Response to Right to Write

Earlier this week I responded to the writing invitation on the chapter "Drama." The message urges writers to stay balanced (which seems ever elusive in my life), resist stress (almost impossible), and "keep drama on the page." The point is, I am, as mother, wife, pet owner, student, employee, friend, sister, most easily distracted. Honestly, sometimes I welcome these distractions. They are, after all, what gives my life purpose, laughter, tears, hope, and yes, most certainly, a measured amount of stress. Yet, there is validity in what Cameron urges, writers keeping life in perspective and not allowing distractions to impact "our sense of scale in our emotional landscape." I was surprised and then delighted by the writing prompt. I did as Cameron suggested and numbered in my journal 1-100. I set out to list the 100 things that I personally love. I was even more surprised when it took me much longer than the 30 minutes to set these things down on paper. What I found myself doing was jotting ideas, stopping (distractions), and returning to my list to jot again. It took a day and a half. It isn't that I find little to be thankful for in the people and things in my life or that there is little I like. What I found was that I wanted my list to truly reflect what it is I like. Here are a few items from my list:

#5--When Mollydog bumps her nose, gentle and wet, against my leg, claiming me as her own.

# 16--being inspired by courage

#27--sitting on my husband's lap

#36 Paris

#39-- music washing out from under the door of my 16 year old son's room, he has quite an eclectic taste

#55 a real letter in the mailbox

#67 I know that all beagles have it, but that tip of white on Eddie's tail has got to be cuter than any other dog's

#77 my bro Steve's homemade chocolate chip cookies

#82 laying on a float in a crystal clear pool, eyes closed, sounds of children splashing, water ripples lapping

#95 hearing my son and husband laugh together

Not only does a list like this remind me of what matters in my life, trigger the need for perspective, and make me feel good, it provides some good jumping off points for writing in other ways. There is real power in writing about things that matter personally, our struggles, our victories, our gratitude, our experiences, our memories. After I finished my list, I read it to my husband. (Reading it didn't take near as long as writing it.) As I read the list aloud, I heard the words in a poetic way. They are, after all, my life. As Charles Frazier remarked about one of his characters in the novel, Cold Mountain, --and I don't have the source nearby, but it went something like this--"there was nothing remarkable about her story, other than it was her life."

I also realized that my list is relative. It will change as I change, probably daily. That is what growth is all about, almost imperceptible at times. The potted peace plant that graces my window with outstretched blossoms is a reminder of that. My husband gave the plant to me during a particularly stressful time of my life. Over the past few years, that stress has long dissipated and is almost forgotten, but the plant, already once re-potted, is almost ready for a bigger pot.
Kathy