It's All Write With Kristi – Kristi's Life Morsels

If you are human, you are seasoning. Just what does that mean?

We go through many seasons beyond winter, spring, summer, and fall.

If you are in a crisper season, you may be feeling coldness, winds blowing
from various directions. Things may be happening faster than you anticipated
and you are trying to get caught up.

Perhaps you are in a blossoming season…where you are seeing things bloom in your life.
Opportunity is knocking at your door. Ideas are flowing. You feel directed and have a great
confidence.

Dark seasons where you feel despair, disharmony, and disfigured. Perhaps you’ve been through some loss or death. You may feel anguish from a circumstance you can’t control. It seems as though nothing will be better and can only get worse from here.

Then there’s the trying seasons where the swing of that bat never seems to hit the ball. You get every red light. Every stop. You put heart into things and they unravel in other directions.

There are days of rain that sometimes turn into weeks or months. Things pile. Things overflow. You try to hold your umbrella high, but feel weighed by what’s falling on you…sometimes it’s hard to hold the handle.

Like our creator created the four seasons, he allows each season in our life to be something that helps us grow from within it.

So how do we weather life’s seasons?

Don’t give up. Believe in yourself. Pay attention to the radar, know what season your in and dealing with. Stay on track. Stay accurate. Don’t allow yourself to get too discouraged.
Remember the days you went through that you thought you couldn’t see the sun through the darkest night, you still rose the up the next day and tackled those challenges.

Sometimes you need to ride that fast motorcycle and balance well, other times you’re paddling or rowing the boat of and get tired…. then there’s the days you skate to the passenger gate and ride easily. Relax and get enough rest so you can move steady through the obstacles. Enjoy the good days.

Weathering the seasons – just like seasoning keeps variety in our lives, keeps life interesting, and makes us cherish the time we are given.

The key to navigating through all of our seasons is to learn how to sail through it all with adeptness and grace.

It’s finally here…six minutes late. As we quickly boarded the train so it could still leave on time, we put everything in its place and sat down. Within a few moments we were on our way. As I moved the curtain back beside my seat to look and see out the window – there was a wall. I thought “this must be a joke.” For a moment I felt a panic because I’m not too fond of enclosed spaces. I could see about three inches of the window for the seat behind me in back of my head, but there was no opening to any window at my seat, I wondered how I would handle the next 5 hours.

The train attendant came through and asked the two gentlemen across from my husband and I if they would like a window seat as soon as one became available. She neglected to ask us. Now I’m upset. Meanwhile we are at the head of the cart with the most beaming bright light coming down on our faces with no escape from it. Within the next 10 minutes in the seat behind us…began the crying of a baby and that carried on for about 40 minutes straight. At this point I’ve developed a literal migraine. My husband kept reminding me that the food cart would soon be open and we could go sit there to have a snack and get some scenery from the windows of that part of the train. I was delighted when I heard an announcement ‘start’ to be made…until they let us know that the food cart would not be opened until they could get a technical issue fixed. Now I am stuck. Not only is the baby crying, but the mom is using some type of soothing cream that had the worst smell imaginable. For a moment I just wanted to cry.  I placed my husband’s sunglasses on and closed my eyes to avoid everything that was taking place.

I could not escape what life was brining my way in those moments. At that time, it felt like an unending torture. Sure, I do realize that there could so many worse things happening in my life.

As the announcement was made that the snack shop cart was now open my husband and I quickly found a seat and had a snack. I had my pad of paper to write…but the sentences wouldn’t come to me. I just began to look outside.

I realized how much those circumstances that were out of my control can creep upon any of us at any given moment.  We all have those times when we can’t see the other side of where we are. We all face frustration.  I never saw it coming, and only expected to have an enjoyable ride home.

I knew that this was a temporary circumstance, and it wasn’t going to last. However, I didn’t want to deal with it. When it’s said that 90% of our life is our reaction to the things or incidents that we have happen – our reaction to what we can’t control is within our control.   

