My point: Lets be mindful of how we interact and how we share our habits with each other because rape is social contamination.
By Antoya Lee
There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
― Maya Angelou
A public writers forum asked the question “what is the single biggest challenge you as a writer face?” Here I share responses as writers chimed in:
The list goes on. Are you a new or published author? Is anything missing? Do share. We would love to hear.
Need help? Let’s connect.
Cheers!
A photographer's view of the world - words and images to inspire your travels and your dreams
In this blog I'm attempting to answer wordpress daily prompts
Ellen Grace Olinger
Property Maintenance
embrace the magic
When God Says Go
Health, Reflection, and Poetry for the Journey of Life
Knowing every thing
Family. Youth. Parenting
Your Focus. Our Lens.
