Thankful Thursday: Lush & Lively
It's Thankful Thursday.
Gratitude. Appreciation. Praise.
Please join me in a weekly pause
to appreciate people, places & things.
What are you thankful for today?
Sitka Center - photo by Khlo BratengWhen the mysterious mix of vulnerability and willingness blend, a writing workshop is transformed from routine to really fantastic.
A powerful change occurs as people gather together to write. Time speeds, sometimes slow. The air carries a charge. Even the temperature of the room shifts, mirroring the slight but potent change within us, as if every cell is rearranging to make room for our real selves to emerge.
Twice this week I led workshops with writers — new and seasoned, young and old — who were eager and willing to go deep, and quickly.
At the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, in Neskowin, Oregon, our small group spent the day wandering the unbelievably lush woods, exploring the physical and emotional meaning of place. We were reverent, reflective and relaxed.
A few days later, at a Willamette Writers workshop in Newport, Oregon, I spent the evening with a lively group of women (and one brave man), considering the power of scent. We wrote hard, pens pressed to page, then listened, and laughed, and laughed some more.
On this Thankful Thursday, I am humbled by, and thankful for, the mysterious shift — and for writers who are lush and lively, willing to open and express.
Thursday, July 19, 2012 at 9:28AM
Reader Comments (4)
I'm thankful for my truly wonderful friends.
I'm oddly thankful for the ache I feel knowing that two close friends are going to be moving several thousand miles away within a few weeks of each other. Because that ache reminds me that I have some really wonderful, meaningful people in my life.
I'm thankful that I started putting a bowl of birdseed outside my bedroom window. And I have to remember to stop by the library on Saturday to get a book on regional birds, so I can start identifying the visitors that come by.
Allyson,
I know that ache. Thanks for expressing it so beautifully. And thanks for sharing your thanks here.
I'm thankful first for you, Drew; for this avenue to read, reflect and respond to your invitation to share our own thankfulness. I'm also thankful today for intersections ... you know, those times we stand in the middle of a road with giant changes barreling down toward us. It's these days of intersection that we learn to either face down those darned out-of-control trucks of fear, or we learn to walk to the curb and let things simply happen because they just will.
On this particular Thankful Thursday, I've decided to walk to the curb, and allow life to show me how to watch it like a passing parade. Oddly, that's comforting.
A curb view sounds pretty darn good, Auburn. Thanks so much for reading, responding and being here. You are much appreciated.