Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Moving is like Writing

I do both of these things all of the time. I mean ALL of the time. One I am exhausted and inspired by. The other I am… exhausted and inspired by.

1. I can’t help doing either one. They’re equally impulsive, natural, crucial.
2. They’re cleansing. In this way that says I am purging and preserving all at once.
3. They remind me, give life to, the millions of worlds out there that I am living, have lived and have yet to live.
4. They bring new people into my life, real and imagined.
5. They make it hard, no, impossible, to think about anything else.
6. They let me create new space—sometimes within the confines of my imagination and four walls and sometimes outside the limit of possibility.
7. They make me crazy and I want to stop forever.
8. They make me exhilarated and I can’t imagine NOT moving/writing.
9. They make me realize I have too much STUFF—both tangible and intangible.
10. They make me realize I will always find a place for this stuff.
11. I feel intensely sad, doing either one, about the things I am leaving behind and haven’t appreciated or realized and the absolute uncertainty about what lies ahead.
12. They’re costly—mentally and financially.
13. I am, apparently, defined by both of these things.

3 comments:

Anne Spollen said...

Nice simile...one day, you will probably stop moving, at least so much, but I bet you never stop writing.

Unknown said...

Isn't change that makes us grow? Keep asking yourself questions that keeps you young along the way. Good travels,

Sylvia Bloem

Maria said...

HEATHER!!!! Yay, I googled and succeeded! This is Maria. You mentored me for two years through Writegirl! I have't read anything yet because I'm really excited that I found your blog and wanted to tell you immediately. Here I am! My e-mail is mguerra@berkeley.edu. I would love to hear from you! sorry for the unrelated comment, but there was no link to your e-mail.