#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream
Lily Pond, Holliston, MA
Much earlier than planned, I woke, and was glad, even though tired. Always glad to have more time to be awake, to start the day, there is so so much I want from a day more than sleep. Entering my third session of the manuscript conference, and wanting time, first, to write and send my weekly Aim for Astonishing Writing Prompt [reader: if you want to receive this, e-mail me at kellydumar@gmail.com and I’ll send it], which I did It was a prompt I called “Before and After.” A flash back prompt. I really enjoyed writing, and feeling the inspiration of this prompt. Then, I gave myself the time for a very necessaary and long bike ride. I have now ridden my bike enough this summer to feel like roaming and not tiring, but going off in a direction and seeing what happens. I rode to Millis, and then to Holliston, and I found a bike trail in Holliston, and rode that for awhile, and was happy to see most of the runners and other bikers were wearing masks, as I was, at least for this part of the ride. I wondered what, on this ride, I might feel inspired to stop and photograph. One the way home, I passed a lily pond I saw out of the corner of my eye, and yes, yes, I wanted to stop and visit the lily pads and breathe for a few moments of stillness. Sunday sanctuary. I had to be on Zoom all day and into the evening, and I needed very much this long and lovely ride. The day filled out filled in filled up with poetry and craft, feedback and saturation of the mind and spirit. A recognition and awakening into new ways of thinking about my writing and where I’m going, what I’ve done, what I want to do more of or differently. We ended at 4 for today and I fell into a deep sleep, waking into the confused wonder of where am I? What day is this? Ah, here I am. In today. And my husband cooking dinner downstairs. Tonight, back on Zoom, I produced the bi-monthly open mic for the IWWG, and so, entering an entirely different writing community for the evening. So juicy and gratifying to create this space for writers, and to be live and present and sharing in all these voices. And, after we ended, to have a chance to chat casually with two friends across the miles as if we had stepped across the street into a coffee shop after a reading just for the fun of it. We gabbed a long time. Oh, how my day filled and brimmed. How ready for this long sleep I am now. Under a lily pad, listening to frogs croaking and crickets.