PEN TO PAPER: Be Present, Connect & Listen
Last Thursday when my friend Jenny and I did our freewrite, we chose three words from her Anchored Card Deck. The words were Presence, Connect and Listen. My fingers flew across the keys, what powerful words to focus on during the holidays, and especially during a pandemic.
It can be difficult to be present. With bills and work, and these days the constant worry about everyone’s health, stress levels are high. And my to-do list seems to get longer everyday. But, this is also when I use my past, my history with loss, to remind myself to slow down, to be present. If you’ve lost people you love, you know what I’m talking about.
Sometimes I have to have a little conversation with myself. Sonya, who cares if the house is a messy, hang out with your son, he will be back at college soon. Enjoy walks with your husband and watching basketball when there are dishes in the sink. Forget about the other stuff, be truly present.
Yes, presence is worth writing about and thinking about and doing.
And who doesn’t need to connect right now? Most of us are living within our bubbles, working to keep others safe. So for ourselves, and others, we need to look at how we can connect with our friends and loved ones, and maybe even people who we don’t know as well. Set up a zoom meeting, text or just pick up the phone and call. These are difficult times, look at how you can connect.
Listen. Ah, what a word (And it fits so well with the other two). A reminder to listen, just listen. Listen to your spouse, listen to your friends, listen to your kids, listen to the teller at the grocery store, listen to your favorite music, and listen to […]
PEN TO PAPER: Food For Thought
I love food. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just good. Still, as I write this blog I realize that I’m known to take pictures of my food. Do I just want to remember how good it was? Do I want a picture to remind me of that time and the experience? I’m not sure, but I do know that food is a huge part our lives and that’s why it can be a great starting point for writing.
Our meals not only give us nutrients but they become a bigger part of our lives in different ways. For some people, one of the best parts of a meal is putting it all together. I enjoy cooking, but I certainly don’t love it. My friend Kathy, on the other hand, loves to cook and bake (Instagram @lick.the.plate). She baked the beautiful Bolo Polana cake in the photo above (Recipe from “In Bibi’s Kitchen” by Hawa Hassan and Julia Turshen). I’m inspired by all the amazing food and drink recipes she makes and shares. I’ve made several and have a list going for future endeavors.
Along with cooking the food, there’s the savoring of it. How it touches our senses as well as our hearts and souls. Past meals bring memories of sadness, laughter and pure joy. Meals are a part of us and make us who we are. Think about the foods that you love. Does a ripe mango make your mouth water or do you dream of fillet mignon? What are some of the best meals that you’ve experienced? Are they quiet meals alone or have they been giant spreads shared with extended family and friends? Consider your meals and your relationship with food and then put your pen to […]
PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: Make The Little Things Count
The number one thing to do is to stay in shape. You can do basic home exercise: sit-ups, push-ups, burpies, etc. on your own, or there are a lot of workout routines online to help you stay motivated. If you’re lucky, you may have a basement or room where you can dribble a ball and work on ball handling skills. (My kids dribbled balls and played catch in our house, but that was never allowed in my childhood home, so this may not be an option for you.) But, even if you can’t dribble in the house, there are a few things that you can do to help your ball handling.
One is to use your non-dominant hand to do things around the house. If you’re right handed use your left hand, and visa versa. Do this when you brush your teeth, drink your water, open a door. Everything that you can possibly do with your non-dominant hand, do it. This can help your ball handing by developing strength and coordination in your weaker arm. I know from experience. I spent months with my broken right arm in a sling and my left hand took over and grew much stronger. Adding some hand, wrist and forearm exercises can help too.
So if you’re stuck inside this winter (keeping you and others in your community safe) control the things that you can control, and work on your game in little ways. Use your non-dominant hand around the house and after you finish your schoolwork (or work), or during a break, do a basic workout and add some hand strengthing exercises to your routine. (links below) Even if you can’t play basketball right now, doing a few little things will pay off for you when you get back on the court.