How could I possibly find any enjoyment or peace within potentially not seeing outside of my own space for the next five hours? How many times have any of us faced something that caused a detour to our plans?

In the end, the torture didn’t last as long as it could have.
In the end, I did see the daylight again.
I made it through.

Somewhere far above me is a galaxy, is the maker of the stars. A million light years away looking down upon that train…my big circumstance was so little in the realm of the bigger picture.

When we can’t reverse the moment, we can focus forward. We can also look back at many hard times we’ve faced and recognize that we have a strength within ourselves to get through those hard times. For me personally, it’s a reliance on my faith.

I was trapped in a moment of time.

When I left the train station to go home, I thought back to the initial incident that seemed to unravel me much more than it needed to. What IS going right in life? What do I have to look forward to?

There was a light at the end, but the train I was riding on didn’t go through a tunnel. It was daytime and the light of the sunshine was actually shining the entire time, I just couldn’t see it ‘at times’ on that trip.

Perhaps the next time I don’t have a window view, I will have learned a lesson from this.
I allowed my perception at that time to be harnessed to the most terrible of thoughts. The outcome still turned out okay. If I focused on the good of it, I would have seen that the train had no delays, it wasn’t derailed, no one was hurt, and it went by faster than I could have imagined.

I could have read a book, I could have listened to music, or even taken a nap. I had other options to where I could put my focus. May we all see and be reminded…when we don’t have the window seat to what’s happening…we can create another (better) viewpoint of our own while we wait.

Reseta packed up her things and headed down the road in the moving truck to her new apartment, putting old things and old ways behind her. It was a new place all of her own. As the rooms came together, she realized that there was one empty.  What would she do? So, after some thought, Reseta decided to create a space with some special things. She had many presents she received through the years that had been binned away because there was no place to display them. 

With some fresh of coats of paint, and the room in two different colors, (three in one color and another in a unique offset shade) she placed an area rug in the center. Upon bookshelves, wall shelves, and little tables Reseta unpacked her many precious pieces of memories. Something was still missing; she needed a place to sit down. Perhaps this could be a reading or thinking room for her.

As Reseta made her way through the store she couldn’t find anything that felt perfect. On the way out to the next store, she paused when outside the doors sat a cute little metal outdoor park bench. It was just the right size. But, it’s for outside? Reseta thought to herself, “Oh who says I can’t? Besides it would fit perfectly, and I can even carry this in all by myself.”

There Roseta sat in the evening by some dim candlelight just thinking upon old times. She spotted a sweet portrait on the wall that someone gave her several years back before they had a big dispute. She reflected on how they never did quite make peace. They never even apologized to her, but she wasn’t going to give up the gift. As she sat there on her bench trying to read a book, she kept thinking back. Her heart felt heavy, and something inside just hurt.

It was in those moments she began to feel different. There in the midst of her unwrapped presents, she felt a familiar presence that had been a while since she experienced. She closed her eyes and began to say a prayer. Reseta cried her hurts out loud. As she sat silent, she heard God speak to her. “I’ve never left you, my child. I receive the hurts you gave to me today and I ask that you don’t take them back. I will carry the burden. People in this life will hurt you, but I will never leave you.  I am here to help. I am here to comfort those things that are unsteady in your spirit. I am here to guide you where you don’t have direction. I am always here to listen, to wipe the tears, and to share your joyful times.

Perhaps if Reseta didn’t buy that bench and place it in that room…she never would have sat down long enough to reflect on her life. She may have kept ignoring that voice within that needed to be dealt with. This way she could move forward to better things.

We all need to take a moment to press that reset button sometimes. We begin new chapters as old ones end. We all experience seasons of change. Through our moments of overwhelm, discouragement and disappointment – it is often in our quiet place we can get a refill from our creator. He provides a way to readjust, restart, and refocus the lens of our life.

If it’s not real, I don’t want it in 2024

It’s the beginning of a new year. There is a great possibility that even a week in, some people have already pushed their resolutions aside. Something came up, or someone feels like they failed for a variety of reasons. What’s the use if I can’t tackle this, right?

