Writing is “a way into the story of yourself.”
Writing is for everyone, not just the highly educated, or the fancy wordsmiths, or the chosen few. As Margaret Atwood said, “A word after a word/after a word is power.” Writing—whether in whole sentences, thought fragments, or even drawings—helps us understand who we are and therefore who we can be. It is a practice that can be pursued by anyone. The natural world can help us by focusing our attention through colors, sounds, smells, and touch. Give the woods and water a chance to spark something in you.
For more encouragement, I love Anna Quindlen’s wisdom.
Sit Out in the Sun and Listen
Down near the bottom
of the crossed-out list
of things you have to do today,
between "green thread"
and "broccoli," you find
that you have penciled "sunlight."
Resting on the page, the word
is beautiful. It touches you
as if you had a friend
and sunlight were a present
he had sent from someplace distant
as this morning—to cheer you up,
and to remind you that,
among your duties, pleasure
is a thing
that also needs accomplishing.
Do you remember?
that time and light are kinds
of love, and love
is no less practical
than a coffee grinder
or a safe spare tire?
Tomorrow you may be utterly
without a clue,
but today you get a telegram
from the heart in exile,
proclaiming that the kingdom
still exists,
the king and queen alive,
still speaking to their children,
—to any one among them
who can find the time
to sit out in the sun and listen.
Tony Hoagland, The Word (1992)
“who are we not to shine” -Nelson Mandela
Who are we not to be our very best selves? We are here for that…to grow into our very best self and carry that self out into the world. No matter what the situation is, no matter how dire, or challenging or joyful…all that is required is that we show up as our best self.
How do care for our bodies and our spirits? How do we love ourselves?
It is in these practices that we have the strength, courage and capacity to be our best.
Filling our spirit allows us to shine it out in the world.
Through our yoga practice, the intelligence of our mind, connects with, is infused with and joins the wisdom of our bodies. Our bodies contain the wisdom of the forest, the beauty of a sunrise, the peace of a summer evening.
It is this force, this power, that we find on our mats.
In the presence of millions of miracles contained in our bodies, we are grounded in truth.