Do you remember how I wished for 2012 to be the year for my words to find homes in many places? I believe I said something like “here’s to letting ME out all over the place!” Well, yippee! 2012 is the year of my first publication in a book!
In January, I submitted 600 words to a call for stories about quiet, stillness and reflection. That happens to be a topic I love, mostly because of what those things give me and how they helped me remember who I am. I certainly am not the only one who benefits from a little quiet time every day; this anthology is full of wonderful stories and poems by women who have so much to share.
I am extremely grateful that my words are travelling the world in print. It really is a childhood dream; that little girl inside me is clasping her red spiral-bound diary and jumping up and down on her bed. It’s also a moment that renders me motionless…still…almost like a shocked, “Hold on, this is real.” I yo-yo between outward explosions of enthusiasm and a strong desire to crawl under my blankets and decompress. Anybody else get what I’m talking about?
If you are interested in having your work published, please consider checking out pages like Places for Writers – you may find something that reaches right into you and knocks on your soul’s door, asking “Come out and play!”
I would love to give a signed copy of this book to you! If you would like to enter to win, please leave a comment telling us what you have learned from quiet moments or where you find your place of stillness. On Friday June 15 at 5 pm PST, I will draw one name and contact the winner.
Have a wonderful weekend! May you find pockets of quiet to fill your soul.
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The quiet of solitude has always been deeply desirable to me. It is where I can hear myself, and it is often where I can most easily be myself. I get frantic and exhausted when circumstances prevent me from being quiet and alone. Once I am able to rest by myself I soon recover my strength and enthusiasm.
Congratulations, Taslim! That is terrifically exciting, and what a beautiful book, too. I hope I win!
Thank you, too, for the lead to Places for Writers.
Thank you, Helen – how true that the quiet can be a place of recharge! And I do hope you check out Places for Writers – that’s where I found this submission call. Have a lovely day!
Congratulations my dear. Wooohoooo. I sense your joy and excitement. For me silence quiet and stillness brings me back home and reminds me how powerul, divine and connected I am. Thanks
Thank you, Ntathu! What a beautiful message to remember 🙂
I have no idea how to be still. I don’t even know if I have a piece of stillness in me, which makes me the one who needs this book more than anyone.
Ah, my friend Denise – I love your honesty! Thanks for entering!
The quiet and stillness is what I practice with my writing. It is where I unplug from the frenzy of the world that spins us into fragments and re-establish my connection with the earth that spins within me. With the self that spins the world and is so much larger that the little petty egos we tend to function in to get through the day sometimes. The ego is not your friend, but the Quiet can be, and a very faithful one at that.
The Quiet is definitely my friend, too, Daniela – thank you for your beautiful comment!
I have to say, I’m really bad at finding quiet stillness. Almost at all times I have music or radio going!
OH! I guess my quiet time is when I curl up with a book in bed before heading to sleep! But what have I learned from these quiet moments?
Hmmm, perhaps it’s something that I really need to tune into and start observing! I’ve never really paid much attention to it.
Hi Hyedie! I love reading before I sleep too but don’t find that that’s quiet enough for me. When I speak of spending time in quiet, I mean my left brain is as disengaged as possible. This requires some time for me! When it’s just my right brain (the creative, intuitive brain) that is free to roam at will I am better able to “hear” ideas or these ideas are better able to “come through” in my writing. Hope this makes sense – sometimes it’s a tricky thing for me to talk about. I am still finding words to describe it 🙂 I’m sure it’s a different experience for everyone. You might enjoy this Ted Talk video by Susan Cain.