"You will obtain your goal if you maintain your course." My new Writer's Block friend, Tad, gave out story starters in the form of fortune cookie sayings. Mine was very telling as I have struggled to write consistently. Putting thoughts together is work, hard work...I hate hard.
Anyway, the word in this fortune that popped is if. To obtain my goal to finish the book I started three years ago, I have a course to maintain. Just what the heck is my course. Sometimes all I see in my mind is an overgrown, rutted trail disappearing up the hill and around a corner. Then when I make it around the corner, a fork in the road appears with hard decisions. Or maybe it's the snowy, monochrome winter that seems never to end as I look out my window.
My course, maybe your course too, has many hills, ruts, corners, and unseen finishes. Faith to see the unseen puts flight to all our ifs. Faith in God's plan for this book and this writer levels the hills, fills the ruts, straightens the corner and gives me renewed hope to see the finish line.
Would you share with me your hard courses and the faith you have to stay the course? I would love to hear from my readers.
On my way down the trail,
Nancy B
Monday, February 25, 2019
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Frame Reframe
I was walking behind a woman painfully making her way to the entrance of a grocery store. I know what foot pain feels like. I winced inside with every hesitant step she took. She was headed toward the large double-doored entrance with ENTER is large letters over the doors. The doors swung open and two ladies pushing a cart came out the entrance. They chatted moving along at a brisk pace with a full cart, not giving the other woman a sideways glance. The woman had to stop her painful progress to let them out.
"Obliviots," I thought.
"How rude," came another thought.
"Can't they see she is having difficulty? Can't they wait or even offer to get her a cart?"
"At the least, why aren't they using the correct door to exit?"
Stop frame. These were my initial judgements against two women. Strangers. I framed my thoughts thinking I had all the facts. These thoughts formed in my tiny brain in moments.
Fast forward to the end of my shopping trip, walking out the exit with a full cart and a latte. What I saw as I walked to the exit was humbling and reframed my earlier judgement. On the exit doors the store management had posted two large signs.
USE THE ENTRANCE DOORS TO THE LEFT. THIS EXIT IS UNDER REPAIR
Reframe. This information reframed my perception of the two ladies supposed rudeness to the struggling older woman giving me the total picture.
Do you find yourself in this age of Instagram judgements having to reframe your perception of other people's actions? So humbling, right?
Consider these thoughts.
~ Gather ALL the facts.
~ If you have framed a situation incorrectly, act humbly and reframe it with ALL the facts.
~ Don't judge without walking in the other person's shoes...at least a mile.
Walking, somewhat painfully, in God's Grace,
Nancy B
"Obliviots," I thought.
"How rude," came another thought.
"Can't they see she is having difficulty? Can't they wait or even offer to get her a cart?"
"At the least, why aren't they using the correct door to exit?"
Stop frame. These were my initial judgements against two women. Strangers. I framed my thoughts thinking I had all the facts. These thoughts formed in my tiny brain in moments.
Fast forward to the end of my shopping trip, walking out the exit with a full cart and a latte. What I saw as I walked to the exit was humbling and reframed my earlier judgement. On the exit doors the store management had posted two large signs.
USE THE ENTRANCE DOORS TO THE LEFT. THIS EXIT IS UNDER REPAIR
Reframe. This information reframed my perception of the two ladies supposed rudeness to the struggling older woman giving me the total picture.
Do you find yourself in this age of Instagram judgements having to reframe your perception of other people's actions? So humbling, right?
Consider these thoughts.
~ Gather ALL the facts.
~ If you have framed a situation incorrectly, act humbly and reframe it with ALL the facts.
~ Don't judge without walking in the other person's shoes...at least a mile.
Walking, somewhat painfully, in God's Grace,
Nancy B
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
A Scary Place To Write From
I asked a friend for writing advise concerning blogging and finding my writing voice. I wasn't certain what voice is. This is the definition from our conversation that I came up with. Voice takes the inside me to the outside for you to know. This is the absolutely scary piece about writing.
Scary writing evokes emotions of fear, ridicule, doubt and worry among others. Scary writing says, "Be vulnerable, unreserved, unguarded." Yikes...That is not me. I am not as up tight, reserved and guarded as I was years ago. But change is long and tangled, as it may be for you.
My friend suggests that I write as if I am having coffee with you, relating to you across the page as if you were real. Real people, real issues, real joys...who I. don't. know. Scary. Because if I was with you real time, right now, I may be trying too hard to impress, losing my thoughts, interrupting you and making a general mess of our coffee time. Ugh!
The truth is that I share many coffee dates with good friends and they keep coming back for more. The truth is that writing from this vulnerable place may be scary, yet I genuinely love people and want to get to know and share life with you.
What places of creativity are you coming from that scare you? Or maybe you are an artist that is secure in your creative expression. If you are, I would love for you to share in the comments how you came to overcome fear. Or just share...anything. Don't be afraid.
My God is fearless ~ Nancy B
Scary writing evokes emotions of fear, ridicule, doubt and worry among others. Scary writing says, "Be vulnerable, unreserved, unguarded." Yikes...That is not me. I am not as up tight, reserved and guarded as I was years ago. But change is long and tangled, as it may be for you.
My friend suggests that I write as if I am having coffee with you, relating to you across the page as if you were real. Real people, real issues, real joys...who I. don't. know. Scary. Because if I was with you real time, right now, I may be trying too hard to impress, losing my thoughts, interrupting you and making a general mess of our coffee time. Ugh!
The truth is that I share many coffee dates with good friends and they keep coming back for more. The truth is that writing from this vulnerable place may be scary, yet I genuinely love people and want to get to know and share life with you.
What places of creativity are you coming from that scare you? Or maybe you are an artist that is secure in your creative expression. If you are, I would love for you to share in the comments how you came to overcome fear. Or just share...anything. Don't be afraid.
My God is fearless ~ Nancy B
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