Midlife Reflections #8

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Time heals all wounds” they say but a lot of us cling to the past which makes it quite difficult to move forward in life.  Memories of the past is like a double edged sword.  Many of the experiences we hold so dearly are often ones of joy, love or laughter that was shared with family, friends and loved ones which can never be replicated.  Others are of fractured memories that bring sadness, pain and loss that we try so hard to forget but to no avail.  Often times when we’re in a different setting, we encounter a similar situation or experience and expect it to follow what had happened in the past.  When it doesn’t live up to the hype, to our expectations, the end feelings leave us disappointed, discouraged and depressed.  Or when it brings about the same feelings of sorrow it just fuels our doomed outlook on life.

It’s truly hard to move past these things and I for one can admit that I find it challenging to do so.  But everything that we experience makes us into who we are and really does help us to become stronger.  Time really doesn’t fix things, it just add more to our already full plate and lessens the degree of our greatest or most horrible past memory.  It really just finds a way of taking us out of our comfort zone and pushing us beyond our limits.  Whether we bend or break is all up to us.  I for one take it by its horn and wrestle it aside.

So if you find it hard to find happiness in life or just trying to make it day by day, take solace in knowing that you’re not alone.   We’re all grinding it out the best way we can.  There’s a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for all of us, it’s out there waiting for us to discover it.  If things are not going your way or your ready to throw in the towel, take stock in where you are right now in life.  You’ve made it this far, just think how much further you can go.  It hard to stay positive but if you just have a tiny spark, it’s all you need to start that fire in you to go out and take action!

Life’s Blessings

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Every day when I wake,

I take stock in what I have…

the strength from loved ones,

devotion from my family,

support from my friends,

affection from my pets,

my strong faith in God

Because of these simple things,

I take comfort in knowing

that I can take on…

any challenge,

face any dilemma,

make life changing judgements

without hesitation and total clarity

Because life is all about…

seeing what’s around us,

having an appreciation for all that we have,

a sense of gratitude for things we are given,

and the  knowledge for making a difference,

not just in our lives

but in that of others

It is only then,

when we realize this

that we will truly feel

we’ve been bequeathed with

life’s blessings.

 

To Find Oneself

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We learn to value life
and all its gifts
Being truly alive…
every day,
every hour, 
every minute,
every second
is a wondrous blessing
Our appreciation for
God,
loved ones,
family,
and
friends
knows no bounds
That is why…
we live each day
the best we can,
striving for
positivity,
laughter,
happiness,
love,
serenity,
and 
balance
Our light is restored, 
our heart becomes whole,
and 
we regain a sense of ultimate
completion.

Your Test Of Strength

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When the chips are all down

and your luck has run out,

take several steps back

cast aside any doubt

 There are often times

when things don’t go your way,

you choose wrong, you fail

making mistakes throughout the day

 You’ve just hit a rough patch

in this journey called life,

just roll with the punches,

bid adieu to the strife

 In the midst of this insanity

there’s always a ray of hope,

that light at the end of the tunnel

is what helps you to cope

 You’ll get through this dilemma

and will reach the other side,

problems encountered hereafter

is taken all in stride

 Take pride in yourself

you’ve fought the good fight,

your character has mettle,

inner strength shown outright

So take charge of your life

when things go awry,

head straight forward, show no fear

wave those bad days goodbye.

Navigating the Unknown

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Let Your “Inner Voice Shine Through

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In my opinion, one of the best things about being a writer is showcasing our inner voice through our pieces of prose to the world.  Our writing style, our choice of words and our descriptive passages all reflect our artistic expression hidden deep within.  inner6

Everyone’s writing style is unique; it can be eloquent, serious, humorous, wordy, concise or simple.  The fact that we get our point across to any and all readers, in whatever fashion our voice dictates, is truly amazing.  AND the painstaking years that it took just to get us comfortable in writing is a feat in itself.  AND the tremendous courage it takes to put forth our laborious effort for strangers to read.  inner7

That’s why I enjoy reading other people’s work; I love the fact that they took the time to share something that was on their mind.  I’m able to get a semblance of their personality through their choice of topics and words.  It’s like meeting a stranger and getting to know them through their writing.  The more I read, the more I become familiar with them.  inner3

We as writers share a piece of our soul in the hopes of bringing to view something that we feel has value and get a sense of self-satisfaction from doing so.  Our reasons for exhibiting our work can be therapeutic, informative or for entertainment.

