I has been an awfully long time since I have posted to this blog – 8 months to be exact. I just didn’t have time! In completing my master’s degree, and working on my culminating project, all my writing energies were in action elsewhere.
You can see the fruits of my labors in the resulting website:
Given my time away, I have been able to reflect on just how great a hiatus can be:
Education is Empowering
My experience with completing a master’s degree in Integrative Health & Healing was amazing! It made me realize that although I had been reading voraciously on health, and writing as well, I wasn’t completely immersed in the process. I didn’t have colleagues or instructors to share my passions with, and to learn from. I had been going it alone, which kept me informed, but it hadn’t made me empowered. I can honestly say that being immersed in the educational experience has provided me with the comprehensive experiential knowledge and understanding that I just could not get on my own. I think all adults should have the opportunity to fuel their creative spark in such a way.
Introspection is Essential
In education you must do a great deal of soul searching. You have to think about what is really important to you, and bend your beliefs as new information is uncovered. It can be tiring, yet amazingly uplifting at the same time. During my degree, daily journaling was encouraged and I found that putting my innermost thoughts on paper was a window into my soul. I was able to uncover who I really was at heart, and what I really wanted out of life. That is some pretty profound stuff! We all think we know what we want, but I can tell you, I was never as sure about what I stood for as I am now after two years of journaling. If you haven’t ever tried it, I urge you to give it a shot.
Reading is “Fun”damental
I remember that somewhat cheesy line from grade school. Back then I really didn’t like to read because books were often forced upon me, and then I was told what they meant, or how I was supposed to interpret them. Ridiculous! All written material is subject to the reader’s perception. Now that I understand that, and feel free to read under my own terms, I love reading. I feel so inspired by a good book, and also grateful to its author. Discovering works that move me has also enriched my writing tremendously and made me more sure than ever that I was meant to be a writer. My recent favorite works include: Kitchen Table Wisdom (Rachel Naomi Remen), The Genie In Your Genes (Dawson Church), The Art of Effortless Living (Ingrid Bacci), The War of Art (Steven Pressfield), and Writing Down the Bones (Natalie Goldberg). Even if you don’t opt to go back to school, you can always expand your mind with a good book.
So, although I have been on break from this blog, you can see that I have kept myself busy. If you took a hiatus what would you do?