I want what I have

I picked up a magazine that believes I will be able to Walk Off Belly Flab in 4 Weeks. Time will tell. When I was walking into the house I dropped it and it fell open to a page. A little article suggests a mantra for the month, "I want what I have."

I want what I have.

I like the sound of it. The world is full of stuff. What is necessary? What is wanted due to power of suggestion (Do I want Rianna's mascara or Drew Barrymore's)? Maybe I should just want what I have. Next time I have my credit card in my hand, I will say this to myself. I will.

Here is where the wheels start turning:

Opposite the I Want What I Have is an ad for Advanced Anti-aging Serum. Huh. Want what you have, but if you change your mind, want fewer wrinkles.

I have trouble buying into it. Is this mantra truly to apply to spending habits, to make us appreciate the things (and People) in our lives? (ps-People in my life - I appreciate you.) What about wanting to know more, see more, live more, learn more? Isn't that what readers and storytellers are all about? Exploring something new? Something we don't have?

One of Virginia Woolf's (many) famous quotes is, "You cannot find peace by avoiding life."

What if all she said was, "I want what I have... and some anti-aging serum"?

All writing is good writing

All writing is good writing is good writing. It may not all be fit for human consumption, but I feel it has its place.

The fear of bad writing should not hold us back. It should propel us forward. How can we learn without trying?

How can we get better without trying?

We need to try.

Courage comes from the ability to face one's fears and to move onward in spite of them.

At times, I don't know what is more frightening, the fear that the writing will never be good enough or the fear that once the snarls and rough edges are cleared away, something shiny will emerge. Once you are holding this object in your shaking paw, what do you do with it?

But it doesn't matter if we don't try. If we won't practice flapping our wings, we will never learn to fly.