PEN TO PAPER: Life
I write every Thurday with my friend Jenny. We used to always start with a freewrite, where we would choose a prompt and then write continuously for a few minutes, not worrying about spelling or grammar or content, just simply writing what ever came through our fingers and onto the page. Last week, after a few minutes of meditation (a more recent addition to our Thursdays), we decided to re-introduce the freewrite. We opted for “Life” in poetry, and started writing. When we were done, we read to one another and breathed…we needed that.
The freewrite has been added back into our writing routine.
If you’re a writer, maybe it’s time to try another freewrite. If you’re not a writer, give it a shot, you never know what will happen. You don’t have to read it to anyone. You can simply keep it to yourself or toss it away, but the process of letting thoughts out, letting them ramble around on a page, whether they make sense or not, can be valuable, if only as a way to vent and find room for your mind to focus.
With my daughter in Asia near the Coronavirus, several deadly shooting in the Seattle area, non-stop rain and the state of our nation, it felt good to bring my feelings together on the page. I’m no poet, but who cares. My poem found it’s way to what’s important, focusing on the good in life.
Life
Grey skies
Fire
Heat
Congressional smoke and mirrors
Maps
Red dots
A virus gone wild
Death
Fallen bodies
Where I once walked the runway
Fear spreads
Is this the Apocalypse?
Breathe
Think outside yourself
Give
Find […]
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 life. Had it not been for my journal, my writing, I may never have found my way.
I had played basketball for the Eastern Washington University Screamin’ Eagles from 1984 to 1988, then after graduating I moved to Seattle where I began working as a fashion model. Not the typical career choice for an athlete and honor student, but I had been a walking contradiction since I was a child, when I sat alone in the tall grass picking clovers and then quietly pushed myself to a stand and began walking for the first time. In high school I was the jock that sang solos in choir and did my homework. (I thought of myself as a well-rounded person, my classmates called me a nerd.) When I met Mark, I was still living a life of contradiction. I’d spend afternoons sashaying […]
LIFE INSPIRED FITNESS: Better Together
This summer my kids have helped to inspire me and keep me active. In June and July it was my daughter, together we hiked, went to our local community center and lifted weights and did track workouts. This month my son and I decided to work on our abs. He suggested that we would have to pay the other person a dollar if we didn’t do an ab/core workout each day. I was in.
We did one track/ab workout and did a couple of core workouts at home. Then yesterday he suggested that we mix it up with running, push ups and yoga. I agreed. I can use all of it, how could I go wrong? I get in a workout, and get to spend time with my son. It’s a win/win.
Is there someone who you can workout with? Put together a plan to help one another stay fit, and have fun while doing it.
PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: The Trust Factor
My daughter and I helped at Ballard High School’s basketball camp this summer. We talked to the campers about what it means to be a good teammate. When I posed the question to the girls, they came up with lots of great ideas: encourage your teammates, cheer for your teammates, high-five your teammates. I agreed, all great ideas. Together we came up with a bunch more, and in the end I emphasized one I feel is extra important, thanking your teammates.
When I was coaching at West Seattle I encouraged our players to say thank you out loud or simply by pointing across the court to their teammate and making eye contact with them. Whatever it took to thank their teammate for a good pass, an important block out, for their help on defense, or for anything deserving of a thank you. Showing gratitude for teammates on the court helps build a strong team, as it’s a step toward developing respect and trust between players.
TRUST
Building trust is not easy. We are all so different and come from different backgrounds. I used to tell my players that they didn’t have to be best friends, but I hoped that they would learn to respect and trust one another, and I believe that over time it was the trust factor, that made a difference in the way the girls played. My last season as head coach, we were undefeated in league, and then, without our point guard (who went down with an ACL injury in our last league game), made it through metro, district and regional playoffs and placed 5thin State. Hard work, and belief in one another and the concept of team, gave us the opportunity, and it started by learning to trust one another.
We spent a lot of time getting to know […]
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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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 […]
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 […]
LIFE INSPIRED FITNESS: Wonder Walk
With shorter days, inclement weather, and a pandemic, sometimes it’s hard to find inspiration (and a place), to workout. I walk my dog, which gets me out moving, but he’s older and his walks are shorter, so they don’t do a whole lot for me. So recently, I decided to take a second walk each day, and it’s been awesome.
You might not think that walking is a workout, and granted it’s not like playing a game of basketball. But it is something that most of us can do, even if we need to get some snowshoes to do it. It’s helped me feel more fit, and just getting out of the house for some fresh air, has been good for my mental health.
According to the Mayo Clinic, a brisk walk can help you live a healthier life. It can help you to maintain a healthy weight, prevent or manage conditions like heart […]
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