Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Filling the Emptiness

Alright, my friends. Are you ready to have a very small adventure? Shall we go looking for trolls and treasure?

Here are the things you need to grab before we start:
  • A small stack of 3x5 cards, or a post-it pad, or take a sheet of paper and cut it into eight pieces. I use all of the above, plus the backs of envelopes, napkins, cardboard boxes...
  • A handful of pens, sharpies, pencils, crayons, or whatever it is you prefer to write with. 
Do you have them? Then let's begin.
link to original here

Once upon a time...

Okay, so I'm retelling a simplified version of a fairytale, but I'm going to be interjecting a lot. Putting my own spin on the story. Let's start with 'Once upon a time,' and let's imagine the time is now, rather than long ago.

There was a young woman named Ella. She was beautiful and intelligent, but after the death of her father, her step-mother and step-sisters took over the household and treated her like a slave.

Now let's imagine that Ella is you and me. As children we knew we were strong, smart, brave, quick to learn. It felt like we could do anything. But then things happened to us. Situations and circumstances we could not control. Even though we knew we were beautiful and intelligent, worthy of love and encouragement, some people treated us as if we were not.

Because they made her sleep in the kitchen, where it got very cold at night, Ella would curl up near the fireplace. By morning she was dirty from the soot, and never really got the chance to wash it off. Her step-sisters would mock her, calling her Cinderella.

I don't  know about you, but when someone tells me negative things for a long enough amount of time, it's hard not to believe those things myself. It gets to the point I start thinking, What's the point of washing the soot off? Am I even worthy of being clean and happy?

The young girl's life was very difficult. 

Pretty sure I don't need to elucidate on this, much. All our lives are difficult, in very different ways, for each one of us.

But then there was a call for all eligible women to come to a ball where the prince might pick out his future bride. 

Oh lovely hope. Here is a reminder that we are not stuck in our current circumstances. If we have a hope, a dream, or even the hope of a dream, we are not entirely empty. What are the chances Ella will be picked to be the next queen? Her's is a hopeless situation, if there has ever been any, and yet? And yet... (click here to continue)

18 comments:

  1. Aw, Deb! This post is like a kick in my own personal corner. Thank you so much for this delicious little rabbit hole to disappear down and for reminding me how to write the ending.

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    1. We've kicked in a corner? Nice. Let the fairies come trouping through.

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  2. Five minutes I have been staring at this comments screen, the only thing I can come up with is...this was worth the wait and perfectly timed. How do you do that??? Say the thing I need just at the right time, hand over the crystal ball!!

    Notes of paper by my car keys ready for the morning, now I am off to be a good girl and write something up that I have been putting off all week ;-)

    Thank you!!

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    1. I don't think there's any way you can know how happy it makes me to hear that you've put paper by your car keys, ready for the morning. Yay for writing, in all it's many guises!

      Thank you for following your dream, and for sharing your process with me.

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    2. Thank you for letting me follow you, in a non-stalker like way ;-)

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  3. You got me keep clicking...I already do some of the things, sketchbooks, notebooks snippets of typing. Illness has slowed me down in so many ways, it has kept me busy, yet it has also taught me more about myself about the power of thought and more that I aim to develop and explore.

    I love this cordless keyboard, I reckon it may even help me write that book that has been burning my back...I am cwtched in my corner after a hard day that got easier...

    I've had the wind oofed out of my sails by my health and by people who I have allowed do a number on my insecurities...through this vulnerability I am gaining strength...I will follow my dreams...I was already on my way but this is a lovely reminder...thank you x

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    1. Definitely write the book!

      Thank you so much for sharing your perspective. You add a depth to this post I was aiming for, but wasn't sure I quite reached. You say it all so well.

      And I'm glad I was able to keep you clicking ;)

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  4. I used to keep a pen and paper near me for those rare occasions when inspiration struck.
    Time to get back to doing it.

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    1. Pen and paper, or sharpie and hand, or crayon and cardboard...whatever it is that's on hand, eh?

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  5. LOVED THIS...and visiting your tree from an AWESOME view :0)

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    1. So glad for the love! Really, I appreciate you visiting my tree. Birds and feathers and butterflies and a couple of fairies here and there. All are welcome, eh? :)

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  6. Okay that's it. I've lost too many notes so I'm stocking up on post-it's. Enjoyed the clip.

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    1. Thanks, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I know how you feel about losing the notes. It always seems like the ones where you've figured out how to finally bring world peace are the ones that get lost. Bah. Post-it notes rock, obviously. I second your decision :)

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  7. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the way you took Cinderella and made such great analogies to life. Wow. You are deeper than a forest pond. (hehe)I think it's a great idea. I have my cards and am putting them around now.

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    1. Yay! I'm so glad you are putting your cards around!

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  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  9. I have to say--having read last Tuesday's post just before I went to bed last night--I now completely understand why your posts would take more than an hour. This was incredibly well-crafted and thought out with a message that all of us creative types can never hear enough. Thanks for taking the time to do it all. :)

    (Had to delete the above comment to fix a couple skipped words. I'm a little bit of a freak that way.)

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    1. Heh. I love that I'm not the only freak-that-way.

      I'm so glad you appreciated it. I worried that it was too trite, but hoped it would help someone(s) out there who needed it just then. Or sometime in the future. Or even myself, sometime in the future, when I'm down-hearted and looking back through my own posts.

      Thanks for your kind thoughts, Masked Mom.

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