Writing is my Indulgence

I honestly think in order to be a writer, you have to learn to be reverent. If not, why are you writing? Why are you here?
Let's think of reverence as awe, as presence in and openness to the world.
- Anne Lamott

Writing is my indulgence.
I seek it every day. To record what I see, what I feel, and what I experience with other senses. It is something I have always loved to do. Observe. Record.

My tendency to adventure and seek new landscapes is so I can write about it. I come to such a joy in translating what I see to words on a page. Thoughts as I gaze at a scene made to inked-in memories. All of that provides countless opportunities, scenarios, and topics that inspire writing.

Indeed, my soul is a writing soul.
I dabble in words and seek new scenes.

I look out upon a landscape and hear poetry forming in my head. Words come gently as I stand on a mountain top or walk by rows of trees neatly tucked along a path. Nature's symmetric lines bring an abundance of thoughts, dreamy or insightful, but sometimes hard to grasp. There's no absolute guarantee it will be easy at that moment.

But when given the time, I let the quiet sounds, gentle upon the soul, sink into my background as the words navigate their way to the page more thoughtfully. The practice of writing is what improves the writer, even when it seems like I am grasping at words that flutter by too quickly.

The discipline of slowing down to write helps me expand my use of vocabulary and vary my sentence structure. It gives me the ample time to be selective in my word usage, which usually results in a more coherent piece.

Sometimes it works. And I use it.
Sometimes it will stay tucked away inside my journal.

But I will always try. It would be a detriment to myself not to. I am one who loves to learn, grow, and improve. It is part of my nature, deep inside. I won't just settle for okay. Complacency is my enemy.

So here are my pages of practice.
Some may be inspiring. Some not as much.
One thing I do know - I will always keep writing.