Election Peace Challenge Day 9
I’ll let you in on a little secret: I often struggle with what to write in my Substack columns. Life flows at me and through me and around me as it does with us all. But sometimes the meaning of fleeting experiences fills more space in my heart than words will allow.
What story can contain what’s within us? How can we pass on stories of peace that transcend time?
Didn’t my college roommates and I just play Joni Mitchell songs over and over in our dorm room, wondering what kind of lives we’d lead? Didn’t my husband and I just stand under the olive tree in our backyard and say our vows, even though it was 23 years ago? Didn’t I just hear the brilliant stories of writers at a retreat in England that transported me hundreds of years back in time?
Story gives us perspective, blurring time and space to remind us we are always evolving, even when we think we’re standing still. I believe there’s peace in that, to know we are not victims of the world around us, but instead can shape a future that’s better than the past.
So today, write a new story. Write down memories from your life, how things have changed, how you’d like your future to change, what could be possible.
Write it without a thought about obstacles or limitations.
Years from now, you’ll look back and see how you’ve evolved over time. So write a story worth living, and feel the creative power of peace within.
Now take a deep breath. It’s going to be okay.
A NOTE TO MY READERS: I write this column as a member of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. You can subscribe for free. However, if you enjoy my work, please consider showing your support by becoming a paid subscriber at whatever level feels right for you. The Iowa Writers Collaborative is made up of some of the foremost regional journalists in the country. Each writer is independent and has a Substack of their own. Thank you!
Linking readers and professional writers who care about Iowa and the world.