I’ve known a couple of writers, however, that were quite hesitant to impart their work for public viewing for fear of crucifying comments or lack of praise.  They toiled over their piece but found it difficult to take it to the next step; in the end, they abandoned their desire for writing.  It was a sad loss because I felt that they had something of quality that was worth sharing.

inner1We need to lose all inhibitions and accept the fact that there will be some people that’ll like what we write and others that’ll hate it.  It all comes with the territory of our craft and shouldn’t be a factor in deterring our passion for writing.

The joy we get from putting pen to paper,  the dedication to honing our craft, the anticipation of producing something substantial from a mere thought and the gratification from seeing the final product are qualities that strengthen our passion.  In the end, our devotion to writing should outweigh all reactions, whether it be good or bad.  So let loose, face your fears, WRITE and let your “Inner Voice”shine through.

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If you can say it, then you can write it

There’s this misconception amongst some people that they’re not good writers; that they can’t write at all.  They feel that in order to be a skilled scribe, their vocabulary must rival that of a person with an I.Q. of 130 or above.

 These people feel that they can’t string together the correct words and phrases to convey their thoughts, ideas, instructions, stories or feelings.  These individuals see writers as a special breed of people that sequester themselves to a room and sit in front of a typewriter or computer for days on end frenziedly pounding on the keys of their devices creating their masterpiece.

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 I, for one, felt that way; I perceived writers as these “gifted beings” that could poignantly craft a sentence, paragraph or story into a work of art.  Their use of words and grammar were flawless; it’s as if everything they inscribed on paper immediately became canon.

 Every time I had to write a paper for school, I’d have anxiety because I was cognizant of the fact that I was NOT one of these “gifted beings” that could put my words into writing and effectively communicate my thoughts.

 These shortcomings, and the fact that I dreamed of being a writer, drove me to improve myself in both words and sentence structures.  I was obligated to become a master of my craft and not do a disservice to writers all over the world.

I enrolled in many writing classes, read many books, wrote many things ranging from short stories, children stories, poems, screenplays, business writing and reports.  I voraciously wrote every day and even composed sentences in my head to sharpen my skills.

In all those years of writing I found one thing to be true…all of our writing, words, feelings, stories and ideas come from within. 

 Storytellers of old used to pass down their history, urban legends or culture orally from one generation to the next.  One day someone had the solution to record them on paper; that paper soon was passed on and improved on by later generations.

 Now if they could communicate effectively to another, they could surely write it down.  The whole point of writing is basically recording down on paper what’s inside of us.  If we could tell another person our idea then we could surely write it exactly as how we expressed it.

 One’s writing doesn’t have to be eloquent with long words and grammatically correct, it just needs to get our point across to the reader.  When we tell our story or idea, whether it be in a sentence, paragraph, page, or novel, as long as we’re able to get across what we need to say then we’ve accomplished what writing is all about. 

 If you have to compose a letter, report or story or dream of becoming a writer just always remember that it doesn’t take much.  Just remind yourself of the fact that “if you can say it, then you can write it.”  Speak out loud and then just write down what you’ve said on paper…that’s it.  You’ve just take the first steps to writing.

 Forget all that hogwash about long words and correct grammar; you’ll become efficient in that over time.  You just need to WRITE!  The whole point of writing is expressing yourself through your OWN choice of words; you’ll eventually develop a composition style that’s uniquely you.

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 We all talk, we do it every day.  It’s something that is inherently in us.  So go forth and write to your heart’s content.  AND remember…you don’t need a high I.Q. or a vast vocabulary to write; as long as you can speak your thoughts then you can surely write it.

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