I decided that this year it’s not about resolutions as much as it is about identifying what is real in my life. It may be a new approach for many, but I challenge us to look at this concept with a new lens and a brighter light.

If something isn’t real, do we really want it? Fake doesn’t mean temporary, either. We can be involved with stuff in our lives that is counterfeit or invalid for a long time and not even realize it. Perhaps we just don’t want to see it. These are things that imitate what we would like to be real, yet we settle for a substitute.

How many people stay in relationships with others where there is no sincerity? We get into situations where we can’t speak freely about what we feel or believe, and it can cause us to suppress who we are on the inside.

There’s an old song called ‘Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing, Baby.’ The song speaks of how pictures and letters are nice, but there’s no replacement for the actual person. In one of the verses, the words are, ‘I play my game of fantasy; I pretend, but I know in reality I need the shelter of your arms to comfort me.’ Basically, nothing is as good as having the one they love, and at the end of the song, they are glad they have the ‘real’ thing.

Situations, people, or things that are false, deceiving, fraudulent, pretend, imitation, or phony come in so many more ways than third-party telephone calls. We use artificial substitutes in our food; we choose unnatural sources for our health and fitness, as well as many other countless things. So much of what we see, hear, and read today is staggering when it comes to being true. You can buy a replica of a doll that was popular back in the 60’s. When you get your hands on the real item that has the certificate of authenticity, it gives you an incomparable feeling.

So, what does this look like for me? What am I needing to change or take out of my life that is artificial? What should I cancel? With whom and where do I need to set more boundaries? Have I changed my beliefs to avoid offending another person? There are enough unrealistic perceptions in this world; we don’t need to portray something we are not to others just because we can’t be who or what we are and be accepted. Sometimes we do so to avoid negativity, pain, judgement, and/or we don’t want to lose someone we feel (or want to feel) close to. Where each person stands on religion, rights, freedoms, politics, and other controversies can cause a lot of conflicting emotions. There’s a time to stand up and speak, and there is a time to stay silent. But you should never have to lie in any circumstance.

Why would anyone want to be more genuine? Does it really take that much effort, courage, and bravery to be yourself? Being your most authentic self actually feels good. It removes barriers. You authorize yourself to advance away from the ‘I didn’t mean to’ or ‘I didn’t intend to’ excuses when you don’t have to second-guess yourself when making decisions.

Who inspires you? Think of at least one person (and name them) in your past that you have had a lot of admiration for being genuine. Name someone in your life currently that you know is genuine. What quality was different about them? How about you? Where are you genuine? What needs to change so you can forge the path for yourself to be completely forthright? This revelation may require you to set time aside and sit down to identify where areas of your life exist that aren’t genuine.

Be sincere in standing up for what is honorable, even if that means being unaccompanied. When you are real, you inspire others. The world needs more credible humans (non-artificial). When you aim to live with strong convictions, you gain respect for yourself. Others may or may not follow; so be it! Being honest and having principles takes away from having to portray anything dishonest and allows you the freedom to be who you are!

The world needs more genuine, and it begins with you and me! Here’s to doing away with the artificial in 2024!

I waited for you yesterday.
I saw you pass me by.
You didn’t even look my way.
I’m starting to wonder why.

When you originally bought me,
you intended to spend time with me each day.
Now your life has become filled with busy.
And I wonder if you are wanting to part ways.

I love when you sit down and go to town with your fingers.
It’s almost as if you can’t write or type fast enough.
You’ve completed masterpieces in hours,
when you aren’t distracted by other stuff.

I’m there to provide you comfort,
so that you won’t become stressed out.
When you are overloaded, you take a break.
Then it’s back to writing we go.

Don’t forget me too long and let time pass you by.
Make it a priority again for what you need to write.
What you need to say must come out of you,
so that your recipients will be alright!

The world is waiting for you.
So don’t make them wait too much longer.
Get in your chair and clear the air.
So that your writing can flow once again and be stronger!

