Monday’s Pen to Paper: No Rules
I wrote a poem last week. I wanted to do something special for my friend Jenny for her birthday. I’m known to write silly rhymes, but I’m not the type to write a serious poem. I have never taken a poetry class. Never even read much poetry.
So when I sat down to write, I stared at the blank page.
Finally, I wrote some words. I crossed them out. I wrote some more. Then crossed them out. Then, instead of trying so hard, I simply thought of Jenny and of our friendship. I jotted down what came to mind. I liked what I saw. I shifted words, played with the rhythm, the thoughts. Linked them in my mind and on paper.
Was this poetry?
Perhaps there are no rules to creating something you like. Something that you can share with others. An artful expression of thought…
FRIENDSHIP by Sonya Elliott
Thursday
True freedom. Open.
Pens will flow.
A place
Joined at the heart.
Friendship.
Connected souls
Thinking, growing, teaching.
This I know.
In comes the light
With mindful breaths.
Together.
WRITING PROMPT: Grab your pen and take a stab at poetry…
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: The Battle Begins
It’s time for playoffs. Each game is tough. Last night the basketball team that I coach was determined to win, but so was our opponent. The game was a battle.
We came out on top with a 40-39 win over the 5th ranked team in the state.
I crawled into bed after midnight. I couldn’t sleep. You would think I would have slept like a baby, but it’s playoffs, the battle has just begun.
You gotta love it…
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Snow Angels
Seattle is a wet mess this morning, but over the weekend we enjoyed a winter wonderland. It was quite unexpected. Usually there are warnings on the news, Winter Storm Watch-baton down the hatches-prepare for the worst. This time my husband and I were enjoying our “date night.” Dinner and a basketball game when the snow hit.
I was glancing out the window, a bite of Chicken Marsala half-way to my mouth, when I first saw it coming down.
“Hey, look, it’s snowing!”
This didn’t change date night, only made it better. Growing up on the east side of the state of Washington, where the weather is more extreme, snow doesn’t scare my husband and I when it comes to driving, so after dinner we made tracks through the white streets and ventured across town to the basketball game. Besides we figured it would be gone by the time the game was over.
When we walked out of the gym two hours later we found more snow.
Beautiful.
On our way home we saw an even more beautiful thing – two young men pushing a stuck car out of the road. I was reminded of when I was a kid growing up in Montana and my brother and I would spend hours digging and pushing cars out of the snow in front of our house.
This night, the process slowed traffic because the car the boys had been in was still moving slowly as to now also get stuck on the now icy slope. A small row of cars, one of which was ours, crept along, and we watched as the boys quickly freed the older mans car and waved as he drove away.
As the boys jogged passed our car, on their way to catch their driver who […]
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Searching For Something New
Our coaching staff thought it would be a good opportunity for our high school basketball team to see what happens at the next level, so we took them to a college practice this week.
It was a lot of fun for the girls to see the University of Washington basketball team practice, talk to the players and then to tour the DI locker room (things have changed since I played in the 80’s and the women’s team used the back storage room for pregame).
The day was even better for us coaches. We reminisced about “the good old days” and learned some new drills to keep our girls focused as we head into playoffs.
…always searching for something new.
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 Friday: TEDx TALK: Always Believe In You
A link to my TEDx TALK arrived yesterday. I was nervous to watch it and when I finally did, late last night, I broke out in a cold sweat. Of course I noticed my mistakes and that my family photo didn’t get included in the video, so I added it here, (You’ve gotta love our matching Schat’s Bakery shirts), but overall I was happy. I’m glad that I spoke and hope that the message that I shared is helpful and inspiring.
Tedx Talk by Sonya G. Elliott…
Always believe in you | Sonya Elliott | TEDxSpokane
This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. How do you respond to setbacks or tragedy in your life? The speaker shares her ideas, looking internally, on how to find success and overcome hardships.
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Baby Steps
Do you ever have HUGE dreams of what you are going to do with your life? Times when you imagine yourself accomplishing all kinds of amazing things? And then you wake up and realize that the dreams are never going to happen, or at least that’s how you feel.
That was me this morning. Last night I had all these thoughts going on in my head about basketball and my writing and my life. I couldn’t sleep. And when I woke up, reality hit as I thought about what I would need to do to achieve these dreams.
I wish I could say that I sat down and meditated for ten minutes and found my focus, because that would have been a great thing to do, but I felt pretty good about the fact that I didn’t just crawl back […]
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