Sat 09.21.24
While I am not quite sure what I plan to do in my “retirement years” I am convinced my work on this planet is not yet done. So I continue to read, steal time here and there to write and wait patiently for a sign.
“All you have to do is pay attention; lessons always arrive when you are ready, and if you can read the signs, you will learn everything you need to know in order to take the next step.” from THE ZAHIR
Read the signs: this is an individual language joined to intuition that appears at the right moments. Even if the signs point in the opposite direction from what you planned, follow them. Sometimes you can go wrong, but this is the best way to learn this new language.
Warrior of the Light, a http://www.paulocoelho.com.br publication — Paulo Coelho
Mimi and Papa by Madelyn. I’m the one on the right.
The spirit of the writer is different than the spirits of other artists. Writers are quirkier. Not as quirky as some painters or the guy who builds things out of toothpicks but quirky nonetheless. These artists qualify as top of the heap quirky. All I want to do is write. Is this too quirky?
I haven’t thought about or read much from Paulo Coelho recently. There was a time in my life when the signs were everywhere. Then they stopped. Maybe I wasn’t paying enough attention. Maybe they just stopped. Well, much to my surprise when I wasn’t looking for a sign one just shows up. I stumbled upon the article on Dr. Hinohara and at the top of the list of his longevity tips was…
DON’T RETIRE
I just finished reading The Writing Life by Annie Dillard and I realize my writing will never achieve the level of the great ones. From this short book on writing you can tell Dillard is pretty quirky. Maybe I’m not quirky enough to have chosen the writing life. But I am OK with my underdeveloped talents as I was OK with deciding not to pursue writing for a living. Too hard, too demanding, too much time spent writing words into the void where no one reads what you’ve written. Maybe if I took this writing thing seriously I would have gotten a lot better. Maybe if I had become a better writer the angels above would have tossed down a bit of luck. Maybe it’s not too late to start writing better. It’s always easier to work tirelessly on your art when you don’t depend upon it to put a roof over your head, food on the table, clothes on your back. I have always had a day job.
I still have a day job. I still write nearly every day, personal journal, online journal, blogs, grocery lists on scraps of paper. And it doesn’t matter if anyone reads my writing or not. I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing, waiting for the next sign.
The Artist is on the left. I’m the one on the right. I’m the writer.
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