Maybe you aren’t famous in the celebrity world, but each of us is known for something. Have you ever thought about what you are well known for? When people think about you, what are the first things that come to mind?
What are your highlights?

We shouldn’t care what others think of us. At the same time, we should care about what we stand for.

This thought came to mind when I was thinking about a friend who passed away not long ago. He loved fishing. If anyone spoke about this person, they would often mention his obsession with being at the lake. He often stayed to himself and never mingled into anyone’s business. He loved simplicity.

Have you ever been in a store, or driving down the road and seen something that automatically brings someone to mind?

Who’s the handyman in your life (you know, the person you can call before you need the plumber)? Who is always traveling, or out in nature? Perhaps you can automatically have someone come to mind when you think of their military service, or love of gardening. Some people love certain styles or brands of clothing. When you see ‘Calvin Klein’ on someone’s shirt, that one person comes to mind. Others are known for their dancing, or love of animals. Maybe even a specific animal, like a kangaroo or koala. My aunt used to love owls and even had a collection. Every time I see one, I immediately think of her. We all have that person in our lives who has a collection of antiques, or maybe cars, or something dear to their heart. We all know people who are big on certain sports teams, television shows, or other forms of entertainment. You have that squeaky clean friend who spends days sweeping and dusting, or the cousin who is always baking up something.

What I’m referring to goes beyond these types of things, though. We are also known for our behaviors and actions. This can be in private, public settings, or on social media. Someone is always anxious or upset about something. There’s always a finger point or gossip flow. You may know the mirror gazer or, in this day and age — the selfie queen/king. There are the bullies who love to down other people or point out the worst of things. There are those who have great wisdom that they love to share, usually thought well of by those who know them. We have people in our lives who are always celebrating something, and then there are those who go to the point of bragging and overload!

The purpose of this blog wasn’t to get you thinking about who has done you wrong, or to be negative about others. It’s to make you think about taking a moment to examine yourself. What messages are you sending? Are you standing for what you mean to stand for? Do you engage in things that you should be freed from? Should you start changing some of the settings you find yourself in? Should you reconsider some of the things you post about, or the ways in which you respond to things?

Maybe Tiffany doesn’t get invited to many things because she is always talking about her ex boyfriend Mark (from five years ago) and what went wrong. Tiffany has a lot to offer the world if she begins to focus on moving forward to better things. We can get stuck in a rut.

In life, are you a divider or a person who brings others together? What and who do you promote? What should you speak more about that you don’t, and where might you be able to be more private (that people just don’t need to know about)? Do you remind people of what others did wrong to them, or do you encourage them and express what you find great about them?

We can all be a little kinder and wiser! We can all show a little more compassion. It’s great to have our likes and interests. It makes us who we are. But it’s important to live a life with the fewest regrets possible! Stand for something that is good and brings more life. Speak life, not death. Add positivity. Multiply love, peace, and joy! We are all filled with the potential to make the world a better place. So why not?

It’s amazing what the Lord can teach us in the most basic experiences of
our life! Timing really is everything, and God’s timing is perfect!

The fresh baked scones that are sold at one of our local cafe’s are the
most amazing that I’ve ever enjoyed! When I say amazing – I mean
amazing!

I stopped by That Coffee Place on Seminary Avenue in Binghamton
NY as I was hoping to quickly grab one of their delicious scones on the
run. Unfortunately, they were not ready yet. I was slightly disappointed.
But the good news was that they were in the process of baking some that
would be coming out of the oven in just a little bit. The owner told me to
come back in about forty-five minutes.

It was a day that I had so much to get done on my agenda, but I could
already taste that scone so I was willing to make the sacrifice of time.
I decided to take a drive down to one of the parks I like to walk at. As I
shut my car door and rolled down my window, I realized that it actually
was really a beautiful day out. I almost missed that in the midst of my
errand running that morning. I drove down to the park and headed
for my stroll around the loop. It turns out that this little delay was
actually beneficial to me. I was able to get some exercise, fresh air, and
dictate some things into my Evernote that were for my writing work
later on.

