I guess writing is not an event - like Spring. It is an emergence - happening all the time. And I guess Spring is not springing for much of a purpose other than the natural rhythm of life - perhaps your writing is you expressing your own natural rhythms? Purpose is a funny one - I'm thinking of how it helps and how really there is no purpose - Alan Watts says "The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple." And yet we humans have a mind that wants purpose, so perhaps it's best to find one (whilst knowing that we fulfil the main purpose of life in just living). Anyway - if it helps, I love your writing as it shows me your world, and it helps me accept my world. So thank you!
Thanks Juliana - I like this idea of just being-ness. I'm reminded of Joseph Campbell's comment "What is the meaning of a flower?" There is no meaning, it just is, alive, vital, here, contributing to the great mystery of it all. That's why I write, I think, to simply take part, notice, be here. xx
I wonder what all that reading of the past will tell you about purpose. I expect that the same purpose has always been there even when it has ebbed through the years and the seasons. I love the style, the content and the format. Xx
I wonder too, Bel - halfway through the first notebook I can already see a narrative emerging. It is exciting to have a direction, for now at least. I'm always happiest whilst researching ;) Thanks as always for your encouragement xx
I try to always remind myself of the words of Raymond Carver, “I write a little every day, without hope or despair.” At 61, I finally have a book forthcoming…. I loved the Dickinson series, too, so smart and fun. I do think if one feels an urge to write and does it as naturally and as well as you do, and who asks these kinds of probing questions, and who looks so thoughtfully at everything and then works to craft this all into writing….you don’t really have a choice but to write, and pursue whatever goals you feel pulling you forward. It’s always worth it, even if your words just get sewn into bundles and hidden in the linen.
Oh gosh I love this Arnie, thank you. Yes, I must admit to feeling a growing imperative to write, as if there is no point to life if I don't. It could as easily be another creative practice as it is for others, but the urge is to create isn't it? But more than that, it's a drive to understand my place in it all, to make meaning from the chaos. I love the idea of words sewn into bundles. Yes, even if it's just that, it'll be worth it. My notebooks prove that.
Thank you for this Lynne, it’s a beautiful reflection on how long Spring has taken to arrive with us. The relentless rain has matched my mood these past months. As you know I’m exploring my purpose with writing, and you’ve reminded me I have Man’s Search for Meaning in my pile of books by my bed so maybe a revisit will help me 💛
Thank you Helen, I’m glad you enjoyed it. Our conversation the other night helped confirm this latest post needed to be about understanding our own purpose for writing somehow 😊 all the best for finding yours. Frankl’s book was pivotal for me in the realisation that simply being creative can be purpose enough.
Yeah I get that. I’m still dealing with that one, I’m not sure it goes away but we become more adept at handling it and writing anyway. I do think writing here and getting feedback has helped enormously with my own confidence. You’d be forgiven for thinking I’m getting commission from Substack 😂 I’ll shut up now and leave you to your journey. When the time is right, it will seem like a simple decision to make.
I so appreciate your encouragement Lynne- I do realise the only thing holding me back is myself 🙈 you’re right though - and as soon as I start I’ll wonder why I waited so long!
Is there anything as compelling as reading another person's diary/journal/notebook? I don't think so! haha. As you say, there's something about finding the patterns within it, and things emerging. I think this is such a good format for you and I love the length of these selections - brief but flowing. They are incredibly readable and I love the balance between nature description and then 'Big Thoughts'. I agree that purpose is everything. I have often tried to move away from my reliance on meaning and purpose, but I am just not built to see the world in any other way, and the times I get depressed is almost always when I have lost that anchoring to purpose. I think this is especially true of writing. I mean, there isn't any point writing and sharing if we don't have a point is there? If we don't aspire to give the reader something, or in the very least to give ourselves something in that process? It is a communication tool, even if the communication is with ourselves, so why pick it up if we have no sense of what it is we might want to say, or write towards, or think towards. But it sounds like Spring is bringing clarity in this regard. My experience of purpose in my writing is that sometimes it's very clear and then sometimes I lose it (at which point logic and completion need to take the reins) and then it comes back. it does dip and wane, but hopefully momentum can carry something in the interim! xx
Oh thank you so much Ruth! I have to say this format appeals to me but I just hope it doesn’t feel too self-indulgent. I think it works best when I draw on my journal and build it into something bigger. Agreed that purpose drifts in and out and I realise I just have to go with it when it feels purposeful and weather (no pun intended) the times when it retreats from view. Xx
I guess writing is not an event - like Spring. It is an emergence - happening all the time. And I guess Spring is not springing for much of a purpose other than the natural rhythm of life - perhaps your writing is you expressing your own natural rhythms? Purpose is a funny one - I'm thinking of how it helps and how really there is no purpose - Alan Watts says "The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple." And yet we humans have a mind that wants purpose, so perhaps it's best to find one (whilst knowing that we fulfil the main purpose of life in just living). Anyway - if it helps, I love your writing as it shows me your world, and it helps me accept my world. So thank you!
