Fortunate than most children? Yes, indeed I was.
I had a beach when other children only had a swimming pool.
I had a ballroom, they only had a family room.
I had a witch's den, they only had a sand box.
I had a huge tent, they only had a doll house.
You see, I had a big back yard.
I have been looking through some of my old writings. I came across the above piece entitled "My Backyard," dated May 4, 1965, the year I graduated from high school!!
I wrote a post for my Blog on March 1 of this year called "Clothes Lines." In that post, I only remembered part of the fun I had as a child making the tents from the clothes line in the backyard. I discovered in this '65 piece that my backyard was my daycare, my escape, my dreams. It went on to tell in detail what I meant by the beach, the ballroom, the witch's den, and the huge tents.
As I read, I said to myself, "Yes, I remember that. How could I forget that? I remember that now. And that reminds me of other games we played."
If only I had written more when I was younger, kept track of more events. I kept a diary at times growing up and after college, but always put it aside, got rid of them, in fact. Oh, I'm so sorry I didn't save/write more. I guess I didn't take my writing all that seriously, but I continued to write in little ways such as a free lance reporter for the Ft. Wayne newspaper's Northeast Neighborhood section. I had some tough fire stories to cover and some human interest stories. There was long gap then until I started writing workshop in my own classroom back in '01-'02. I discovered the love was still there, and now here I am retired, wanting to really write again.
The challenge to me now and to you fellow bloggers is to keep writing, writing, writing. Keep writing and keep everything you write. You won't remember all the precious details of your past if you don't. We're fortunate writing is so much easier now that we have computers. I can't believe I said that since I'm a firm believer in using the pen. I certainly didn't compose these posts on paper! Discovery time again!
So as we wind down from a month of writing every day, keep the fires burning within your mind and soul beyond the month of March and into your future as an author of works.
Thanks for your wishes! And for reminding me of past times. I too had a big back yard, & we made tents from the clothes lines. Fun summer memories, for sure. I'm glad you're writing again!
ReplyDeleteOh you have struck me with a project I have been avoiding. My mother saved all my letters weekly written with carbon paper to Granny, Momie and my sister during college and the first ten years of married life. I have a box full of them and my intention was to go through them and save the good parts.My problem is that I type with four fingers and have never learned to read and touch type.. Oh well...
ReplyDeleteLove that last bit--and the part about "keep writing and keep what you write". Excellent advice wrapped in a story about your own discovery of some old writing. Nicely done!
ReplyDelete(and it's funny that you included the part about the computer--must be RA's influence, right?)
Awww, I love this. Love the memories at the beginning, the wise words in the middle, and that final sentence that I will be writing in my notebook. So so so glad you are blogging. Even happier that you are writing.
ReplyDeleteYes, I wish I had written but I'm glad I'm writing now and can share it with my class, my children and my grandchildren. I did write some when I was in Iceland- age 18 yrs. It is so much fun to read. Wish I had written more then! I have used my Writer's noteboks that I have written in from the last five years to help with the slicing this month. I wanted to mention, however, that my class is reading an article that tells about how studies prove that handwriting actually helps students become smarter. I'll have ot share it with you. Happy slicing!:) I'll miss this!:(
ReplyDeleteI was blessed too. Kids don't know what they are missing. I had a big backyard AND a neighborhood with all sorts of magical places. The Whispering Pines. The Willows. The Roller Coaster. The Creek. The Three Rocks. Not very original names but they marked places where our imaginations took a journey everyday. We only came in when mom would ring the dinner bell.
ReplyDeleteI love that my mom is enjoying your writing!!
ReplyDeleteI helped my father with his memoir last year. He started by compiling all his letters, journals and diaries in his painting studio. Then he organized them. This took a long time, as my mother said he was re-reading everything and re-processing what he had already lived once. She said a lot of hatchets were buried and a lot of forgiving went on during that period. He wrote the rough draft, then called me in to help him edit the final book.
ReplyDeleteIt is his treasure and our treasure, just like your writings are. I have saved lots of things as well, that I don't know what to do with. Maybe I'll write me a book when I'm 82, like Dad?
Thanks for that final advice. Very inspirational. And thanks for all your comments on my blog posts. Also very inspirational!
Elizabeth E.
http://peninkpaper.blogspot.com/