Daily Inspiration

A New Day, A New Thought?

What a gorgeous day it is today! Of course it is. To me, each day offers sunshine, even when the sun is hiding behind the clouds or the sky is dark and rain is pouring down. I hope I never learn to see the world as others do, as a dark place. To me, this world, even with its problems, is a place of wonder.

A few days ago, I quietly sneaked from my apartment in the wee hours of the morning to walk bare-footed in the puddles that formed on the sidewalk. I never want to lose that part of me that enjoys the world, that wants to see and experience the world like a child.

Okay, maybe I can no longer dance and twirl round and round in a gentle rain. Maybe I can no longer skip in the puddles and splash mud as I go. But that few minutes of secret puddle enjoyment, when my neighbors were still fast asleep, was good for my soul. It was good to remember what it was like to be that child splashing without regard to what other people might think.

Today I received a few quotations in my inbox. My e-friends know how I enjoy quotes. I wish I could create a quote that would be ever remembered, that would be passed down from generation to generation.

I pondered that for a while. What have I said that is worthy of being remembered? What theme perpetuates in my writings? I wondered.

One particular group of words I used in my writings again and again was, "One can only look back at my life and see where I’ve sought God’s will and where I’ve forged ahead on my own and asked God to bless my messes."

I’ve said that many times. But is that really an original though? It is a quote which might be remembered as something Ms. Merry Sunshine said? I smiled at that. Probably, if that quote makes the archives of quotations, it will appear with the name Ms. Merry Sunshine attached to it. No one will really know that Marilyn Ruth Mackenzie was the author.

My thoughts wandered again. I realized I hadn’t shared with the world, yet, that I took my maiden name back again. Marilyn Ruth Mackenzie. Yes, that’s who I really am.

But about those quotes I received today. I looked at them to see if there was a common theme, a shared message.

"Most of the shadows of this life are caused by standing in one's own sunshine." Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Everywhere in life, the true question is not what we gain, but what we do." Thomas Carlyle

"We cannot afford to throw away even one "unimportant" day by not noticing the wonder of it all. We have to be willing to discover and then appreciate the authentic moments of happiness available to all of us every day." Sarah Ban Breathnach

"The person born with a talent they are meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it." Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

It appeared there was a common theme – happiness. I wondered if my e-friends sent these quotations to me because of that theme, because joy is such a part of my life.

The resounding message from these wise people was that we can choose to be joyful. We can choose how we react to the world around us.

Van Goethe reminds us of the importance of using our talents, of doing what we were created to do. He reminds us that using our talents, doing and being the person we were meant to be, will bring us the greatest joy.

How true that is. If we are driven by a desire for riches or fame, we probably won’t be as happy as we would be if we are pursuing a dream or passion and using our God-given talents. Acquiring riches or fame should be the icing on the cake, not the cake itself.

Perhaps this explains why there are so many here wanting to learn to be good writers. They have a desire and a passion for writing. No matter what position they have now or have had in the past, writers here have a passion for writing and stories within their hearts and souls that must be shared.

Hey. That’s how I ended yesterday’s thoughts. "A writer has stories deep within his heart and soul just begging to come forth." Isn’t it funny that my pondering ends with that thought again? Perhaps not.

Perhaps my mission here at Writing.com is to remind others that true writers write from their hearts and souls, and that we must handle their hearts gently, else they be shattered and torn.

I've seen writers disappear from other writer's sites because they were treated unkindly, because the reviews they received were ugly and unkind. Some say writers have to have a tough skin to learn to take rejection from editors and publishers. I say, "Balogney butts!" I've received many rejections in my 35 years of submitting to publishers. Most rejections are not anywhere near as harsh as some of the reviews I've seen here!

What if a harsh word from someone here makes a writer disappear, never to write again? What if that writer was supposed to pen the greatest novel ever?

Respect is the key, I think. Something few today have - here or out in the big world around us. What ever happened to, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"? (Matthew 7:12)

Respect. Another topic for another day.