A lot of mornings I’ll run some errands before I get into my office and
sit down at my desk. Someone could ask me if it’s nice outside, and
I’m usually guilty of not even taking enough time to even ‘feel’ the
weather. Anyone else guilty of this same thing? I end up checking my
phone to see what the temperature is outside. Life was never supposed
to be that much of a hustle that we miss those small details!

After I left the park and headed back to the coffee shop to pick up my
fresh baked scone, at that point I was starving!! I happily checked out
with my scone in hand, and had grabbed a second one for my daughter
to enjoy. These scones are a great size and fantastic price!!

I could’ve grabbed a few extras for the days ahead. However, there is
something special about the freshness when it is baked that day. The
taste is perfect! It’s honestly worth the trip to get them fresh. That
doesn’t mean that you can’t keep them in their container or put them
in the refrigerator and warm them up the next day. They are still
awesome!

Just like God’s blessings are new everyday. This lesson in the experience
with the scone was a reminder that we really have to want that ‘fresh’
blessing each day. What’s meant to be enjoyed fresh yesterday, isn’t
going to be exactly the same today, or a week from now. God has
something new for us in each new day.Find your blessing, even in the
delay! The Lord’s loving kindnesses are new every morning, yes they are
new everyday. That scone has become a new reminder to me when I stop
by to grab one to enjoy – that Great Is Thy Faithfulness!

Yes…oh that scone…the right timing is everything! When you take that
bite and it’s still warm, it’s like a little slice of heaven! They drizzle just
enough powdered sugar on them to make them even more perfect!
If you live in the Broome County NY area, be sure to check out That
Coffee Place!! They have MANY great things on their menu!

I found these two little golden nuggets among many of my mom’s things when we were weeding through papers she had filed away. I don’t have my mom here on earth with me anymore, so when we find something such as these deep words, they are priceless to say the least.

I recently made some vigorous changes in my life. As the days go by I make my way onto a new adventure with God. I move with great anticipation of what is next. The Lord called me out of a job that I had been in for almost twenty-six years of my life. This was in no way an easy decision to make. But the decision wasn’t for me to decide on. When God calls us to something we either can go or hold back from what he’s asking and stay where we are. God isn’t going to call everyone to this in the same way. But we have to often make the decision to let go of the old thing(s), so we may have the new things he wants to bless us with.

The Lord gave me a dream when I was young. I’d been writing since I was in middle school. It was in my late teens/early twenties that I knew he was calling me for even greater things with this gifting and abilities he gave me in writing. He’s been preparing me for this all my life. After finishing college, it seems I thought it was all going to come to me, and just fall right into place. After all, I did my part right? It turns out I needed to be obedient, way beyond myself and my own way of thinking about this.

Bruce Wilkinson speaks on the dreamer giver card (pictured above) of how he’s following faith and everyday feels more prepared for whatever lies ahead. It wasn’t until I made my faith decision that I could really understand what this means. Every day I have to rely on my faith in God more and more.

The other passage by G. Campbell Morgan speaks even more so to this story of my journey. When God ordains something that he has called us to do, he knows our destiny early on. He goes ahead of us making the provisions. We choose to go in faith, even when we don’t see. It’s like a foggy morning and you have to travel someplace. You might feel a hesitation creep in because it’s not easy to see what is in front of you. At times it’s scary and you wonder if it’s even safe to drive because the thickness of the fog is so strong. Fear is like that fog. If we go and trust God, he may just give us enough clearness for the next five feet. You just continue a little bit at a time if needed. Just don’t stop. As long as we stay with him and trust him, he gets us to the next thing he has for us.

It’s not a coincidence that I found these cards in my drawer this morning. I knew it was time to get a new blog post up. That was overdue months ago. Rereading these little passages sparked as a reminder to me that it’s okay to follow the dreams that are deep within and orchestrated by God. He prepares what is necessary, not too soon or too late. He’s always on time. You know you have to eat dinner tomorrow night, but you focus on what you’re having today first.

