Writing

It occurred to me this morning as I was writing a letter to someone much too far away, how I've come full circle when it comes to writing pretty much anything. I used to look at my son when he could sit down at the computer and just write, whether a poem or prose, to a school paper, all of which would blow me away. It comes so naturally to him.

When I wrote my food column, creating the recipes that went into it was never the problem. It was that small opening paragraph that would make me cringe every time deadline approached. It got easier the more I did it (OK so I wrote for 15 years...practice DOES make better.... I'm not going to say perfect....eventually : ) And then a good friend who was probably the catalyst to me moving in this professional direction in my life, encouraged me to put my thoughts down on paper, or computer, to write anything and everything. Encouragement turned into him challenging me to send something every day, no matter what the subject as long as it was written from my heart. If I was writing for the sake of writing then there was no point.

In order for me to do that, I had to use all my senses, not just visual stimuli. It was no longer writing about dawn as the sun came up, it was describing the colours of the sky, the scent of the air and its temperature. And in doing this, would reawaken my senses to the wonders of the world in which I live. There's nothing as stimulating as having your senses come alive, whether because of a special person in your life or life's experiences. It turns the ordinary into the extraordinary.

So for clients I encourage them to journal....and I give them one to start with. For those of you who are reading this, I ask you, when is the last time you wrote, for you, to that special someone in your life, to a family member or friend. And to take it one step further, when is the last time you wrote (not typed) a letter or card, or added your own thoughts to that perfect greeting card? Seeing your name hand written by someone special in your life gives you an entirely different jolt than seeing his or her name on the email list. Yes, it takes time and forethought. But those are keepers....very rare in this day and age of technology.

Write...type.....remove constraints of sentence order and content. Put thoughts to words. See if they resonate within you. Remember...it's an extension of who you are, what you feel and how you process and relate to the everyday experiences in your life and the people that fill it. Keep it for you or share it with someone you trust with your feelings. Regardless....in writing you become reacquainted with life. It's an incredible feeling!

Best...
Donna Karlin