Do You Like to Write?

Do you like to write? I enjoy writing. Well, mainly I enjoy thinking and sometimes I write it down. I envision other people with writing practices that are very elegant. They have beautiful paper, a lovely pen, a comfortable chair perfectly positioned by the window with the birds happily flitting around in an encouraging manner, and hours to let the pen flow effortlessly across the page. Me?  I have reams of notebook paper in three ring binders that are crumpled, have coffee rings or water stains on them, with lines of words haphazardly going in diagonals or skipping lines. Or in my well perfected, signature writing style, writing one line over another because I write in the dark. It’s not intentional that I write in the dark, it just kind of happens that way. 

I don’t like artificial light especially prematurely in the day, so I never turn on a light. I’m convinced the really good thoughts feel safer to show up in the dark.

Since I do wake up early every day and depending on the season, I get a cup of coffee, and head to the yoga studio in my home. After weaving my way around cameras and cables and monitors, I settle on my meditation cushion and start tuning into my body. That’s usually when I have these insights or musings that insist on getting onto a page. Maybe like you, I tell myself the biggest lie in the world, “Oh I’ll remember that and write it down later.” Ha! That never happens. So there is always writing paper (three ring, college ruled) and a pen by my mat. Sometimes you may see these papers on my videos; it drives Terry insane.

Most of what I write never has the hope of being re-read or seeing the light of day. There are explicit instructions that all my writings are to be burned within 24 hours of my death. Be sure to put that into your final instructions as well. In the darkened stillness I might find some wordy brilliance or a cool yoga sequence that ends up in a yoga class. Mainly it’s just a bunch of words that sound really cool together in that moment. You probably never read something you wrote a year ago and wonder, “Who the heck wrote that and what on earth did she mean?” That would be me. 

Once these words get on the page my mind finds ease and I can begin meditating. That’s a scary word, huh? Meditation. I’m totally with you so we’ll stick our toes in the water on that one later. For now, let me encourage you to begin a writing practice. 

Let there be no rules. No time limits. No word counts. Just write.

Allow it to evolve. (This is you we are talking about.)

The first pen you pick up will not be the right one…. or the ‘write’ one? LOL! (Black roller ball, medium tip.)

Your paper choice has permission to change. (Notebook paper, college ruled)

Keep them or tear them up. (Burn upon my death.)

Use proper grammar and punctuation… or not! (Soooo not me!)

Above all, let it be you on that page.