Today's Writing Prompt from "And Now You Write": My Secret of Life is..... (plus a "guest appearance" from James Taylor

 

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James Taylor said it like this: "The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time."

Sit with his music for a minute.... Hear it again.

Close your eyes as allow it to echo through your mind and heart.

Read it again. Stay with me as we take it a step deeper.

The way to enjoy the passage of time is to allow yourself to be grateful in each and every moment for each and every piece of each and every experience even when you look around thinking "this is not what I bargained for today!"

Actually, it is ESPECIALLY when you look around  yourself thinking, "This is NOT what I bargained for today, yesterday, last week, tomorrow or EVER!" In these times, the power of this secret is revealed with even more power and passion.

I understand how easy it is to be grateful when the positive evidence is flowing and surrounds you in every situation in your life. Ironically, it is when there is little or NO evidence of ANY positive flow ANYWHERE that you stand the most to gain through a purposeful, deliberate shift.

This is when the positive practice of patience can serve you in each part of your life and especially in the creative aspect of your life.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience."

Listen – what does a "slow down" of flow indicates?

It does not indicate wrongness. It does NOT indicate inability. It does NOT indicate failure.

It is an invitation to discover the path towards being a writer who enjoys every moment of the process of writing, regardless of its outcome or appearance.

Edmund Burke said, "Patience will achieve more than force."

It is an invitation to be grateful for the simplicity  here. The simple experience with this  secret of life… and the secret of putting the pen to the page and letting it move, simply, easily, effortlessly.

Several years ago, I facilitated a group called "42 Days of Writing Passionately" and  I loved a message my friend Sheila Finkelstein wrote in the discussion list, she wrote:
 
>>> I was "seeing" what I was writing... Interesting,
this free form writing. <<<

Yes, Sheila, it is interesting, blissful, peaceful – and allows movement into the quiet, patient places deep within our soul.

To further quote James Taylor: "Any fool can do it. There ain't nothing to it" and "Einstein said he could never understand it all."

So instead of needing to KNOW how it works or why it works or trying to prove how or why it won't
work for you, continue to take your time with it, to experiment.

Now is your time to step into a place of enjoying the passage of time as you allow gratitude to do
its work both with you and for you.

St. Augustine said, "Patience is the companion of wisdom."

Listen to these words from Elizabeth Berg from her book, _Escaping into the Open _: "If you have
the calling to be a writer, it's not going to go away any more than the shape of your nose will. Your
need and longing and ability to express yourself will come back. Like love, you can't force it. Like
love, it will find you when it is ready. In addition to that, just because you are not putting pen to paper or fingers to computer keys doesn't mean you're not writing: if you are a writer any time you are observing you are working."

One of the pure joys of the writing we do here is that it is not a forceful, "gotta do it" kind of writing,
it is a partnership with energy, with the divine – like communion in a sacred space.

We simply open the door here and allow whatever wants to come onto the page to feel welcomed. Often times what we write surprises us. Sometimes it even delights and amazes us.

Another favorite lyric from this James Taylor song is, "The secret of love is in opening up your heart. It's ok to feel afraid, but don't let that stand in your way."

Before we write, we need to collectively and individually open our hearts wider than they are right now. Take a deep breath, allowing your breath to fill your heart space. Invite your heart to open. You might think it is impossible to do this: I invite you to step into wonder rather than the "how can this be?" or "Why do I need to do this?" Simply breathe the invitation to greater heart openness into your heart.

Allow your heart to be more open.

Prepare to Write:

We opened today's lesson with some lyrics from James Taylor: "The secret of life is enjoying the
passage of time."

I am thinking you have your own secret of life.

Today in our writing, we will focus on your secret of life….. it may be related to loving or patience or not… it may be totally off the map and unexpected. Whatever shape your writing takes today is just right for you. Exactly as it was meant to be.

Simply begin to write with the phrase….

My secret of life is…..

My secret of life is…..

My secret of life is…..

Practice patience today in the "little things" – the moments when you have to
wait when you would rather not, when you have to listen to someone talk longer than you think
they need to, when the little irksome tasks of life seem to be annoyances.

Allow yourself to remember…

The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time…. Any time.

 

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Comments

[Lorna]

My secet of life is love and coffee...and pancakes.