Is there something within you that the Lord has been speaking to you about? Or maybe he’s more recently giving you reminders of something he placed (or wants to place) in your life. Maybe there’s a task that you’ve put off because you know it will cause you to have to rely on your faith in him a little more. Don’t be afraid to allow that faith muscle to be built stronger.

God has many things for us, but he isn’t going to force us to trust him. Sometimes steps are necessary in order to walk into our ordained destinations. He has it planned for you. He’s waiting for you to respond and follow. I’m still waiting on him as I go, but I no longer see the fog/fear as an obstacle. I’ve realized that I can even close my eyes if I need to, as long as I keep walking holding on to him. Like those two cards that lingered around from my mom, pay close attention to the things that are around you. You never know when the Lord will speak to you or trying to show you something in ways you least expect. The choice is ours to see the fog or remember if we go through that it’s clear on the other side of it!

There was once a time when beneath these trees friends played together, or maybe they talked about what they would be wearing to their prom. Way back in the days before social media life was lived a different way. People planned picnics, reunions, and things like special events in ancient times. People parked their cars in the parking lot of a park and took a walk together. Its hard to see it now. Maybe it’s far from your memory; below those trees lived friendships that were full of life, experiences happened, and memories were made.

Something happened one day. The internet came to be a thing. Before long we no longer needed to wait for our friend to call to make plans because we couldn’t wait to see them. We could just send a text to check in and say hi. At first we may have even texted several times a day, then days became weeks, slowly weeks became months.

You know that friend you were so close to? You now bump into them at the grocery store and maybe don’t even care if they walk down another isle. Years ago you wouldn’t be able to get to them quickly enough. Then you are picking up your milk and they happen to accidently bump into you. “Hey, is that you?” You have a quick chat over all the things that you’ve recently posted on Facebook. Then one of you make that all famous comment of “we’ve got to get together soon.” That comment you’ve been making for over four years now. Before long you’ve almost forgotten about your encounter, until the next four months later when you bump into them at Walgreen’s, at a restaurant, or the movie theatre.

Life gets busy. People get jobs. People get married and some have children. People have laundry to do, and homes/apartments to keep clean. But people had these things years ago too. What has changed? What has made people busier than ever before. In my opinion we have more devices that take up our time than ever before. We are ‘following’ the lives of people we knew 30 years ago. But we aren’t following the hurting heart of our dearest friends that we once held close to us. It can become very taxing to have to get up earlier so we can beat yesterday’s high score on the APP of our favorite game. Then we have 635 friends on Facebook, 100 people we follow on Instagram, 331 people on Snapchat, 850 people on TikTok, and need I say more?

It’s great to be connected to so many people. It’s great to check in on old classmates, or relatives that live far away. But is it necessary to know so much about what everyone is doing on 8 different social media platforms? I am not discouraging people from using Social Media. It is a great thing. But there are pros and cons that must be weighted. There are limits that must be set.

I encourage you to think of your close friends from years ago. The ones that you probably receive a Christmas Card from. This may take you totally a way from your new normal. Go to the store and get a ‘thinking of you’ card. Write them a little letter and send it to them in the mail. I say to do this even if they live within thirty miles away. Recall some old memories that aren’t forgotten. Maybe even suggest that you get together – and actually give them some possible dates/times. Make the reconnection a priority.

All is not lost when it comes to these friendships. If someone once held a special place in your heart, allow them to come more front and center again. Yes, friendships change through the years. People come and people go. Maybe you’ve just allowed yourself to be boggled with too many things (especially the things you hold in your hard – like phones/tablets/etc, and just need to reevaluate the importance of those people.

