Of Passion and Healing....

Writing is therapy. For me it is. It is my space far from the madding crowd. It is my time to lose myself, and find myself. It is my place of truth, of revelations and self-discovery....and yet a place of strange contradictions - an arena of open contention between peace and discontentment, hope and disillusionment. Still it's here that I find my truth. It is here that I fall in love with me all over again; where I unearth the beauty that is hidden beneath the mundane; where the truths of what lies within me, become far weightier matters than the facts of what lies around me.

Mental clutter can be overwhelming. Life happens and as we process the issues that affect our lives we often tend to push stuff under the mental carpet. We shelve issues we would rather not confront and pretty soon our mental closets become cluttered with the secrets and skeletons we have kept from view. Yeah, it used to get like that for me sometimes. Often I found myself alone in my dilemma, trying to fight my ghosts. Guilt and shame make poor bed-fellows I've found, so getting into bed with them is not my idea of a fun or restful way to spend the night. I find I much prefer to face my ghosts by putting pen to paper. And there I find my escape from the narrowly-targeted arrows of life's realities. It is then that I pour out...out of my soul's extremities into the empty yet animate pages that lay awaiting.. I solve and I absolve.....and then it all makes sense. By becoming vulnerable in my own secret chamber, under the scrutiny of my own conscience  I get in touch with my truth; I find strength and character; I unearth my motives and find perspective....and like the proverbial phoenix from the ashes I rise again to meet another day's challenge.

But more important than the value it brings to me, I write because of the difference I know it can make in the lives of others. I understand the power of words. I understand the appeal they can have. I know of their power to connect, resonate and reverberate. Words are life-giving. And it's not that I have mastered the art of making words dance, or invoking the emotive to play upon your psyche, its simply that I hope that with each entry I make in this not-so-private diary, somebody's spirit is lifted; that somebody who is overwhelmed with the feeling of failure or mediocrity might be encouraged to get back up again. I'm always trusting that someone might be so aroused as to find that which for you is therapeutic, and that you'll keep at it till you find healing.

I do not know what it is that you easily lose yourself in, what it is that makes time pass unnoticed for you, but I know that whatever it is, that is your therapy. It is your place of healing and growth . It is your place of personal impact. The truth is, it may not be earth-shattering, it may not bring you loads of money but it is what is easiest on your heart, it is what speaks to you, what makes waking up each morning worth the while. As you indulge, as you bask in your truth, and as your personal journey to self-discovery becomes more therapeutic you will find an urge to share your passion and your experiences..and an even stronger obligation to respond to that urge The ball is now in your court..... let the healing begin. .