5 oh, oh...................

favourite son genuinely amazed at his mom's big news

Welcome to my 500th posting.......

applause, whistles, shouts for joy, cheers, and smiles all around..........

oh, and confetti too? You shouldn't have........but I like it.

Writing has become a daily activity in my life, one that often takes precedence in my thoughts as I muddle through the rest of the day. Ask anyone around me.........they will most likely tell you that there are times when I'm out in lalalala land lost in the cosmos of late creating some such thing in my head. But you know what? It has paid off. My goal was to find the discipline to write everyday no matter if I felt the well of words go dry. I wanted to push through the fear of the word tap turning off. And, I wanted to allow myself a chance to freely write on topics and ideas which niggled at my thinking to a point where they wouldn't go away.

No themes, no clear direction, no parameters.........well, at least not planned out. They magically appeared.

I wanted an open forum to tackle whatever intrigued me. This seemed like the perfect arena. Though I have a few ideas for novels, have a bunch of plots and storylines mapped out, have a list of non-fiction type topics I want to explore in book form, the thought of starting out with that in mind was too daunting. My blog has offered me a chance to write in daily portions, in morsels which for the most part can stand alone.

Topics have run the gamut.......from political commentary (which I have set aside for the most part since this blog isn't so anonymous anymore) to work related observations, to poetry, sports, spirituality, family, friends, literature, religion. I have added some of my own photos as a way of highlighting my part of the world......and I have shared some stories of the people in my life. It feels like a colourful tapestry, though only part of the mosaic which is my life.

I have written, and I have learned. My writing has offered me new glimpses to my own understanding of the world around me. What has been unbelievably satisfying is how often something I may be chewing and stewing over resonates with someone else. What a gift!!

500 posts.........it makes me giddy.

Last week, I printed it all off. As much as I have learned to compose while sitting at the keyboard and only use my journal to capture phrases and ideas, I needed to see my words in print. I wanted to hold it in my own hands. I wanted to celebrate a personal accomplishment. It felt so good. Since then, I have filtered through the pile, picking and choosing pieces that seemed to have similar threads, collating the poetry....25 muskie made poems interspersed throughout 500 posts....I hadn't written a poem since I was 20 years old.

Everything I have posted was written in one go around.........for the most part unedited, and untouched since I clicked on publish and foisted out into blogland. My friend who encouraged me to write again, and who suggested my blog nom de plume after he lent me the book "Awareness" offered me one piece of advice which I continue to take to heart. He told me just to start writing.........to keep writing and not worry about the topics or whether I had found exactly the right word. And so I did..........and so it goes..........

Last night, I sat with a friend whose very good at editing and organizing me. Anne has been a faithful reader from the beginning and very supportive. Our conversation and her advice have pointed me in a productive direction with respect to pulling some of these musings together and making them stronger. This is my summer project.........one that I am SOOOO looking forward to. AND it is one I will be working on using my brand new laptop my family surprised me with on the weekend. It meant more than they will ever know, (simply because I havent been able to find the words without getting all choked up about it. The gift of my very own laptop sent the message loud and clear with love that despite the fact that there have been many days when my head was in the clouds, they get it.............and they want to support me in my pursuits.....

My project doesn't mean I will stop the flow here on my site................oh, hell no! I'm just getting warmed up. In fact, it really only feels I have slid under one layer of my skin. For me, it feels like the beginning of my awareness. And I do hope you'll continue to take part in the journey while I find the words emanating from my new computer.

POP goes the Champagne............yummy!

cue............

The Proclaimers.............I would walk 500 miles.............and I would walk 500 more