Carly's Ramblings Blog - Style

Authenticity, Work Areas & Talking to Strangers

Today's blogs...

Blog City – Day 267

Prompt: What does authenticity mean to you? How can a person be authentic as a writer or in any other role?

Love this prompt, Joy.

Being authentic is being yourself and not being afraid to show your vulnerabilities so that you can connect with people on a real level. It is about being honest about who you are and living your passions as much as possible - completely if that is possible.

Being authentic is not 'playing' a role - you are who you are in all things. What I am and what I do are all an extension of the real me in all my facets - we are all complex beings. We come to the world with all our gifts and talents, our flaws and pain, our strengths and weaknesses. Our purpose is to bring those elements of ourselves out for the world to experience. We do this in positive ways - so that the world is better for our contribution. Whether we are raising children, volunteering in a shelter or doing battle in the corporate world - we are bringing a positive, authentic experience to the process. We are letting our light shine into the world.

We put ourselves out there with the idea that 'what you see is what you get'. Living authentically, we don't pander. We don't sell out. We live to the fullest of who we are - and for me that always connects me to a higher power as I know that I am nothing without His guidance and Love. Thank you God and Bless you all.

Welcome To My Reality - Week Forty - Nine

2.Is your desk/writing area tidy or cluttered? Do you find mess or neatness more inspiring?

I try to stay on top of the clutter. If I am stressing out or trying to procrastinate, the clutter will drive me nutty and I have to tidy before I can work, but for the most part I just plop down on the couch and go at it - tune out the other debris and just write. Living a renovation zone has honed my skills to tune out the sensory aspects of the clutter around me... just so long as it does not interfere with my research and need to find what I want. Even in clutter, I can generally find what I need, but if I can not I will need to go on tidy up alert before anything else can happen.

Some days things get to me, but most of the time I am fine. Sometimes I will tidy up use to keep my husband from hounding me about the clutter - this tends to happen when the supply teaching days are few and far between and he is pulling extra shifts at work. Then when it looks neater I can feel that I have earned a little time to relax and write.

Some days I just need to get out and write somewhere else - this may have nothing to do with the clutter and more to do with needing to see and hear and even be part of social interactions.

3.How do you feel about talking to strangers? Do you find it uncomfortable or oddly easy and natural?

And that ties in to this prompt... I have no problem striking up a conversation with a stranger. Most of the time it is just a natural comment made that connects us in that moment. It is funny really; as a child I was painfully shy and would tend to hide behind my mother when out in public or meeting new people.

Now, with supply teaching, I often walk into a class and have to meet 20 to 30 new people and make an impression that will make the time spent in that class go smoothly - if they see you sweat they will rise up and eat you alive... oh, sorry that is mostly grade 7 and 8 - I avoid supplying in those classes. But you never know...