Make a memory under the trees. Go to the park for a walk. Bring a coffee and sit at the picnic table. Get the old youth group together, or your old band members. Invite your old ‘club’ to your home. Have your bestie come over and bake cookies together. Chances are for many it will seem that you just picked up where you left off. Maybe it was six weeks ago, eight months ago, or even ten years ago. Leave the cell phone in the car or at home. Stop allowing the things that take up too much time in our hands, replace the dearest things to our heart. Allow the people back in! Do something old fashioned, and put the people in front of you that you love…in person.

I sat down to write with the wind blowing my pad of paper up into the air. I came with determination to get writing done. It wasn’t long before I started to feel distraction come in. To name a few, it was the bugs, noises of someone using a weed wacker, or someone stopping by to say hello. I thought I had managed to get to a spot where I wouldn’t be bothered. Just getting to that spot alone was a chore. Delays, the kids needed something, a phone call, did I get this done, oh wait I forgot to eat something, and the list could go on.

I finally brought my writing things to the table, sat down and put my head up into the air. I thought for a minute about all the things that continued to distract me. When all was said and done was some of this really my choice? Could I avoid these conflicts somehow? How often do we wish to get to a task, or say we are finally going to cross this or that off our list for once and for all, to find ourselves frustrated that it’s just not happening the way we wish? It’s something to give thought to.

As a writer, where exactly is the right or ‘write’ place to write? When exactly is the right or ‘write’ time to ‘write?’ Sure we could write anyplace. It’s as easy as bringing a pen and paper, or device that we can write on, right? Or is it that simple? I think it’s important to identify specific places that seem to work best for our writing. At the same time, allow flexibility that maybe other places might be feasible to get some writing done as well. Maybe a lot of it comes to mindset. Perhaps maybe the ‘write’ mindset.

If you’re anything like me, you get a great idea and say “I’ll get to this later.” Then you think about it later and that thought never was written down. How do we prevent this? If you’re writing a poem – then maybe 2 sets. If you’re writing a song – maybe a verse per day. If you’re writing a book – maybe it’s about what is your word total goal for the day, week, or month? If you’re writing a script – how many pages in a certain time frame? Maybe you just want to write a to do list and can’t seem to find time to sit down. You need the ‘write’ mindset to set a time and place to do it.

Give yourself some time. Today I write from ___ to ___. Find and identify your ‘write’ places. You must also identify your ‘write’ times. Put it on your calendar as ‘write time.’ We are all unique in that another person is never going to come up with the exact same time ideas as you. Nor will what works in our life, work exactly that same as it would for even our very best friend. This might require trying out places too. When we buy new clothes we sometimes need to try them on in the dressing room to see if they are the right fit, style, and then look at the price. The correct writing time and place are sort of like the fit! We may need to try different options on.

As I sat down at that table and stopped allowing the distractions to affect my ‘writing’ time, I just began to refocus my thinking. In the first photo above, you can get an idea of my surroundings. The sun was shining almost perfectly. The wind was blowing the trees to set a nice breeze into the air. The temperature couldn’t have been more perfect. I saw a flag that I hadn’t ever realized was at the campsite. The water was flowing so peacefully. I could hear the quietness of the day, despite all the things that might have been going on. I made it an intentional thing to listen, to look, and to get my focus on the view of what was around me that I don’t usually see. I could be at camp fifty times in a season and not realize what things look like close up, or from a different view. I saw the deck at the pond. I never realized what the colors of the boat was, nor what it said on it. Did this really matter? I believe it did, and does matter.

For me as a writer, that day at the camp pond sitting on the bench I thought of a new concept. It is more than time or place, but what was my ‘write’ reason? If you have a calling to, or a gifting for writing, you may struggle with this concept. I asked myself to identify the ‘why’ of my writing, then a whole lot of reasoning started to come into view. Just like those little things I began to see which I hadn’t paid attention to, all of as sudden the complexity of my reason for writing came to surface. Most importantly, finding my ‘write’ time has now become imperative to the success in my craft. It’s not an option!

A writer has something greater inside of them that needs to be heard on paper. There is a creation waiting to be released. Every piece of writing creates something new. Something within that piece of writing can make an impact in the writers life, as well as the lives of others. Writing forces thoughts to get out of your mind and into a different form of existence. Writing is a sense of sharing, giving, and being generous of not withholding something just for yourself.

