On Writing, Being Green & Munching Granola
Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 8:33 AM 
I love to write. Play is my friend. I get great satisfaction out of stringing thoughts together, selecting photos to go with them, and calling it a blog post.
I’m not a big fan of things that feel like drudgery or following other people’s shoulds. For example… a blog post must have a beginning, middle and end; you should have an obvious point; you must connect with readers and give them something to think about. Okay… I do kinda like that last one.
I believe people get what they need by showing up. Good writing might call you back, but being open to possibility (and what you might need to hear) is where the real juice is.
Today I’m going to play a little bit. You get to decide how it feels for you. Did we connect? I hope so. Do you hold room for new possibility? Even better! Consider this a practice in nonjudgment for both you and me as we explore my latest writing exercise from Sarah Selecky. (Write a story using “greenish.” Write for 10 minutes).
The woman sat preparing for her talk… or rather not preparing. She wanted to do anything but create an outline. She started to munch on granola—lots of granola—and convinced herself it was nutritious and good for her because she’d made it from scratch.
She got out her crayons, colored markers, and drawing pad. She looked for the elusive notes she was certain held the key to this predicament. She dug through piles of notebooks, shuddered at her cluttered closet, and ate more granola.
She got down on the floor, kid-style, after turning on the music that made her want to get up and dance. Up and down. Up and down. Her outline lay on the floor like a fresh blanket of snow—unmarked, unreadable, ephemeral and virtually blank.
Even the cat jumped into the quandary. He started to chew on her arm. Perhaps he sensed her agitation or maybe he just wanted more attention… kind of like the blank page that was calling his owner’s name.
Instead of filling the page, she ate ice cream and then she ate a little bit more. Her mind swirled, her stomach felt greenish and her skin matched Elphaba’s in Wicked.
She pulled out the crayons one more time and vowed to eat only fruit and veggies for the day. She decided to go for a walk and to take a risk with a new yoga class. Her body felt pudgy. A green smoothie sounded clarifying. She’d found her focus: Fruits and veggies. No distractions. Lots of deep listening. Wu wei wu* or maybe just plain woo.
Listening was the key… not producing… not pushing… and certainly not more granola.
*doing without doing
Reader Comments (2)
Fabulous! :) I'm not a fan of drudgery or shoulds either. (Although about once a month the Holy Spirit says "It's time... You really SHOULD pay your bills..." sigh...) It's not that I'm not truly grateful; it's just that paying bills is kinda boring. So your post today made me laugh & feel OK! I've recently discovered you, & love your approach to Life! :)
hi pam - my mind vividly recalls responding to your post... alas it's not here ;-) i know there are a few "shoulds" in life that are worth paying attention to and paying bills is certainly one of them! whenever i need to do it, i try to create the best environment possible: light a candle, turn on the twinkly lights in my office, pour myself a cup of tea or if i'm feeling indulgent maybe a glass of wine, and put on some pleasant music. these things help soothe the potential unpleasantness!! thanks for sharing!!