A Writing Adventure

As a way to celebrate my birthday I took a writing class.  I wasn't sure at first what to expect but I found myself surrounded in class with some creative storytellers. Instead of feeling intimidated, I felt energized and inspired. We spent some of the time doing writing exercises - here are just a few examples of what come from it.

This is the beginning of a someday story - The Runaway Brother
Exercise 1:
He was always running away. He started at the age of 3, which seemed to set the tone (or pace) for the rest of his short life.

A piece of an story formulating - Possible title: Find Me
Exercise 2:
Louisiana Pryce comes from a family of hunters. Not your typical hunters, no Louisiana and her family hunted Lost Souls. Louisiana, is a fierce 5' bundle of energy. Raised in a family of men, she developed a tomboyish look and attitude.

Expressing myself with flashes of inspiration........

Am I an Old Rusty Abandoned Vehicle

My birthday is this week, and now that I am in my 50's, lately I have been feeling like an old rusty vehicle that creaks and moans every time I move. And like an old vehicle I am moving slower and experiencing less energy. I am told that this old rusty time in life will eventually turn into a more sporty vehicle with a little more umpf and power.  Maybe that is why we see older women turning in their reliable old cars for sporty cars.

I can either be an old rusty vehicle abandoned in field somewhere -

Or a sporty-zoom-around-town vehicle..

Expressing myself with ZOOM ZOOM!!!

Life's Paths

The other day, a friend and I were talking about life's paths. I have been thinking about it a lot lately.  That where I am at, right now in this stage of my life, is not even close to where I thought I would be when I was younger. I have been thinking about how I got here?  Why I am here? And what does it all mean?

 I am a firm believer that things happen for a reason. We may not always understand or know the reason, but there usually is a reason. It may be years before we come to understand that reason, or at least have an idea of why.

For example; my husband I moved to Anacortes in 2005.  We had just gone through a terrible ordeal, our whole life, or at least the life we knew - was gone. We decided to leave the Seattle area and moved to the small town of Anacortes. I don't know why we chose to move here, it just felt right at the time. It felt like a good place to heal and to bring some sanity back into our lives. Now I can look back and I just know that we were meant to be here. We didn't choose, it chose for us. That the real hardship in our life's path was about to come - and it did- but being here in this community is exactly where we needed to be to get through these times. This life path was chosen for us, it put us in a place where community and support were going to become a very important part of our lives. This life path has also been teaching me valuable lessons and showing me what is really important in the world - Friends, Family, Community and Unity.

The other path that I am on, and would never have envisioned being here, is my involvement in the arts. Honestly, I know nothing about art - well next to nothing - I am learning. Yet, here I am involved heavily in the arts. I am very involved in the Skagit Valley Camera Club. I enjoy immensely being part of the Anacortes Arts Commission. I produce workshops for the arts.  I work part-time for the Skagit Symphony. It seems that everything that I do is involved in someway with the arts.  And I am loving every minute of it. Now this is a life path that I could get used to


Though part of the path we are on right now is very stressful and difficult, I am very very grateful for my friends, my family and for the community in which I live.

Life's paths - sometimes it is all about the journey - not necessarily the destination. I am unsure of where the next path will lead or go, I just need to have faith that it will be a good one and lead me to somewhere exciting.

Expressing myself with - wonderment and awe.

PS - I would live to hear about your life paths - email me at kklocke1@gmail.com. If you like I will post it on my blog.  Thank you and enjoy the journey.

Fun at the Community Garden

Every Saturday morning through the summer a friend and I would walk to the farmers market to shop, visit and photograph.  This past Saturday without the farmers market to attend we spent the morning discovering local places to photograph.  Tony was with us and he had a photography assignment, 'harvest', so the question, "where do we go to photograph 'harvest' that is close?". We thought why not visit the local 'community garden'.  This turned out to be a fun discovery with hints of creative inspiration for all of us.

   
One of my favorite things is things that are small.  My little discovery was a tiny little wheelbarrow with a tiny rake and shovel.

Then there was those things that were past harvest, left to fade until it is their time again.

   
And no garden would be complete without the color and beauty of flowers.

Where did the time go - 35 years ago he was so tiny.

This month our oldest son turned 35. THIRTY FIVE!

It wasn't just yesterday, it was Thirty Five years ago that I held this tiny little bundle of - 7lbs 10oz, 19 1/2" long - joy.  And he was a joy.  He had lightly blond hair stubble. Cute little button nose. And loved to cuddle. If my photo albums weren't buried I would post baby pictures - maybe that will be a weekend project?

As a young mom with the first child you look forward to all of life's momentous occasions.  Them learning to crawl, then walk and talk.  Then you dream of when they start school  - learn to spell, read and write. You also look forward to when they can finally fix their own breakfast, get their own drink of water, read night time stories to you - sorry regressing.

Short school story: I was so looking forward to Shawn's first day of Kindergarten. In Utah, (that is where we lived when he started school) if they were 5 by October 31st they could start school. So eager mom that I was, I signed Shawn up right away. I went with him on first day to meet his teacher and help him get settled in. I left that day feeling a little sad - my baby boy was growing up. Well apparently, "my baby", wasn't grown up enough. After one week in school his teacher called me into the classroom and told me I should hold Shawn back for another year. She said that some children, boys especially, aren't quite ready at that age to go to school, that they do better when they are little older and a little more mature. She said that all Shawn wanted to do was 'socialize'.  He still does. So I held him back and he did do a little better. He still liked to 'socialize', and that  continued all through school. 

Back to life's momentous occasions.  During their school years you look so forward to High School Graduation. Some days you really looked to graduation.  Then they leave home - go to college, get jobs, so on.  Then you look forward to the day they get married. You hope that they find that 'special' someone and they live happily ever after. But what you really look forward to is GRANDBABIES.  Someone to start all over with, to spoil (and give back to the parents) and hold and cuddle.

During all of these life moments, never do you think about when your child turns 35, 40, 50 etc. To you they will always be that cute, cuddly, adorable bundle of joy that you brought home all those years ago.  So to my cute, cuddly, adorable bundle of joy - HAPPY 35th BIRTHDAY!. 

Shawn and his friend Han.

Even at 35  - Boys with their toys!

  

Expressing myself
with memories, nostalgia and pride for my little boy as Grown UP.