Sunday Scribblings-Vision

"I can see clearly now, the rain has gone,

I can see all obstacles in my way

Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind

Gonna be a bright, sunshiny day."

 

Funny how sometimes a tune will pop into your mind, and, once there, refuse to leave.  When I read this week's Sunday Scribblings prompt, these lyrics immediately came to mind, and now I wish I had an escape key for the microprocessor in my brain.

Nevertheless, they're appropriate for the topic.  After all, "I can see clearly now..."seems the perfect seque to a reflection on the word "vision." 

Unfortunately, it's the second line of the song that seems to dominate my thoughts. 

"I can see all obstacles in my way."  I wish I were more of a visionary, but after 50 plus years on the planet, I seem stuck in my overly pragmatic (bordering on pessimistic) outlook.  Everywhere I look these days, in the wide world and in my own little backyard , I see obstacles - monetary, political, environmental, medical. Many of my own dreams are on hold because of the faltering economy and shaky socio political status.  Health concerns loom in my family right now, from the oldest members on down to the youngest.   All of life's obstacles are clearly visible, and they've gathered overhead in the shape of some pretty formidable clouds.

At first it seems that phrase is a little out of place in the general "sunshininess" of that song, doesn't it?  I mean, if you can see all the obstacles in your way, how the heck can it be a bright sunshiny day?

Our minister's sermon this morning was quite appropriate to my thoughts today.  Entitled "Weeds in the Garden" he talked about the pervasive nature of "weeds" in our lives - those obstacles that spring up totally unbidden, flourish despite our efforts, and threaten to destroy the vision we have for our lives.  How do you fight these invaders? he wonders. 

Three things...a vision, a plan, and committment.  Have a clear picture in your mind of what you want your garden to be, make a plan to achieve it, and committ yourself to whatever it takes to keep the weeds out.  Of course, if you have a spiritual life, then God (or your higher power) becomes the guiding principle in your life's plan, as well as in the means of bringing it to fruition.

Having a vision seems to be the key.  If you can dream it, you can do it, as the saying goes.  I struggle with that  - not the dream part, because I have those in abundance.  But in finding a means to make them come true.  And a big part of that is not allowing those inevitable obstacles to blind you to the brightness of your vision, and in allowing the universe to do its part in making the dreams come true.

So, I continue to work toward "openess to possibility," toward looking for silver linings of opportunity peeking out from beneath those obstacles of clouds.  In the midst of economoic turmoil, I'm grateful everyone in my family has good jobs; amidst concerns about health, I'm reassured that hopeful solutions exist; despite a loss of focus among our current leaders, I have faith that new leaders will emerge to provide inspiration for change.

And so, maybe it will be a "bright, sunshiny day."

  

 

Top Ten Reasons Why I Love...

Writing from home! Michele tagged me for this meme the other day, and I've been so busy "writing at home" I haven't had time to complete it. 

Now that Write On Wednesday is up and running (or launched as they say in the web design business), I can sit back (in my favorite comfy chair), put my (bare!) feet on the ottoman, drink my tea (Adagio Rooibos Tropics...delish!),  enjoy the new music I just dowloaded on my I-Pod (Mozart Piano Trio in B-flat major), and think about some of the reasons I love writing from home.

Hmmm...I believe I just told you quite a few of them.

Being comfortable is a big one. 

Having my doggies nearby is another.

Being able to multi-task on the homefront is huge.

Most of all, being flexible...if the muse is being stubborn, I can prod her along with a walk, or by sitting down at the piano for a bit, or picking up a favorite inspirational book on writing.

One thing I try never to do when I'm supposed to be writing at home...turn on the television!  For me, it's sudden death to any creative urge or ambition!

I've been fortunate in that I can also do a good deal of my office job at home -it's writing too, but of an entirely different kind.  And all the same reasons apply. <smiles>

How about you? Can you work at home? Would you want to? Or do you like to keep work and home life separate?

 

 

What's Your Line?

