EARTH VISIONS

Copyright 2010, Melissa C. Reardon, on all text and images, all rights reserved.

As the earth begins to awaken, I can smell the spicy soft scent of earth. The air is fresh, the moon and stars seem brighter and local bird calls are beginning to increase, reminding me of how cold and quiet this winter has been. And with the season, a new cycle of life is changing for me. I am enthusiastic about the new directions I can see ahead.

I have been filling my brain and creative spirit with new ideas and skills. I started with a mystery writing class last year which has led me to some fun detective stories for children. That experience lead me to taking a children’s writing class for 12 weeks. Now I am digging up some old stories that I worked on a few years ago with brand new eyes. I have begun a young adult story which surprises me every time I take the time to sit down and write it. What fun! Fairies, dog detectives, and magical realism are creating an interesting and provocative thread for my creative work these days.

Once again, I enjoyed working with Peter Marmorek and other writers from around the world with the online writing group writerscroft.com. The most inspiring class I have taken so far is with Melissa Hart, a professor at University of Oregon. She has a captivating background working with owls and other rescued birds at the Cascades Raptor Center. I just finished her workshop on writing nature essays at the Sitka Center for Arts and Ecology. I am so inspired that now I am hot on the trail for different ways of presenting my spirit and sustainability essays, poems, meditations and images.

A life changing workshop in December set something into place for me and my writer’s path. While attending a facilitation workshop on finding common ground in times of scarcity with Bob Chadwick of the Consensus Institute, I had an epiphany, touch of the universe… a reality check. I had been looking at things from a point of view that could no longer work for me. I met so many people who genuinely want to find solutions to the problems that face our environment and communities--global warming, rural poverty, species extinction, long term resource management and the plight of losing the family farm to developers. The three days I spent in Prineville were encouraging and inspiring. I feel honored to have been a part of that work.

Now my challenge is simply sitting down at the table and writing. Even the bad writing has some value and as I follow the thread, life gets more and more interesting.

Enjoy the images of our fall trip on Amtrak’s Coast Starlight to Los Angeles and our road trip to Arizona called ‘Southwest Mojo’.

Wishing you joy and encouragement as we move into spring!

Melissa C. Reardon