Thanks Juliana - I like this idea of just being-ness. I'm reminded of Joseph Campbell's comment "What is the meaning of a flower?" There is no meaning, it just is, alive, vital, here, contributing to the great mystery of it all. That's why I write, I think, to simply take part, notice, be here. xx
I wonder what all that reading of the past will tell you about purpose. I expect that the same purpose has always been there even when it has ebbed through the years and the seasons. I love the style, the content and the format. Xx
I wonder too, Bel - halfway through the first notebook I can already see a narrative emerging. It is exciting to have a direction, for now at least. I'm always happiest whilst researching ;) Thanks as always for your encouragement xx
I try to always remind myself of the words of Raymond Carver, “I write a little every day, without hope or despair.” At 61, I finally have a book forthcoming…. I loved the Dickinson series, too, so smart and fun. I do think if one feels an urge to write and does it as naturally and as well as you do, and who asks these kinds of probing questions, and who looks so thoughtfully at everything and then works to craft this all into writing….you don’t really have a choice but to write, and pursue whatever goals you feel pulling you forward. It’s always worth it, even if your words just get sewn into bundles and hidden in the linen.
Oh gosh I love this Arnie, thank you. Yes, I must admit to feeling a growing imperative to write, as if there is no point to life if I don't. It could as easily be another creative practice as it is for others, but the urge is to create isn't it? But more than that, it's a drive to understand my place in it all, to make meaning from the chaos. I love the idea of words sewn into bundles. Yes, even if it's just that, it'll be worth it. My notebooks prove that.
Thank you for this Lynne, it’s a beautiful reflection on how long Spring has taken to arrive with us. The relentless rain has matched my mood these past months. As you know I’m exploring my purpose with writing, and you’ve reminded me I have Man’s Search for Meaning in my pile of books by my bed so maybe a revisit will help me 💛
Thank you Helen, I’m glad you enjoyed it. Our conversation the other night helped confirm this latest post needed to be about understanding our own purpose for writing somehow 😊 all the best for finding yours. Frankl’s book was pivotal for me in the realisation that simply being creative can be purpose enough.
I know my hesitation is not only my purpose (which is a biggie so I hope the book helps) but also confidence. I’ll work through it!
Yeah I get that. I’m still dealing with that one, I’m not sure it goes away but we become more adept at handling it and writing anyway. I do think writing here and getting feedback has helped enormously with my own confidence. You’d be forgiven for thinking I’m getting commission from Substack 😂 I’ll shut up now and leave you to your journey. When the time is right, it will seem like a simple decision to make.
I so appreciate your encouragement Lynne- I do realise the only thing holding me back is myself 🙈 you’re right though - and as soon as I start I’ll wonder why I waited so long!
Is there anything as compelling as reading another person's diary/journal/notebook? I don't think so! haha. As you say, there's something about finding the patterns within it, and things emerging. I think this is such a good format for you and I love the length of these selections - brief but flowing. They are incredibly readable and I love the balance between nature description and then 'Big Thoughts'. I agree that purpose is everything. I have often tried to move away from my reliance on meaning and purpose, but I am just not built to see the world in any other way, and the times I get depressed is almost always when I have lost that anchoring to purpose. I think this is especially true of writing. I mean, there isn't any point writing and sharing if we don't have a point is there? If we don't aspire to give the reader something, or in the very least to give ourselves something in that process? It is a communication tool, even if the communication is with ourselves, so why pick it up if we have no sense of what it is we might want to say, or write towards, or think towards. But it sounds like Spring is bringing clarity in this regard. My experience of purpose in my writing is that sometimes it's very clear and then sometimes I lose it (at which point logic and completion need to take the reins) and then it comes back. it does dip and wane, but hopefully momentum can carry something in the interim! xx
Oh thank you so much Ruth! I have to say this format appeals to me but I just hope it doesn’t feel too self-indulgent. I think it works best when I draw on my journal and build it into something bigger. Agreed that purpose drifts in and out and I realise I just have to go with it when it feels purposeful and weather (no pun intended) the times when it retreats from view. Xx
I hope you keep on writing into your 90s. Thanks for your thoughts and observations.
Gosh me too! Spending time on my writing feels like a retirement plan in itself, something to do as I grow older. Thanks for reading!