#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream

For me , yes , it is a fortunate chance ( serenpidity ). to know you , through screen. through writing . The very first day I saw you in IWWG , it appeared to me you as born to be a. natural leader without any artificial pretention. Your way of questioning, appreciating. and encouraging the participants.was very much appealing inspiring to the audience. Even your physical presence itself added life and joy to the atmosphere.. In this new arena of "Journal of Expressive Writing" I got opportunity to know you better. than before.

~ A follower in an e-mail to me this morning

When I woke up I lingered at the pool in the fresh morning, reading my e-mail, in no hurry at all. I was so touched by the above e-mail from a woman who has been a follower of mine since I was a leader in IWWG, and now, she follows me on the Journal of Expressive Writing Open Mic. She has moved here from India, and English is her second language. And writing in English is a constant challenge for her, but she doesn’t give up. Because this is her home, now. And she wants to write and express herself and be part of a community of writers in her new home. That she appreciates me for a quality I am glad I possess––a lack of artificial pretention––I take as a high compliment. In any case, I am so happy to know that she feels at home in the literary experiences I curate. I did not hurry out into the morning or down the beach. I walked and swam so much yesterday I wanted a break. I wrote and sent my monthly newsletter, and was pleased to read and share two poems published today from my Charles River Woods series in The Dodge. “scattering” and “start autumn” and you can read them here. [By the way, if you are not a subscriber to my monthly newsletter of upcoming events, and want to be, you can subscribe here.] A busy morning, then, I walked a moderate walk to the beach and swam in the mild surf under the blistering sun. Then Frank and I went out for lunch, as he was free, at hotel restaurant near the beach, The Gilded Iguana (and an iguana did tread the yard while we ate). We sat outside under the canopy to minimize the heat. At lunch I remembered I had to send my poem for tonight’s workshop before 2:00 p.m. my time, so we hurried home. Made some final tweaks, sent it off. Before sunset, Frank and I walked up the dirt road to the Bodhi Tree yoga resort and went to a Sound Bath; a room full of people on mats, filling the floor, listening to our leader make beautiful, relaxing music for us to meditate and rest by. Frank and I had found an edge of the room by the large glass windows into the jungled trees to lay our mats. Both of us discovered if we opened our eyes we could watch the sun fall, fall, fall, down the sky and disappear over the horizon. Poetry workshop tonight, got very positive feedback on this poem I’ve brought for the last three weeks. Have received much help, and I’m very satisfied with how it has developed. Not sure if any more changes need to be made; I’m going to let it simmer. Must wake early for an adventure with my friend tomorrow. It will be a surprise.