Ruth Ayres

open invitation no. 93: say hello (or goodbye)

If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello. [Paulo Coelho] I live in the Midwest and experience the gamut of four full seasons. I spend a lot of time thinking about seasons, the traditional seasons of summer, fall, winter, and spring, as well as the seasons of life.Continue reading “open invitation no. 93: say hello (or goodbye)”

open invitation no. 92: lie on the grass

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time. [John Lubbock] Do this: Lie on the grass under the trees or listen toContinue reading “open invitation no. 92: lie on the grass”

open invitation no. 91: invite readers to linger

In the summer, the days were long, stretching into each other. Out of school, everything was on pause and yet happening at the same time, this collection of weeks when anything was possible. [Sarah Dessen, Along for the Ride] Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite young adult writers. She writes quiet stories that areContinue reading “open invitation no. 91: invite readers to linger”

open invitation no. 90: radiance

Learning how to be still, to really be still and let life happen—that stillness becomes a radiance. [Morgan Freeman] Sometimes I wonder if life is one big quest for learning to be still. Busy bombards us, no matter our age or location, we are busy. It’s a battle (at least for me) to choose toContinue reading “open invitation no. 90: radiance”

open invitation no. 89: honest

I realize there’s something incredibly honest about trees in the winter, how they’re experts at letting things go. [Jeffrey McDaniel] It’s summer and the trees are beautiful in my corner of the world. They are sturdy and lush-green. It seems inappropriate to use this quote to inspire writing. Still. I like the thought of honestyContinue reading “open invitation no. 89: honest”

open invitation no. 88: simplicity

The greatest step to a life of simplicity is to learn to let go. [Steve Maraboli] Make a list of things you can let go to make life simpler. I’ll go first: I can let go of feeling guilty for the things I don’t get done. *Remember, you don’t have to accept this invitation…but IContinue reading “open invitation no. 88: simplicity”

just a note

And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer. [F. Scott Fitzgerald] Dear Story Collectors, I did it again and fell behind. Many moons ago, Ramona Behnke told me thatContinue reading “just a note”

open invitation no. 87: a daring adventure

Life is a daring adventure or nothing at all [Helen Keller] Write about a daring adventure. It can be one that happened or one you hope to happen. *Remember, you don’t have to accept this invitation…but I do hope you will accept the invitation to write. Sharing our stories is magical. PS—There is a FacebookContinue reading “open invitation no. 87: a daring adventure”

open invitation no. 86: what’s your magic?

We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all of the power we need inside ourselves already. [J.K. Rowling] What is magical about your writing life? I think magic is a whimsical way to think about our strengths. Said another way, it’s a way to consider the power we carry inside ofContinue reading “open invitation no. 86: what’s your magic?”