My son is a fabulous story teller - he always has been, even before he could talk intelligbly.  He'd stand proudly in the midst of  family circle, draw himself to a full 30 inches, and pontificate for 10 minutes in complete gibberish.  We all attempted to laugh or looked dismayed in the appropriate places, but mostly we just wanted to yell "What in the world are you trying to say?" As he grew and developed a command of the language, his stories began to take on familiar themes - there were usually characters doing something stupid and being saved by other ultra smart characters.  Plenty of explosions and car chases were involved.  The stories got more complex as he aged, yet the basic themes remained the same.  He found his line.

I think once you've found your voice, your theme, your preoccupation, then your writing life becomes a lot simpler.  You begin to focus your vision of the world through that lens, and pretty soon you start relating everything you see and everything that happens to you in terms of that focal point.  There's an old adage every writer is familiar with - write what you know.  I'd take that a step further and say write what you care about.

I'm an only child.  I'm married to an only child, the mother of an only child, and the daughter of an only child.  Does it surprise you that my writing is preoccupied with family relationships?  It's not really even a conscious decision - no matter what kind of idea for a story or essay I come up with, somehow family relationships are involved.  I've completed NaNoWriMo twice, and both novels involve parent/child relationships and the emotional legacies we pass on to our children.  I'm working on a short story now that involves a young man who keeps sabotaging his love life because of an unhealthy obsession with his deceased mother's little dog (which of course is just a cover for an unhealthy obsession with his mother!) 

Perhaps it sounds limiting, to have this recurring theme for your work.  But if you look carefully at the work of most writers and artists, you'll notice a similar constancy of thought.  Jane Austen was certainly successful in her portraits of young women discovering life and love in the 19th century.  Jhumpa Lahiri has done quite well exploring the lives of second generation Indian immigrants, navigating the no man's land between the traditional values of their parents and modern American culture. 

And Monet did allright with those water lilies, didn't he?

The real trick lies in having the skill to develop your material in new, interesting directions.  Certainly I could write fantasy novels, historical novel, or mysteries and still retain the common thread of exploring family relationships and dynamics.  The things I care about. 

Sometimes writing about these preoccupations helps make sense of them in a way ordinary thinking cannot.  Jhumpa Lahiri said that, in writing about the two worlds she grew up in she "tried to weave them together in some combination that was orderly on the page in a way that it isn't always in life."

So how do you find your material?  Carolyn See, author of Making a Literary Life, asks her students "What's your inner  voice talking about these days?"  What are you thinking about when you're in the shower, or driving your car, on the treadmill at the gym?  If you've become accustomed to tuning it out, because it's constant muttering drives you mad, then perhaps its time to tune it back in.  Turn up the volume even. 

What do you catch yourself thinking about?  What experiences and relationships in your life are the most meaningful? What catches your attention when you're out and about?  These are the things you're going to know, the things you're going to care about, and that knowledge and caring will resonate in your writing. 

This is where you'll find your line.

How about you?  Have you found your line yet?  Do you think you have one?  How do you go about expressing it?

 

  

Welcome to Write On Wednesday

This is Write on Wednesday's new home, a place to gather if you love playing with words and putting them to the page.  Each Wednesday we'll explore some aspect of the writing process...how we get those words out of our brains and onto paper (or screen).  And what we do with them once they're out there for all the world to see.

We might look at some of our favorite books about writing...

We might talk about our instruments of choice - pencil or cursor? paper or screen?

We could share secrets about the best places for finding ideas...

Perhaps we'll explore the process of revision (shudder!) or what happens when the words just won't come (double shudder!)

Whatever the topic, sharing is the name of the game.  Add your thoughts on the subject by writing a post on your blog and leaving a comment with the link to that post.  If you wish, you may also simply write your thoughts in the comment section.

So, come join us around the table.  Bring your best notebook and a freshly sharpened pencil.

Get ready to Write On Wednesday.

Today's post is waiting.