We were well prepared as we went camping for the weekend. We had our little old fashioned camper's stove. Pots and pans. A cooler filled with food for at least two days. The drive was lovely and we found a very beautiful spot in the wild woods in the mountains. After setting everything up, the clouds blew in. Cold rain gathered, wanting to show off their torrents.
Unfortunately, we couldn't stay the night. The little tent couldn't hold out the rain. So we gathered our things and packed our kids and belongings and left in the dark.
I was sad.
The next day we set up the tent in the backyard (a stand alone kind) to dry off. Later, a very strong wind storm came our way. Guess what? The wind had blown it away during the night. Oh no! Do you know what the worst part of it was? It was my friend's tent!
I prayed and felt the reassurance of the Spirit. We drove around and searched high and low. Far and wide. Over and yonder. No luck.
What did the Spirit mean? :(
What could we do? It isn't my tent and I am sure that it holds lots of wonderful memories for my friend. My hubby decided to look one more time. After much searching, he found it! Guess where it was? In our back door neighbor's yard! Can you believe that?
You know, this reminds me of Moses and the Israelites who wondered in the wilderness for 40 years. They began to complain and the Lord sent poisonous snakes for their ingratitude. The Lord instructed Moses to make a brazen snake and hoist it for all too look upon. Most of the people believed a simple glance at the brazen serpent would not heal them.
I almost felt like the wicked Israelites, searching farther than necessary for the answer to my prayers. The tent was in the next yard over rather than several blocks down.
I think I am trying to hard with my writing. I feel as if I am searching for answers that I already know. Why am I searching beyond, as if there lies some golden calf awaiting my discovery? I need to be content with what I have.
Prioritize rather than frantically try to juggle and meet everything at once. It is a work in progress. Something that I am currently working on. Though my creative side has refused to cooperate, I need to nurture the other aspects of writing and do my best in reaching out to others as well.
Do you feel as if you are trying too hard? How do you simplify an already complicated thing such as writing and everything that it implies?
I think impatience complicates writing for me. I love writing novels, but publication takes so long that I get frustrated and find other things to do, and then it takes even longer to get it done.
ReplyDeleteI definately try too hard. But not trying doesn't seem to be helping either. I remember over a year ago when I couldn't stop writing and I wondered why it ever took authors so long to write a book, after all I could write 500 words in 30 mins. I am learning a very important lesson. First of all, those 500 words were usually crap. But I loved everyone of them. I miss those crappy words. Because at least it was something, I was writing. This drought is hard, but I do think now, that it is part of the process. We have to go without to appreciate our times of plenty.
ReplyDeleteGreat Post, Elizabeth. I feel the same way. I've been doing edits and rewrites for so long, I don't think I remember how to be creative and write from just the voices in my brain. Maybe they're punishing me for not listening to them lately, who knows? LOL
ReplyDeleteChris, that's what I was telling Karen last night. I have 3 unfinished stories (not my style) and I feel I am being punished because I have dared to overstep my 'one MS at a time' rule! ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post, Elizabeth! I definately know what you mean! Droughts ARE really hard. Especially since we create our own water, and can't just wait around for the rain. (I'm glad you found the tent, BTW!)
ReplyDeleteAlso, I apologize to everyone! I really dropped the ball in missing my post yesterday! :S My life has been crazy this past week.