What suggestions do you […]
PEN TO PAPER: Mining Memories
When I was working on my memoir Back On The Court: A Young Woman’s Triumphant Return To Life, Love & Basketball, parts of my life that I had forgotten, came back to me while I was writing. For example, while writing a scene that took place in my roof top studio apartment near Green Lake, I was transported back to that time and place, and then remembered talking to my mom about getting engaged that day. I had totally forgotten about the conversation, but the memory just moved through my fingers and onto the page.
It’s interesting how the mind works. How it store memories, good and sometimes a little scary, in its nooks and crannies. Below are a few simple writing prompts to work from, to see what you might discover. Fiction or nonfiction, let your mind have some fun.
WRITING PROMPT 1: I don’t remember when…
WRITING PROMPT 2: I forgot…
WRITING PROMPT 3: Tanner relaxed on the bed, closed his eyes and let his mind wander until…
Meet Sonya
Meet Sonya
Sonya Elliott’s memoir, Back on the Court: A Young Woman’s Triumphant Return to Life, Love & Basketball, is her story of finding hope in the wake of tragedy after she and her fiancé were hit by a train. She blogs about writing, basketball, and life and is currently working on a Young Adult Novel and a Non-Fiction Coaching book. Stories of her career as a fashion model are woven through her memoir, as both the Soloflex and Easy Spirit Shoes commercials were filmed during that time period, and this unique and intriguing business continues to be a part of her life.
Sonya played basketball at Eastern Washington University and was a starter for the Big Sky Champion team that went to the 1987 NCAA tournament. She coached for almost 25 years and was voted Seattle Times Coach of the Year, Seattle Officials Women’s Basketball Association Coach of the Year, and twice voted Metro League Coach of the Year. She loves the game of basketball and is thankful, not only for her husband and kids but for her ability to continue to get back on the court.
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PEN TO PAPER: Tax Time
Is anyone else working on getting your taxes together? I was supposed have my information together for my accountant today. I’m not quite there yet. Tax time is always a stressful, messy time for me. And it’s gotten worse since the arrival of technology. Now half of my tax information is lost somewhere in my emails, a bunch of bills and receipts are on paper and the rest I have to go find on websites.
I’m not a big fan of tax time.
I am lucky to have a kind and patient accountant to help me through it all, but still, when the deadline looms for me (Feb 28), I can get a little cranky. Writing has helped me through some really tough times in my life, and sometimes it can even help with the little things that make you cranky. And it can be great place to find writing inspiration so […]
LIFE INSPIRED FITNESS: Chasing Waves with Amy Waeschle
Today’s Life Inspired Fitness guest is author Amy Waeschle. She is a perfect example of a woman who stays healthy and fit by doing what she loves. I first met Amy at the Pacific Northwest Writer’s Conference when she was working on her memoir Chasing Waves: A Surfer’s Tale Of Obsessive Wandering. I was struck by her love of surfing, as it echoed my feelings about basketball. Chasing Waves is a collection of stories based on Amy’s surfing adventures. After traveling from Morocco to Fiji to Canada, Amy’s exposure to diverse cultures and experiences expanded her love of surfing as well as her view of life. Amy published the memoir in 2009 and since then, has written seven more books. She is the author of the #1 Amazon Bestselling mystery series featuring Dr. Cassidy Kincaid and the novels Going Over the Falls and Feeding the Fire. The final book of her […]
PEN TO PAPER: Writing To Save My Life
Several years ago I wrote an article about how writing literally saved my life after my fiancé was killed and I felt as if life wasn’t worth living. I never published the piece, but I hand it out when I speak to grief support groups, hoping that my experience with recovery will inspire others who are struggling. And now, I hope that by sharing it here, it will find it’s way to those in need…
“Writing to Save My Life”
Sonya G. Elliott
I wouldn’t have thought it could happen. Getting hit by a train and losing my fiancé just days before our wedding for one, but actually recovering from such a thing seems altogether unbelievable, even a miracle. And, of course, the fact that I survived was a miracle to my family and friends, but for me it was a death sentence that left me alone and struggling to go on with […]
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