invitations (blog) – Page 2

open invitation no. 39: word

Write off of a word.

It is popular to select One Little Word in lieu of a resolution. Maybe you kept a word close during 2020. Maybe you didn’t. Perhaps you are thinking of One Little Word for 2021. Perhaps you aren’t.

The prompt today, if you are looking for inspiration, is to select a word and write about it. See where it leads you. As we know, because we are writers, words are magical.

*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—I started a Facebook Group for the #sosmagic community. Join here.

write

Open your blog and write a post. Just write.

Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.

comment

Comment on other blogs. Soak up the magic that will find you.

grab an image for your blog

Use one of these images so we can find each other…and you can invite others to share their stories with us!

Offer an invitation to others.

open invitation no. 38: rituals

Rituals are comforting

“There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.” —Deborah Norville

Rituals are comforting. Every morning, since I was a little girl, I’ve opened my eyes and think, “It’s going to be a good day.” It’s a ritual that starts my day.

This year I decided I was going to drink the best cup of coffee or tea every day. It’s a ritual I love. I take a sip from my mug of steaming liquid and I think, “That is the best drink I’ve ever had.”

Some mornings I forgo the cup of warmth and have ice water instead. I think, “That is the crispest water I’ve ever tasted.”

It’s a ritual I relish—beginning every day with the best drink I’ve ever had.

What about you? What rituals in your life are comforting?

*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—I started a Facebook Group for the #sosmagic community. Join here.

write

Open your blog and write a post. Just write.

Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.

comment

Comment on other blogs. Soak up the magic that will find you.

grab an image for your blog

Use one of these images so we can find each other…and you can invite others to share their stories with us!

Offer an invitation to others.

open invitation no. 37: routines

Open your blog. Write.

The day is made up of routines. Whether intentional or not, each day has a rhythm and those rhythms are built through routines. I’ve come to believe that cues are the best ways to set routines in motion. A cue is a signal for something to happen.

I read scripture and write every morning. It’s because I have a cue of drinking the best cup of coffee to begin the day. I pour coffee. I open my bible. I write in my notebook.

I go for a walk each day because I have a cue of dropping the boys off at school. I pull out of the parking lot and drive to the park. I open the door for Luna and she waits while I pull on my hat and gloves. Then we walk.

I cook dinner most nights because I have a cue of shutting down my computer and turning on music. The music plays and I chop or sauté or mix.

If we want to be people who write and share our stories, then we must attune to a cue. Perhaps it is this invitation. Let it be your cue. Open your blog and write.

*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—I started a Facebook Group for the #sosmagic community. Join here.

write

Open your blog and write a post. Just write.

Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.

comment

Comment on other blogs. Soak up the magic that will find you.

grab an image for your blog

Use one of these images so we can find each other…and you can invite others to share their stories with us!

Offer an invitation to others.

open invitation no. 36: dessert

Keep a cookie in your purse.

When I was in college, Nancy the librarian who worked with my mom and fed me books my entire life, sent me a card and a cookie. The card read, “When life is hard and getting worse, keep a cookie in your purse.”

It was a little jingle that has stayed with me for decades. Though simple, it is lovely life advice. Sometimes I drop a cookie in my purse, just as a reminder that even when life is heavy, I can still be lighthearted.

If you’re looking for a writing topic, tell us about a cookie.

*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—I started a Facebook Group for the #sosmagic community. Join here.

write

Open your blog and write a post. Just write.

Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.

comment

Comment on other blogs. Soak up the magic that will find you.

grab an image for your blog

Use one of these images so we can find each other…and you can invite others to share their stories with us!

Offer an invitation to others.

open invitation no. 35: childhood loves

Take time to remember what you loved to do as a child.

What did you love to do as a child? Pause and remember. This isn’t something you need to race to do; linger. Consider different locations where you could be found as a child—what did you love? Consider food you ate—what did you love? Consider your hobbies—what did you love?

You can use these memories as a starting point to a story, but that isn’t the invitation. The invitation is to bring something you loved as a child back into your life. This is best if childhood love has been absent for a long time.

Savor the enjoyment and remember the bliss of childhood loves.

*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—I started a Facebook Group for the #sosmagic community. Join here.

write

Open your blog and write a post. Just write.

Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.

comment

Comment on other blogs. Soak up the magic that will find you.

grab an image for your blog

Use one of these images so we can find each other…and you can invite others to share their stories with us!

Offer an invitation to others.

open invitation no. 34: definition inspiration

Use a definition as inspiration for your writing.

A quick search on Merriam-Webster revealed this definition of thanksgiving…

I like looking up definitions because they often reveal new truths and ideas to me. Try to use a definition as an inspiration for your writing. Use thanksgiving or select another word and then do a quick search on Merriam-Webster. (You can use any site, but I’m partial to Merriam-Webster because of their Word of the Day.)

*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—I started a Facebook Group for the #sosmagic community. Join here.

write

Open your blog and write a post. Just write.

Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.

comment

Comment on other blogs. Soak up the magic that will find you.

grab an image for your blog

Use one of these images so we can find each other…and you can invite others to share their stories with us!

Offer an invitation to others.

open invitation no. 33: gratitude

Make a gratitude list.

Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness. It’s the spark that lights a fire of joy in your soul. —Amy Collette

Make a gratitude list.
Be creative.
Use photographs or doodles.
Collect some ephemera. (That’s a fancy word writers use that loosely means stuff you’d throw away if you didn’t have notebook to stick it in.)
Write captions or blurbs.
Use different pens, markers, paint or chalk.
Change the font style, size or color.

Make a gratitude list and you will find that you are happier.

*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—I started a Facebook Group for the #sosmagic community. Join here.

write

Open your blog and write a post. Just write.

Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.

comment

Comment on other blogs. Soak up the magic that will find you.

grab an image for your blog

Use one of these images so we can find each other…and you can invite others to share their stories with us!

Offer an invitation to others.

open invitation no. 32: write off of a photograph

Look at the background.

We are making photographs to understand what our lives mean to us.—Ralph Hattersley

Use a photograph to inspire your writing. Bypass the foreground and look to the background. What do you notice? What didn’t you see before? What is unexpected? Allow the background to guide your writing.

*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—I started a Facebook Group for the #sosmagic community. Join here.

write

Open your blog and write a post. Just write.

Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.

comment

Comment on other blogs. Soak up the magic that will find you.

grab an image for your blog

Use one of these images so we can find each other…and you can invite others to share their stories with us!

Offer an invitation to others.

open invitation no. 31: listen

Listen for gratitude.

Sound is a huge influence on people’s attention.—Walter Murch

Lately (like for my entire life), I have been opening my eyes to discover gratitude. A well-lived life hinges on a grateful outlook. Lately (like in the last few months), I have been having a harder time hearing. I’ve chalked it up to getting older. I’m stronger at gratitude; weaker at hearing.

Sometimes when it’s harder to hear, we pay attention a little more. I’ve been including sounds when I consider the things for which I’m grateful. Each day I’ve been listening for gratitude, which makes me think about including more sounds in my writing.

How about you? What sounds are you glad to hear? What sounds make up the moments of your life? What sounds catch your attention? Consider capturing sounds in your writing.*

*Remember, you don’t have to accept this invitation…but I do hope you will accept the invitation to write—sounds or not. Sharing our stories is magical.

PS—I started a Facebook Group for the #sosmagic community. Join here.

write

Open your blog and write a post. Just write.

Reply to this post, jot a note and paste your URL.

comment

Comment on other blogs. Soak up the magic that will find you.

grab an image for your blog

Use one of these images so we can find each other…and you can invite others to share their stories with us!

Offer an invitation to others.