how did I survive slice of life?

I made it. And how did I make it? I wrote this last post and a few others a few days early to get drafts typed. I will have had a surgery on my hand, and it shouldn't be too bad, but I worried I wouldn't be able to write. So I am writing a tad early and setting it to post after a few pecked out edits.

I want to say how thankful I am to have made it to the end even if I had to figure out a way to get it done extra creatively. I love to write, and I love the Slice of Life Story Challenge even if I worry and complain about it for a couple months leading up to it. I've written some of my most tender pieces during the challenge over these several years, and I believe it is not on accident. I believe the pressure of daily writing, the exercise of daily writing, and the discipline of daily writing all work together to get my heart and mind working together to write well.

Thank you to everyone who has been reading along as I write. I am thankful for every single comment. I need feedback some days. I probably would have given up a long time ago if I hadn't been able to round up some readership early on. It means the world to me that I have you all. The support is invaluable.

I'll still be around, writing on Tuesdays. And other days too. I like to write; I was just forgetting myself for a bit.

new horizon

I haven't been able to revel in my horizon since it changed almost a year ago. It's been hard for me to let go of the view I had before me before I moved. It had made a place in my heart, and I loved that it had. However, the past few weeks have been warming me up to the idea of loving where I am, loving where I live, and loving where I might go from here because of where I am right now.

My perspective just needs to shift. It's not because I haven't made friends or I don't appreciate the beautiful mountain I live by. I think I need to let it continue to seep into my soul like the snow melting from the top and making its way into the smallest streams below. It takes a little time, you know. It has to. And it ends up being so good when it finally reaches the right destination.

I want to keep letting the snow melt into my heart, so I'll keep working on making space for it.

tulips are life

It is astonishing how something so beautiful can fade so quickly. Tulips are gorgeous as they go from green leafy shoots to layers of leaves, then the grand finale that lasts only a couple of weeks. It is hard to like tulips because of this fact. I want flowers to grow and last a month or longer! Not grow, grow, grow, bloom for a bit, and then die. I am totally complaining right now, but as I realize I need to finish writing, so I can get some rest, I see how our lives are like tulips. Or at least my life, I think. I have been growing and growing so much. I wonder how long this stage lasts before the quite short bloom happens. It will be exciting one way or another. Of that, I am certain.

Tulips are life.

springtime

Isn't there just something truly splendid about springtime? The beginning of warmth and budding plants and trees cause people to perk up and look around.

I know I have been watching the trees and shrubs for new growth. I've been watching the weather for warmer and warmer days. Don't get me wrong, I do not want blazing heat, but I am ready to not be so cold anymore. I think I lived in my coat for half the winter this year. My hands were the coldest part on me at almost any point.

I hope things continue to improve, or I might want to head south for next winter!

tracks

Riding on trains equals adventure to me, so when I see train tracks, I begin thinking of what excitement is coming my way. I don't care how far (or not far) I am going; riding the train is going to be good.

I have begun to use day trips on trains as a way to get work done. I do take a break and get off to walk and get a bite and soak in scenery to boost my creativity, but the swaying and constancy of the train seem to help me focus.

I also use the train to take me on little trips and open up the door to adventure. It is always a good day when I begin it with a train ride.

One of these days, I want to take a coastal train trip or even cross-country. Man alive, that would be fun.