This story has a happy ending.
There is something magical about good writing. The ability to paint a picture with words is an
amazing and beautiful gift and it has
long been a skill I have wanted to master.
I’ve always enjoyed writing and at times even seemed to have a knack for
it… at least that’s what I’ve been told by a few highly intelligent and
extremely discerning friends.
Wow, I can hear those eyes rolling out of your heads from here! But in all seriousness, I have had the good fortune to
have my writing received well and shown critical appreciation a time or two. There was even a time I entertained the idea
of writing professionally. But as it does for most people, things change
…
And when those things change, as it does for most people, when “real” life takes over with
jobs and bills and responsibilities, we put aside those dreams of what
we really wanted to be when we grew up, for some day. For me the writing as a creative outlet was put aside and self-expression became something reserved for
philosophical conversations with friends after a few drinks. Eventually writing actually became a chore,
done only for business.
And that dream of writing professionally? It was placed on the back-burner where it
slumbered.
But before you stop reading to go pour yourself a potent drink to
get through the rest of what you think is going to be one of those sad, poor me, what might
have been stories … STOP! This
story has a happy ending, remember? It's about faith and the renewal of dreams and maybe even a little bit of magic. Because
my desire to write has reawakened, but it was not a leisurely Sunday morning with nothing to do but relax type of awakening. No! It awoke with a start, kicked down the
door of the room that contained it and is taking no prisoners. It
is in your face and refuses to be ignored! Now don’t ask
what caused the kick-start to this need to write, because I couldn’t tell you. It could be one thing or a thousand and each would
make no sense and complete sense at the same time. Could it be the realization that this is the
year I will be 60 and want more than anything to show the world
who I truly am, to stand in my truth and live life on no one’s terms but my own? Yeah, that probably has something to do
with it. But more than that, I don’t
want to, in the words of Dr. Wayne Dyer “Die with my song still in me”. In other words, the time has come and the song will no longer be silenced. I want
to learn and explore and do and be and live and enjoy whatever strikes my fancy
and encourage everyone else to do the same ... and I want to write about it! So, I've decided what better way to get the juices
stirred; the writing muscles flexed; the mojo working … than to start a
blog. And here it is and I’m calling it
… The Illustrated Crone.
Yeah, you heard right
… The Illustrated Crone! There are two reasons for the title. The first reason is a matter of age. As I close in on 60, I am now officially chronologically
a Crone … more on that later. And the
second reason is, as those with whom I am acquainted know … I am tattooed,
heavily by some standards, with plans for more.
I love my ink! Each piece that I proudly
wear holds special meaning to me. They
are living milestones of my journey thus far … and that’s enough explanation
for now.
Finally … what you read here is not intended to be, nor will it be, an
example of proper English, or as an exercise in syntax and punctuation and all
the formal rules of writing. So if any
grammar police are out there reading and shaking your heads and harrumphing … fingers twitching in anticipation of typing a
post to point out errors, here’s my advice.
Put your blue pencil away. Those rules will not apply here. The intent of this blog is to encourage readers to embrace and live an
authentic, inspired, out loud kind of life and to support everyone in that quest ... unless your quest happens to be perfect grammar and punctuation. Then, sadly, you are on your own. The last thing I'll add before closing is that if this blog had a motto, it would be “Live Now!” If you agree (or even if you don’t, but are perhaps a bit intrigued) then jump on-board and let’s see where we go from here. The adventure
begins!
