Wow, Rick, so much of this resonated. Your beautiful metaphor of the forest though is what really inspired me. “Nature is the ultimate content creator — bushes, trees, leaves, mosses, ferns, fungi, and flowers — and its primary message is being broadcast by every leafy, petaled, climbing, creeping, growing and blossoming thing.” This idea that nature doesn’t hold back, it struck a chord. It’s true, I feel like I always oscillate between the fearing of no one seeing my work and the fear of someone seeing it. Especially when I want to branch out and try new things. This is inspiring me to be more daring in creating and to do it just for the sake of adding to the beautiful things in the world. Great piece!
Man, the forest metaphor is beautiful. This piece put words to so many things I hadn't consciously realized.
"I think many of us who long to write are actually longing to fully live." This never occurred to me but it underscores a lot of my 20s. I had a latent desire to write that, as you perceptively point out, was directly related to my desire to fully live and self-actualize. Wow.
"We are part of an ancient community of storytellers, wordsmiths, language carvers, fulfilling a primal need for the rest of the human realm. We just have to unfold as the unique form of life we were meant to represent.
At times, some travelers may stop and place their attention fully on our personal expression. At other times, they may simply pass through — held, nourished, and sustained by the glorious and interdependent tangle of life that is our collective words, our expressed experience, our conversation, and our celebration of what it means to be human." Again, wow. Not sure what to say about this other than that it's absolutely beautiful writing and made me feel deeply connected to the craft in a unique way. You've got the gift, man.
"Nature is the ultimate content creator — bushes, trees, leaves, mosses, ferns, fungi, and flowers — and its primary message is being broadcast by every leafy, petaled, climbing, creeping, growing and blossoming thing. Why hold back?"
This is such a wonderful and natural perspective that EVERY single reader can relate to - which adds to its power.
Then there's this one - that old folks (I turned 57 yesterday) can relate to:
"A retired couple holding hands for whom talk had long ago ceased to be necessary. Now they communed in silence, perhaps with a daily walk in this sanctuary."
You've done an incredible job of summing up the writer's conundrum (for me at least): "the prospect of being nobody, and ironically becoming somebody, are the two primal fears that silence writers." Thank you Rick. This is a 'print out and keep it close' post.
Rick, I loved your gorgeous nature metaphor and your beautifully thoughtful article.
I limited myself to take only one of your poetic sentences from your journey to carry with me: “When we can create a trail of words that leads us deeper into the abundance of our own nature, we experience the same sense of peace, fullness, and aliveness that we align with in a forest.” – Rick Lewis
When I feel stuck, I will imagine myself standing at a trail’s opening. I will remind myself that I have a deep path in front of me…but only if I move forward into the unknown. But with time, on that path, I will see what awaits me in my writing and what my writing unearths from my soul.
Wow, Rick, so much of this resonated. Your beautiful metaphor of the forest though is what really inspired me. “Nature is the ultimate content creator — bushes, trees, leaves, mosses, ferns, fungi, and flowers — and its primary message is being broadcast by every leafy, petaled, climbing, creeping, growing and blossoming thing.” This idea that nature doesn’t hold back, it struck a chord. It’s true, I feel like I always oscillate between the fearing of no one seeing my work and the fear of someone seeing it. Especially when I want to branch out and try new things. This is inspiring me to be more daring in creating and to do it just for the sake of adding to the beautiful things in the world. Great piece!
Man, the forest metaphor is beautiful. This piece put words to so many things I hadn't consciously realized.
"I think many of us who long to write are actually longing to fully live." This never occurred to me but it underscores a lot of my 20s. I had a latent desire to write that, as you perceptively point out, was directly related to my desire to fully live and self-actualize. Wow.
"We are part of an ancient community of storytellers, wordsmiths, language carvers, fulfilling a primal need for the rest of the human realm. We just have to unfold as the unique form of life we were meant to represent.
At times, some travelers may stop and place their attention fully on our personal expression. At other times, they may simply pass through — held, nourished, and sustained by the glorious and interdependent tangle of life that is our collective words, our expressed experience, our conversation, and our celebration of what it means to be human." Again, wow. Not sure what to say about this other than that it's absolutely beautiful writing and made me feel deeply connected to the craft in a unique way. You've got the gift, man.
Amazing work Rick. Thank you.
“Nature is the ultimate content creator” - this is such a great line. I love the comparisons between nature and writing.
Rick -
"Nature is the ultimate content creator — bushes, trees, leaves, mosses, ferns, fungi, and flowers — and its primary message is being broadcast by every leafy, petaled, climbing, creeping, growing and blossoming thing. Why hold back?"
This is such a wonderful and natural perspective that EVERY single reader can relate to - which adds to its power.
Then there's this one - that old folks (I turned 57 yesterday) can relate to:
"A retired couple holding hands for whom talk had long ago ceased to be necessary. Now they communed in silence, perhaps with a daily walk in this sanctuary."
This is so true - and poignant.
The whole thing is a wonderful read.
This essay should be sent immediately to the the corporations involved in the now exigent writers strike! Beautiful article.
You've done an incredible job of summing up the writer's conundrum (for me at least): "the prospect of being nobody, and ironically becoming somebody, are the two primal fears that silence writers." Thank you Rick. This is a 'print out and keep it close' post.
Rick, I loved your gorgeous nature metaphor and your beautifully thoughtful article.
I limited myself to take only one of your poetic sentences from your journey to carry with me: “When we can create a trail of words that leads us deeper into the abundance of our own nature, we experience the same sense of peace, fullness, and aliveness that we align with in a forest.” – Rick Lewis
When I feel stuck, I will imagine myself standing at a trail’s opening. I will remind myself that I have a deep path in front of me…but only if I move forward into the unknown. But with time, on that path, I will see what awaits me in my writing and what my writing unearths from my soul.
Thank you! Jenny