The publication of a story I wrote is the initiative to begin blogging about writing on a regular basis. It’s time. Considering how much I write and set aside, I’m amazed when I finish something and feel confident enough to share it with the world.
On September 1, 2020 The Ephemeral Orchid was published on Wanderlust-Travel Journal. It’s a short, sweet non-fiction piece about my marriage and the idea that after 40 years together, Brett and I still joke about being compatible, and wonder if there’s another 40 years ahead. I incorporated the idea of orchids that are tied to the Palm trees in Miami. The story can be read at Wanderlust-Travel Journal.
The story came from a prompt in this past summer’s field class on Ireland, with instructor Suzanne Strempek Shea. Because of Covid-19, the class couldn’t visit Ireland as they normally do each summer, so Suzanne held an 8-week online class. Sometime I’d like to write about that course.
Every time I write, I think of more to write. I do not have a problem with writer’s block. In fact, there are always too many ideas to keep track of. I have lists on top of lists on top of lists. I’ve tried every organizing trick I’m aware of, and I always default to my old-fashioned handwritten lists. My philosophy is that if an idea drops through the cracks, is stashed away never to be found, or is simply forgotten, it wasn’t meant to be.
I consider myself a fatalist, essentially believing that anything that needs to happen will do so in its own and time and place. Like cream, the need or desire of the moment will rise to the surface. If it does not rise, it is not cream, at least not right now. It is a hopeful way to think as nothing is ever over. Each day is a new day, a new time to consider, even reconsider a thought. Because there are no guarantees, there is always an open opportunity for anything to happen!