I Am A Writer

I am a writer.  The written word has been my friend my entire life.  I don't remember the exact moment when I learned how to read, but my mother tells me it was by the age of three.  As a small child who was extremely shy, books took me away…from the banks of Plum Creek with the Ingalls family, to Crabapple Farm, solving mysteries with Trixie Belden. 

As I got older, I realized how words are not only here to entertain us, but also to educate and inform us.  By the time I hit fourth grade I was already writing 2-3 journal pages a night.  These journals were filled with everything from poems to ideas to cookie recipes.  I had an amazing fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Staats, who recognized my passion for writing and encouraged me to write more.  My first “published” work was at the age of eight, when my story “The History of St. Valentine” was published in my elementary school’s February newsletter.  That story hung on our refrigerator for what seemed like forever, and is now pressed into a scrapbook.  By 6^th grade, my younger brother and I had started our own neighborhood newspaper, The Summer Trail Times.  We used duplicate paper to produce 12 copies of each weekly issue, delivered via skateboard to our neighbors. 

Since then, my writing has gotten me through a bachelor’s degree in special education, a master’s degree in educational counseling, a certification in medicinal aromatherapy and most recently a degree from the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts in Holistic Healing Arts. 

Natural healing is currently where my inspiration comes from.  I am in awe daily of the powers of the trees and plants, how they nurture us both physically and emotionally.  This inspiration has brought forth a whole new way of writing for me-writing to help others find peace and enlightenment in their daily lives.

Starting with my blog, I am writing to educate others on the power of holistic healing-the life force of connecting our mind, body and Spirit and treating them as a Whole.  I believe that we can become a healthier planet by sharing what we learn with others, one reader at a time.  As I experience the healing properties of essential oils and natural supplements in my own life, I am excited to share this news with others and to hear the feedback of how their lives have become healthier and richer as a result.

My obvious next step in this journey as a writer is to become published. My writing style is informative and yet “human,” grabbing the interest of my audience by using language that is familiar to them.  In a field such as holistic heath, it is important to write articles that are friendly and easily applied to one’s busy life in order to get the “buy in” from those who are just learning about this lifestyle.  I know that as a contributor to this respected publication I can touch the lives of your readers in a way that they can relate to and appreciate. 

A Pen's Life

 

So, I have an assignment for my new writing class....giving thoughts to an inanimate object....so fun and gave me much to think about.  As a woman, how we punish ourselves as we age....comparing ourselves to younger, newer models!!  I am just now learning to find the beauty in my laugh lines, and the wisdom and experience in all of the parts of me that are shifting and changing with the passing of the years.  Yes, I can still shop in the Junior's department, but I don't have to look exactly like the Juniors who are shopping there!  Instead, I can look at these young women as my mentees, and share my wisdom that I have gained as I stumbled through the last 43 years...my accomplished moments, my embarrassing moments, my crowning glory moments.  It is my rite of passage to guide those who are coming after me, not to envy them.

So here it is, my assignment:

 

 It is a pen.  A ballpoint pen.  This pen has a dual purpose….to help humans communicate the written word, and to advertise for Days Inn.  This pen is a mature pen, having been in the possession of its current user for more than two years, and considers itself well traveled and accomplished in its duties.  It is proud of its bright white color and wears the blue and yellow Days Inn logo like a churchgoer in her Sunday best.

It has endured numerous moves to different handbags, and has since retired to the kitchen junk drawer after it lost its cap to the family dog.  This pen’s resume is extensive and its experience ranges from jotting phone numbers onto paper towels to checking off homework assignments to filling out important papers for school admissions and doctors appointments. 

Now this seasoned veteran of writing utensils finds itself sitting at the kitchen table next to a brand new Uni ball pen.  This newcomer has a fancy rubber grip, a beautiful smooth cap with a shiny silver clip, and a fresh supply of ink in a magnificent fuchsia pink that rolls onto the paper from its newfangled roller ball tip. This older pen sighs as it looks at the rookie, and honorably takes on the role of mentor.  It doesn’t mind being compared to the newer, fresher model.  Proud of its scratches, chew marks, and receding ink line, it is ready to pass the torch and take some much needed vacation time. 

This pen’s advice to me would be:  “Love your journey to this point in your life….your successes as well as your failures….as they have all helped to shape you into this beautiful being full of wisdom.  Take pride in your battle scars and humbly accept your calling to educate those who will walk in your footsteps.”