From a reader:
It’s funny – you got me thinking – and I remembered that I used to have an imagination and used it. I was a very fanciful child and frequently lived in my own little world. I always thought I would do something creative and wonderful with my life, and here I am at 66 and I didn’t. Don’t know what happened. Life, I suppose.
I wrote a post here some time ago that dealt with learning to dream again, and what I want to say loud and clear is that until the nails are pounded in your box, or you're put into the fire, or you're dumped somewhere where nobody will ever find the body, you Are Not Finished. You Are Not Done.
Take each moment. Make it yours. Find what thrills you. Do not turn your back on the ideas that fall into your head.
But I believe that each of us also have another gift to make our world more miraculous than it already is. To leave behind a little color and surprise. It could be a song or a painting or a poem. It could be the stories you tell your grandchild at night.
The thing is, it could be. Don't give up. I don't care if you're 26 or 66 or 106. You owe your creativity to yourself. You owe your creativity to our culture (even if "our culture" consists of one friend), and if you're a believer, you owe your creativity to the one who created you.
You can blanket this world with one more layer of awe, by taking your own life and embedding it. Because each one of us has something worthy to leave behind.
If you're already a writer, what else would you like to create? A painting? A garden? If you're a parent, is there something else you've always wanted to try? A short film? A cookbook?
So, to my beloved reader who shared your heart with me: It could be.
Well said, Peg. You're never to old to follow your dreams!
ReplyDeleteI think sometimes people think that at a certain age, they should stop dreaming. What I'd like to know is what age is that supposed to be? And isn't that when you die?
DeleteNever stop dreaming! Never stop experiencing new things and learning new things! And trying new things! That's what keeps us young and vibrant!
DeleteThanks for an inspirational post, Peg! Especially useful for "late bloomers" like me! And I'm going to pass this on to a few friends and family members who are also over 50 and finally "coming into their own." (Love that expression!)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jodie. I often wonder what I might have accomplished had I begun writing 30 years ago. But life, as the reader referred to, had its own ideas.
DeleteI'm sure you were doing important things 30 years ago, Peg - maybe more important than writing - like raising a family! Everything in its own time.
DeleteVery true, Peg. It's never too late for anything if you're still breathing. Don't look back. Don't look forward. Live in the moment.
ReplyDeleteSo simple, Andrew, but so difficult. I mess this one up all the time.
DeleteThank you, Peg. An important message for all of us. And I love the song!
ReplyDeleteI know… gonna have to get her CD!
DeleteThanks for reminding me that I have other dreams. Someday I hope to create metal sculptures. And start a charitable foundation. Today I'm at the hospital with my son. Life keeps throwing me curves.
ReplyDeleteMetal sculptures! You go, L.J.! A family member who I just met a couple of years ago (long and boring story) had some beautiful metal sculptures in her home and yard. When I found out she'd made them I was blown away!
DeleteHugs to you and your entire family. The good news is your son is getting medical attention and not just thinking that maybe he should.
L.J., not sure what's going one with your son, but I know from experience how heart-rending it is to have a child in the hospital. May G-d grant healing, soon and fully. I will give charity and say psalms for his recovery.
DeleteSure hope things work out with your son, LJ!
ReplyDeleteLet's see. I just started writing and I've been writing for 50 years (longer).
ReplyDeletePeg, your response is beautiful and poignant. I would tell that reader that he or she HAS "done something creative and wonderful with my life." Living life, living to 66. All the interactions, the smiles you gave, the thoughts you provoked - most without realizing it. Every act of goodness and kindness is creative, wonderful - life itself. And most of the wonders we create we don't know about. They're treasures in someone else's soul.
As this is a mystery/crime writer's site, let me quote - or paraphrase: "we are right here...waiting for you to open your eyes and see that we are right here..." and your life has touched ours in ways unimaginably beautiful.
David, your point about not knowing when we touch someone else's life is so true. It's often the small kindnesses that have the most lasting impact, and we have no idea. Kind of a cool concept to keep in mind as we go through each day.
DeletePeg,
ReplyDeleteWhat an ode to fully living your life out loud. I had forgotten that for a little while but found my passion about and now live each day as the gift it is. Thanks for the beautiful reminder.
Pam Stack
Host
www.authorsontheair.com
Thanks for commenting, Pam. I want to forever find passion and joy every day. To not believe as if I've "been there and done that" and that there are no surprises left for me.
ReplyDelete