A very wise friend told me recently, “time to start living’”. I’ve thought a lot about his words. Other people around me are ‘busy living’, doing things they feel called or led to do. Things they find fun. Or simply things they just want to learn how to do. And not necessarily from Youtube. I’m not dogging Youtube. It has been extremely helpful for me. From replacing the button on my cars gear shift, to my first attempt at making pickles; Youtube can be a great learning tool.
The more I think about it the more I wonder, ‘get busy’ – doing what? I was never one of those people that knew before they could walk that they wanted to be a doctor, lawyer, or teacher. So I started by going backwards. I have a box full of pictures that were taken when I was young. A lot of my hard earned money was spent on film and development. None of my pictures were amazing. It was something I enjoyed. I bet there’s 5,000 pictures squirreled away on my phone and laptop where I still enjoy taking pictures. Random moments in life.
Another friend of mine was being encouraged to journal. I can’t keep up with a food log on an app let along a journal. But this conversation sent me in another direction. A blog. There is a whole world out there to explore. That world is so much better than anything I could produce. But what the heck, give it a whirl.
When I was in grade school, one of my teachers loved to write. And that’s what our class did, write. Poems, stories, oral presentations; it was a world I didn’t know much about. At that time, I gobbled it up like candy.
Even back then, Sherlock Holmes was the best character ever. He was my ‘super hero’. At the time I was unaware there were books after ‘The Final Problem’. I wrote a short story where Holmes survived. It was nothing like Doyle’s version. I understand why Queen Victoria was ‘not amused’ at the killing off of this beloved character. Sorry Doyle.
Though my grammar may be a shade wrong or there may have been a better word someone else would have used instead. I’m ‘gettin’ busy’. The world isn’t going to suddenly catch fire. My take on a subject may be very different from others. Or a subject may rub the wrong way, I’m ‘gettin’ busy’.
Each word, each post is a lesson learned.
I read one article that said, “if you want to be a writer, write”. Another that said, “we are our own worst enemy”. At this point in life, I couldn’t tell you who said these things. But they are true.
Here is my encouragement for you, if you want to be a chef, cook. If you want to be a singer, sing. If you want to be a writer, write. The world is full of people with dreams. My dream might be similar to yours. Don’t let that stop you. One of my ‘Monday School’ lessons was about comparing yourself to Mozart. Comparing yourself to someone else is a sure fire way to destroy your self esteem. Yes, there are people we look up too and try to emulate. But I’ll never be Stephen King. I’ll never be Mozart.
So, you entered yet another writing contest and were overlooked. Rejection got the best of you. Don’t stop trying. I understand rejection on any level is a difficult pill to swallow. Take a minute, an hour, a day to lick your wounds; keep trying.
Time to start livin’.
Poetry & More 