Change can be fun

Aqua Poppy Designs drew me in and catered to my preference for elegant designs, subdued colors and simple, classic, understated patterns. I decided to change the backgrounds on all my blogs.

My previous post was meant to simply let you know about Chelsea's blog and free backgrounds. It was a spur-of-the-moment impulse that I asked you to comment on what you thought the new look said about me.

I'm so glad I did because it was interesting to read your observations and insights.

Thank you.

One minute the design seems cluttered because I am used to the solid-colored backgrounds I've been using. Then after I look at it for a second or two, it is a nice change, a fun change and a definite reflection of my love of country cottage style - notice the tiny checked (gingham) pattern on the bows. Another aspect in the new background is the overall pattern. It features curves in the leaf and petal shapes and swirls - so me.

And the prominence of green, my all-time favorite color. No more solid green, but accents against a pale neutral color.Ivory, cream, tan and sand will always get my vote. Did you see the pops of black?

I'm not a lover of blue but those soft blue lines and swirls are pretty. I like it.

This background will change in the future, I'm sure but I'm really liking this new change. It's fun. Change can be that way sometimes, especially when you have darling friends like you to share it with. Thanks again for making it so much fun.

I'm in the throes of a new change

It is official. I’m babysitting my granddaughter and I’m asking myself, how did I get here? It seems as if just the other day, I resigned from my job to spend my days writing. It seems as if just the other day, I was reveling in living my dream, writing fulltime. It seems as if just the other day… Well, those days are gone and here I am.

Whenever I am on the brink of a major life change, I usually step back from my accustomed activities. It is almost as if I am stuck in a holding pattern. That is what happened last week - no writing in my journal, no blogging, minimal commenting on my favorite blogs. Last week I felt disconnected and lost. I was standing still and waiting for the train of change to stop by my door.

Babysitting Sian is more or less a three-year commitment. She should be going to kindergarten at 3 - 3 1/2 years. Of course, as she gets older my daily routines will change and many days I will depart from how I function the day before. Nevertheless, it is a commitment I embrace joyfully.

These are the promises I’ve made to myself :

1. I will write in my journal daily, regardless of the composition of my day. I figure, I must go to bed so at least I can journal before I slide under the covers and switch off the bedside lamp.

2. I will honor my writing obligations - column, blogs, assignments, deadlines etc. My column and other miscellaneous assignments are the bread and butter and meat and potatoes of my writing life. My blogs are just as significant because they keep me on my writing toes, allows me to share my experiences, my thoughts and my feelings about life and writing. The ones I read religiously and comment at and my wonderful, creative, inspiring, caring and supportive blogging friends are the delicious, decadent desserts I need to have a balanced, informed, inspiring and creative life.

3. I will schedule personal time to nurture and nourish myself physically, mentally and spiritually by engaging in activities, I enjoy- napping on the couch, sitting on the porch, reading, writing in my journal, writing letters, drawing and photography.

Today wasn’t too bad. I managed to write a few blog posts and scheduled them for publication, finished the final read-through of the article for my column and sent it off. I identified the topic for the next installment and wrote a detailed outline. I prepared and emailed my invoices for work published last month. I backed-up my files and copied them to the notebook computer my husband gave me. It is so much more convenient to use anywhere. It’s smaller and lighter than my laptop.

I’ve always boasted that I am a lark (a morning person) - more inspired, more creative, more productive and all that good stuff between dawn and noon. I’ve been practicing to be an owl (a night person) and I’m not too bad at it either. Talk about change.

Until next time.

Change has come

My weekly column Wright Words of Wisdom, featured in their Sunday edition will have its last run on Sunday 1st February.Below is a copy of the emailI I sent to those readers who have contacted me since the column debuted in September 2006.

The Trinidad Guardian "streamlining their cadre of freelance writers" - their words. They have terminated the services of several of their freelancers, and I am on that list.

Although I was half expecting it, now that it has actually happened, I still feel a bit lost. The column was so many things to me. It marked my transition from fulltime employment to fulltime writing - a long-held dream. It confirmed my purpose and my message. Although I have been writing for publication since 1998, the rhythm of writing an article every week helped me develop my writing style and fine-tune my voice.

To a certain extent, the column defined me. It was the focus of my day after I my morning devotions (Bible reading, prayer, meditation and journaling) and taking care of my daily chores. Even more important, at the center of all that were the readers who emailed me every week with thanks, with their own stories, with encouragement to keep writing and sometimes even with requests for a copy of my book.

For the last two years, I’ve been thinking of upgrading my skills and my writing qualifications. The Writer’s Bureau had been sending me a prospectus for their writing courses for several years. I was interested but never made a decision. When the prospectus for their journalism course came three weeks ago, I decided that it was time to move. I took my own advice in an article I wrote recently, and enrolled. These are hard economic times and the perfect time for upgrades even as the global economy is spiraling downward.

While I still have miscellaneous assignments for online publications, they don’t require the kind of daily discipline the weekly column demanded. So I have ample time to devote to the comprehensive 28-module course and I am aiming to complete it in three years instead of four. That’s my main priority after which comes that book. I plan to work on it in earnest. My blogs need attention – more regular postings. I will keep writing and submitting my work for publication both online and in print. Then I have two other activities that are more than mere interests. They are passions I have only recently renewed – photography and art.

In my articles I often encourage readers to have a support system as they contemplate, plan and embark on their own journeys. I have mine – a cheering section that won’t let me forget who is steering my life, who I am, what I have already accomplished, what I can do and what I am passionate about. With that kind of support there is no time to second guess myself, procrastinate or give in to fear. I look forward to stretching myself and expanding my boarders.

So I move on – not forgetting but fondly remembering the stage of my life that has just passed and all the people who have shared it with me and helped to make it enjoyable, successful and above all, memorable.

Thank you for the encouragement you’ve been to me. I hope to see your name in my Hotmail Inbox and in the comment section on my blogs: Perspectives on Life, Cheryl Wright Writes and Quiet Time with God.

God bless you.

Have you been considering or facing changes with regardto your writing? Come on now, you know you're not alone. Bring your stories into the comment section and let's support and encourage one another.