The "It's Been a Doozy of a Time" Part of the Writing Life

Hello, dear readers. It has been a LONG time since I've shared something here in this space. 

Flowers that Brought My Mom Joy
Gifted by Loved Ones, K & H

As the title of this post implies, it's been a doozy of a time since I queued up my last guest posts (in May!) and since I've contributed my own posts (in January and February!) 

I'm pretty sure I've not gone this long between posts before -- and I'm pretty sure I've not had so many events in my life tugging at my heartstrings and occupying my time as this past several months has "provided." 

Over the past few months, the gifts of "real life" have been giving a little more fully for me than the gifts of fiction. And so, I have tried my best to be present for real life, knowing that for every time there is a season, and for this past several months, the season, for me, has been more about living in real life than writing about life.  

Each of these events could fill an entire blog post, but for now, I'll just give a quick snippet rundown of what life has looked like for me since my last post in May: 

-My youngest child graduated from college.

-Our family of four (my husband and I, and our two grown kids) traveled overseas to share time together and celebrate the aforementioned college graduation.

-My husband and I celebrated our 36th wedding anniversary with a trip up to Whidbey Island, with a side-visit to see a dear friend and her beloved grandchildren in the Seattle area.

Upon our return home from that trip, my life went very topsy-turvy: 

-My mom, who has had a long list of health issues, and whom I have closely cared for for many, many years came to stay at our home on a Tuesday, during what looked like another challenging health journey in which I did not feel she was well-enough to stay in her home by herself, and exactly one week later (and a lifetime of living in between), my mom passed away in my home, with loving family by her side. 

-The next several weeks were spent attending to my mom's affairs, including cleaning out her apartment before month's end. 

-My sister and I finished the very last of my mom's apartment move out / clean out needs at about midnight on a Friday. By mid-day the very next day, I was on the road up to the Seattle area (about 4 hours from my home) to pick up my dear friend (the one I had visited earlier), who had had an unexpected illness and hospitalization, and took her back home with me to recuperate after her hospitalization. 

-About two weeks later, my friend returned to her own home, and my husband and I took a respite break to our home in Central Oregon. I worked diligently on some remote get-out-the vote work, such as text banking during that "respite break." 

-We returned home to vote and to continue with several more days of intense get-out-the vote work. 

-And then the election happened -- which knocked me for a very big loop. 

In the weeks since the election, I've walked around feeling like a bit of a zombie and done my best to engage in some self-care: 

I've taken long walks. I've fed my family. I've gone out to listen to a bunch of live music (to soothe my soul and to support local businesses and local artists). I've helped a friend whose own parent became ill, entered into Hospice, and just passed away. I've spent time with family, including my dad (long divorced from my mom), who just celebrated his 80th birthday. I've read books.

And, at long last, I've started writing again, including here, in this space. 

It's possible there might be another long gap before I write again in this space (or maybe not ... we shall see). What I do know, is that right now, I'm putting most of my writing energy into the stories I write for children, and into getting the books I've already published into the hands of young readers. 

Speaking of which, if you find my blog helpful, please consider ordering one of my books. It supports me and my work. 

Click here for earlier posts from me on the topic of The Writing Life. 

The "Inspiration" Part of the Writing Life

My new picture book, Lucy's Blooms, was inspired by an experience in my own garden, many years ago. As I diligently tended to the flowers in my carefully prepared flowerbeds, I observed two additional plants that had independently sprouted in a patch of soil that bordered my front walkway. They looked something like this:

Link to Image Credit

I didn’t know what these plants were, only that they were beautiful and thriving. Eventually, more experienced gardeners informed me that these plants were actually weeds, and I was advised to pull them. This vigorous and lively pair of weeds brought me such joy as I passed by them day after day, I couldn’t fathom the idea of discarding them. Instead, I nurtured them. I watered them, I talked to them, and I admired them as they grew and grew…and grew.

As I reflected on this experience, I considered the impact of socially constructed labels, such as beauty and worth, and how these labels impact our everyday actions. I became fascinated by dandelions, in particular, because they are widely considered to be an invasive nuisance that should be controlled/eliminated, and yet, every part of a dandelion (root, leaves, petals, etc.) is edible, they are rich in nutrients, and they are known to have healthful, curative properties. Plus, they are easy to grow, resilient, wildly familiar to (and beloved by) children, and in my view, absolutely beautiful.

And thus were planted, the seeds of Lucy’s Blooms.

Published by West Margin Press

Some years later, as the manuscript for Lucy’s Blooms was still germinating, artist and activist Mona Caron painted a fireweed on a building in Portland, Oregon, my hometown.

Link to Photo Credt

I began to research her work and found myself taken with many of the things she had to say, such as:

“How odd, the way we choose things that bother us."

"[Weeds] are plants that have power."

"The more you step on them, the harder they grow."

"You may not pay attention to them, but they break through the hardest concrete."

And, according to PRI, she has said that weeds represent what survives at the margins of society.

I also found myself drawn to this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:

“And what is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not been discovered..."

I ruminated on these quotes and ideas, as I continued to revise Lucy's Blooms until it captured the essence of what I wanted to say.

And what better day to share this with you than today, National Dandelion Day (yep, that's a thing.)

And to celebrate, I'll end with a fun dandelion-related activity for all ages:

Enjoy!