Life is filled with magical moments--giving birth, falling in love, uncontrollable laughter, quiet moments of bliss, louder times filled with joy. If we think of our key magical moments in life, we might conclude that love comes into play in one way or another.
Over the next days, commit to writing your thoughts when you first wake up and then again just before you go to bed. During the days between those waking moments and those times when sleep takes over control of your mind, think about this: have you ever saved a life? Has your life ever been saved by someone else?
Sometimes we are not exactly sure if we have saved a life. We might have stopped our cars just as a tricycle rolls into the street. Or perhaps we have performed CPR or another, more obvious, life-saving act. Have you talked with a depressed friend deep into a night? Is that friend still alive? You may have saved him or her. Have you dialed 911 or rushed to help a stranger who has collapsed on a sidewalk? Think seriously about this. You may not have given yourself credit for even possibly saving someone's life. Do you consider it "life-saving" to have helped someone escape an abusive relationship?
In turn, think of those who may have saved your life--having stopped his or her car as you crossed the street in the glare of a bright morning sun; or someone who held your hand as you climbed up to a mountain ledge.
Life is filled with changes and challenges. We experience joy, and we experience grief. Tapping into the love that propels most of us to answer the call to action when someone's life is at risk--well, that is true love.
As you continue writing the moments and stories of your life, remember these simple rules: 1) jotting down an idea or memory is enough; if you wish to write about entire event, do so in the moment when you feel ready to do so; and 2) keep each event on a separate "index card" of your filing system (whether using actual index cards, digital note files, or tear-out sheets of paper from a little notebook). These "index cards" are the basis of your story and/or stories. You may find yourself attracted to writing about one aspect of your life (a struggle with childhood, times spent with a famous relative, your life's true love, or a single incident that changed your life significantly). These are the beginnings of the stories of your life.
Write your life. Start reading what you have written. If you feel ready, starting categorizing what you have written. Begin sculpting a story if you feel you have a start--or just keep writing for now. Your story or stories will evolve. Be humble, be proud. And in the the process, you will see your life from a new perspective: from outside of yourself. Write your life. Read about your life. Then right your life.
Most of all, enjoy! And always, always look for the love--the love that is at the core of sadness, joy, hope, dreams--all the stuff of your life.
