Before I started this blog, Midwifery, Mothering & Me, I sat down with a friend, the writer Amy Halloran, to talk about the creative process of writing. If I was going to commit to writing a blog post weekly, I wanted make sure that I could honor that commitment. Amy suggested that I “write before the words of others enter your head.” She said to try writing before talking, before listening to the news, before reading emails, before the words of others come in. I took this suggestion, thought about it, played with it and stretched it to fit. Now, I have a new habit: writing.
Now, as day breaks, my words wake me.They grumble and stretch, pulling me from sleep, pushing me to sit before my eyes are fully open.
Sitting up, my pillows become vertical props as the man of my dreams lays next to me. With his soft snores as the only human accent in the room, I sit up in bed and I write.
I pick up pen and paper (or stylus and iPad) and write. Words tumble out messy and unkempt. Some mornings, the words arrive in a tumultuous stream, river rapids pushing and twisting their way onto the now chaotic paper. Other mornings, the words are shy, maybe even timid, as they appear one thought-letter-step at a time, and a path slowly, gingerly unwinds across the clean page.
In the morning, I invite my words to the page. They are invited before my Mind, and in advance of both my Critic and Inner Editor. They are invited out to play before checking my day’s schedule, emails, or FaceBook. They are invited before I know what I should write, or why.
And now, as day breaks, my words wake me and they invite me to play.
Michelle
May all babies be born into loving hands
www.localcaremidwifery.com