So many thoughts were coming to my mind when I found myself staring into space. As I looked down there were some weeds in the pond in my view from the table. In my stare, and concentrated effort I soon noticed some beautiful dragonflies. There were so many I couldn’t count them all. If you look at the image you can see the weeds, then over to the left there’s several dragonflies in the air. They fly around so fast that it’s hard to capture them! They are a beautiful creature. They take this ugly image of weeds, and make this photo so much more meaningful.

Too often we focus on the weeds or ugly things in our lives, that we miss the beauty of the things nearby. If you just looked at this photo you probably wouldn’t think much of it. It wasn’t until I mentioned the dragonflies that one would probably consider what I was speaking about. Pointing out even one small thing can change the perspective by deepening the whole meaning. It is the job of the writer to point the reader or viewer to the deeper meaning.

An artist that paints creates something that can be captured by the eye. A writer creates something that is captured by the eyes as well, be it in the form of a reading (book, magazine, internet, etc.). It could be something that ends up being filmed and then later watched on a screen in some way, shape, or form. It then goes into the mind, and often drips down into the heart. Writers are among us. Have we ever stopped to think about how someone (a writer) wrote everything we read? Someone also wrote everything we view. Someone wrote the songs we listen to. Without those writers we wouldn’t have our favorite verses or books of the bible, songs, television shows, books, movies, News media, commercials, instruction manuals, and countless other things that we need and love creatively and commutatively. Writers make an impact. Writer’s are needed. Writers have a reason to be!

You may struggle with wondering if your idea is good enough, or important enough. Just like there are various genres of books. Writers all over have different purposes in their work. Some have multi purpose writing abilities. We all have favorite styles of music, drinks, scents, detergents, air fresheners, or brands for cars/clothes/etc. If you are a reader, you may like a variety of styles. We can’t count ourselves out just because ‘everyone’ doesn’t see us at their favorite! Someone might be searching for exactly what is said through you, while someone else might stumble on it by accident. What’s important is to have it available for whatever reason that might be!

Like those dragonflies, ideas in a writer’s mind can come and go so quickly or often that it’s hard to capture them all. This can pertain to any writer no matter what you write! Use your phone and text yourself if you need to (without a pad of paper available). Keep paper and pen in your purse or car. Set yourself up for your ‘write’ organizing! Organize your ideas. Really look at what you’ve written down. Stop seeing the weeds, and start to focus on those ‘dragonflies’ of ideas that serve a bigger purpose in the scenery of life! Your poem might be what helps someone through something they thought no one could understand. That character in your book or screenplay might be so unique that their story is so relatable to someone that just specifically needed that story. That devotional topic or blogpost might be just enough to help someone have a great start to their day, or an wonderous ending to a bad one.

Your writing is meant to impact a specific audience. It may be small, or widespread. Don’t let that stop you. Get it written down. Get it written down. Yes I meant to repeat myself, get it written down! Your audience alone is enough reason to get it done. They may be waiting for exactly what you have to say. Know how big or little your words, that we must not allow the people who are meant to read what you have to say miss out due to any reason, doubt, or distraction. Remember your ‘write’ purpose!

I can see myself with a book coming from this blog down the road…so stay tuned! I have some other projects I’m working on first.

Bonus on my blog: If you are a Christian writer think of it as this; God protects what he gives to his writer’s. When you pray, devote to, and allow him to give you the insight for your writing, he wraps it in his protection. Everything inside of it is like the inside of a burrito. The substance is rich and flavorful in taste. Your writing is then used as a deliverable in the lives of others. It is produced out of something within you. It requires you to do the work that God has provided you with his ability to do. It provides something tangible that people can chew on, then digest, and later can produce something fruitful in their lives. All of this because you were obedient to his call as a writer to be used for his purposes and make a difference for him. Remember God has a ‘write’ purpose for you, for this time in this world!