Do You See Beauty In the Mess?

My nest will be full in a few days. I'll bring out our family gratitude projects and decorations from prior Thanksgivings. In next week's letter, I will write about why I love this holiday. Can't wait to share!

Speaking of writing, I am just coming up for air. I've been hibernating in my cave, only pausing to eat and other necessities. Revising my novel, IT COULD BE WORSE, kicked my a**. 

I have deep compassion for those who have chronic illnesses and difficulty focusing. Working with Covid and other unexpected challenges made this fine-tuning phase frustrating. It honestly depleted my cognitive and creative reserves.

Then I realized the gifts. Instead of saying “I have to do this,” my self-talk changed to “I get to do this.” This shift in perspective helped me refocus, refilling the well of gratitude.

Here is a glimpse of my process, which I am continuing to discover. (See photo above!) I love all phases of creating--the drafting, editing, revising, and most of all, personal transformation.

Could I show you my stacks of organized, clipped, and filed drafts? Sure. They are aesthetically lovely and lined up like paper Rockettes. (I love office supplies so they are color coded, too!)

But writing can be messy. Creating isn’t linear. There is beauty in the mess, discoveries in the deconstruction, and purpose in the pages.

When your friend texts, “How’re the edits going?” And you send her this photo.