Monday’s Pen to Paper: Stop Gun Violence!
All I could think about today when I sat down to write was NOT AGAIN! Not another mass shooting. I felt compelled to write about the Orlando mass shooting, but I wondered would it help? Does it matter? My answer came to me just as it did last fall with the Umpqua College shootings. It can’t hurt.
Last fall I wrote about the Umpqua College shootings in my blog, Guns – Know More. No More! – Be Heard. I wrote about needing to make changes to control guns and help reduce gun violence. In 1996, 35 people were killed and 23 wounded during one of the worlds deadliest massacres in Port Arthor, Australia and they introduced strict gun control laws and formulated the National Firearms Programme Implementation Act 1996, restricting the private ownership of semi-automatic rifles, semi-automatic shotguns and pump-action shotguns as well as introducing uniform firearms licensing. And things changed for that country. Homicides and suicides have been drastically reduced. Let’s follow suit.
Author Lodro Rinzler wrote about taking action in Meditation Isn’t Enough: A Call To Take Action Against Gun Violence which includes a link to organizations that you can reach out to and get involved with to help make a change. The organization Mom’s Demand Action is another great source of information. Let’s take action and stop gun violence!
WRITING PROMPT: Write about taking action.
WRITING PROMPT: Write about how you have been affected by gun violence.
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Better Safe Than Sorry
My teenage kids are both fighting sports injuries. One a bad knee and one a painful shin splint. My husband and I grew up in the “No Pain-No Gain” era, and we have the mentality to fight through pain to practice and play, sometimes beyond what is good for our bodies. Our kids inherited that same mentality but they have learned that it is not always the best way. They have both checked with doctors and are taking short breaks.
“No Pain -No Gain” should mean to push yourself to your limit and beyond, not to play until you are injured, though it’s not always easy to differentiate between the two. Pushing yourself can be painful, but it should not be harmful. As a former college athlete I understand that “No Pain – No Gain” focuses on the mental ability to push through things that make you uncomfortable, one of those being pain. Hurting because one works their muscles and lungs beyond what they are accustomed to is different than feeling a pain that is way outside the norm, but often kids (and some adults) don’t understand or know their limits. Sometimes they quit when they are capable of more, or at times push when they should stop. I occasionally play when I shouldn’t, pushing through knee pain and tendonitis and sprained wrists and ankles, but nothing I can’t tape up and live with. Injuries that aren’t likely to cause permanent damage. How can young athletes know the difference?
The key to figuring out this fine line is communication. Young athletes must be open with those around them about how their body is feeling. With pressure from coaches, parents and themselves, it can be hard, but it is important to be honest. Talk about the […]
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Dare to Be Different
On Thursday, while writing with Jenny, we designed a crazy prompt for ourselves, and when our fingers hit the keys they started flying and didn’t stop. Sometimes prompts peter out for me, an idea gets convoluted in my mind somehow and I think too much instead of just writing what comes. This happens to me more than I’d like to admit, but on those days when I can’t stop, and the words just flow, its magical.
Jenny and I are both working on books, so often we simply start working when we are together. Sometimes we write a quick catch up letter about our week (so we can visit but not talk too much), but Thursday we decided to write about our week differently, we wrote a story about our week that was told in third person. Our ten-minute prompt writing went longer than planned and both of us had starts of something grand, at least it felt that way. But what was important, was the flow and energy and the knowledge that the writing could come so easily, that the days of pushing through have heavenly moments.
And oh is it worth it! Write on!
WRITING PROMPT: Make what happened during your week into a story.
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Believe and Receive
I talked about believing and receiving at the Beyond Pink event last week, about how important it is to believe in ourselves, and in life, and how important it is to be willing to receive help from others. This second piece, receiving, has never been easy for me. Being independent, I have always felt like I didn’t need help, but after I was in a debilitating accident where I was hit by a train and left unable to care for myself and without my best friend and fiancé at the time by my side, I needed help.
From the doctors and the nurses who helped to save my life, to the friends and family who supported me when I didn’t want to go on living, I had help. And it was the seemingly little things that made a huge difference. The time my mom helped me shave my legs because I could no longer stand the stubbly mess that made me feel less human, the times when my brother would drop by and surprise me so we could just be together, the time I wheeled into my parents bedroom late at night crying and unable to sleep and they helped me climb between them and helped me to find some peace. There were letters from friends, and a crazy care package from Kirsten that was filled with random stuff to make me laugh like candies (and empty candy wrappers) and a Curious George Goes to the Hospital book. And there were the almost daily walks with my dad. I never wanted to go on them, to have someone put my shoes and sock on and roll me down the street in a wheel chair, but each time […]
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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Monday’s Pen to Paper: Writing is hard. I give up.
It’s hard to write. I have yet to get on an ongoing regular schedule. I have had times where I’m on task and I love it, then life gets in the way. Last year I cleaned up and sold one house and remodeled and sold another. That took up a lot of time and energy. In the spring we had extended family living with us, which bit into free time, and then during the summer my kids are both around, so I’m always busy. Simply put, finding time to write can be a struggle.
Sometimes I just want to give up.
I have written posts about how I’m working on finding time to write, and what I have realized is that if you have a busy life, and have not established yourself as a writer in your mind, or by receiving a […]
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Give It a Rest
All of my life I have been active and when I’m on the court, I go all out, but I also know how important it is to have my body working. I spent time in a wheel chair when I was 24 years old, I’ve been on crutches a couple of times, and I’ve sprained ankles, torn ligaments and fought tendonitis and when I’m hurt it’s a lot more difficult to do the things I want to do, so I do what I can to stay healthy, which sometimes means giving my body a break.
Recently my daughter went in for her second knee surgery in less than a year. The doctors had to stitch down the meniscus and she was given a three-month timeline for getting back on the court. After her first surgery many questioned her then two-month timeline. “My meniscus tear only […]
Monday’s Pen to Paper: A Picture is Worth a Ton of Words
Use this photo as your prompt and get writing…
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