JournalWriter Freelance
Refresh with Dawn Herring

Thanks for stopping by my website blog. I hope you enjoy browsing through the postings, and in the process, get to know me a bit better. I'm Dawn Herring with JournalWriter Freelance. I work in genres of memoir, essay, devotionals, spiritual and familial topics, plus humor, fiction, and a bit of poetry. I enjoy keeping a journal, thus the name of my business. Feel free to email me at journalwriter@sbcglobal.net with any questions or comments you may have. Thanks and enjoy your stay!

Friday, October 14, 2011

A Butterfly Moment

It was completely unexpected, which is really the best kind.
A flutter of wings as if blown by an inspired wind landing on my knit shirt. I take in the beauty of its wing's design, noting just a small tear at the bottom edge of one, yet it still flies. I am grateful it is not a serious injury. I have seen those kind before.
I am elated to have such a wonderful, wild creature resting, at peace, upon me. I realize it's the first time I've ever had my absolute favorite insect alight on me directly, and I am enchanted.
I begin to speak to it, telling the creature how utterly lovely a moment it is to have such beauty in my vision, even if it's but for a moment.
Then I wonder if it would climb onto my hand. So I place a finger gently in front of its fine front feet. It feels the nudge and obliges me and climbs onto the back of my hand.
My smile grows wider, my eyes immerse in its beauty and grace. I continue to tell it how beautiful it is, how lovely to enjoy the gorgeous sunshine together.

Then it is off, in its winged glory. Again I am elated it can fly, even with that small tear in it's wing.

As I stand there, in the after effects of such a lovely moment, my joy lingers. My heart is full.
Then I move on to the plans of my day which include an artist date. What a wonderful preclude to what awaits as I look to fill my creative well.

A Butterfly Moment.
The perfect picture, to me, of beauty, elegance, wonder, and ultimately, freedom.

And when we keep ourselves open to these unexpected possibilities, we may be surprised as to what might alight upon us in the most ordinary of moments.

That fill us with elation, joy, peace, and hope.
And as we linger in the after effects, we carry them with us in our hearts, our souls, our lives, our world.

May each Butterfly Moment in your life linger long and well.

&#169 2011 by Dawn Herring

2 comments:

Cat Chat With Caren And Cody said...: this was exquisite. You have no idea how it resonated with me.

My mother-in-law whom I adored, passed in 2006. A psychic once told my sister-in-law and husband that when they see a butterfly it is my mother-in-law...this was truly special...I must share it with my most special sister-in-law.

(((((hugs))))); October 14, 2011 7:23 PM
Dawn Herring said...: Caren,
I am so glad this resonated with you in such a profound way. It was profound to me too. Hope your sister-in-law enjoys it. :) Hugs back!
Be refreshed,
Dawn; October 17, 2011 12:33 PM

Three Steps Toward Accountability...to Yourself (as published in SFC Newsletter, Dec 08 edition)

Accountability: to give a reckoning or explanation for one’s actions, responsible.

When most people think of accountability, they often negatively associate it with answering to others, such as a spouse, a friend, a mentor, or, in most cases, a boss. As a writer, you are your own boss, which is one of the reasons that you need to be accountable to yourself. And it can be a positive experience rather than a negative one.

The first step in being accountable to yourself as a writer is setting goals for your writing and keeping track of projects you want to finish. Incurring a deadline for yourself can help

motivate you in this area. This step can also include daily writing goals. Some authors plan how many words or pages per day they will write.

I’ve set goals for myself as a writer by making them reachable and attainable. This year I have set a goal to write at least one scene for my novel per week and at least one other piece,

whether it be memoir or essay, per week. That can mean just making notes, writing a first draft, or revising a draft.

As long as your goals keep you moving forward and you’re making progress, then you know you’re headed in the right direction.

Once you have your goals set, the next step in accountability to yourself is writing down what you accomplish each day. You can use a daily calendar just for writing or keep track of your

daily accomplishments on your computer. I designed a custom monthly writing calendar. It helps me track what I write daily, whether or not I’ve met my goal for the week, and it has

space for ideas for future writing pieces. I also have a spot to keep track of books I’m reading for that month. I use abbreviations to keep the daily writing easier and to save space. As I review each completed month, I can go back to see what I’ve accomplished and keep track of when I wrote each piece.

Whether you use something pre-made or customize something for yourself, use whatever works for you and helps you stay accountable to yourself.

A third, and perhaps most important, aspect in accountability in your writing is taking care of yourself as a writer. Than can mean giving yourself space and not being hard on yourself if

you don’t reach your goals each day or each week.

Flexibility and refreshment are paramount to your health as a writer. It also frees up your creativity and can actually help you produce more quality writing in the long run.

I enjoy writing in my journal, reading fiction or memoir, and watching a good movie with my family. Taking a walk, listening to music, talking with your family members, and just taking time to sit and enjoy life are all ways you can be good to

yourself—and ultimately accountable—as a writer.

Learn to celebrate your accomplishments and your uniqueness as a writer. That’s one of the best ways to be accountable—to yourself!

Pages

My Website: www.dawnherring.net

#JournalChat Live is Launching in June!!

Share it

Friday, October 14, 2011

A Butterfly Moment

2 comments:

Popular Posts

#JournalChat Pick of the Day

Today's #JournalChat Pick of the Day

(2/18) Journal Writing can help you avoid anxiety and depression