A lot of times people don’t start their journey into unfiltered writing, healthy writing, because they can’t find a jumping off place.
It’s an easy problem to fix.
Take out some old pictures and jot down your reactions to them. Those reactions will come from deep in your being as you are transported back to the moment the camera flashed.
Take the featured picture in this post. That’s Gerry Spence , the legendary trial lawyer, in the middle. My wife is the good-looking woman, and I am the young, skinny guy on the left. It’s a cool picture but the setup is even better.
I had purchased a couple of tickets to a meet and greet with Gerry Spence in Tyler, Texas.
When I told my wife about it, she got that “Who’s that?” look on her face.
“You know. The lawyer from Wyoming that wears the buckskin.”
“Oh, yeah,” she said without enthusiasm.
Anyway, the night of the event arrived and we went to the place where the meet and greet was held. When we got there, they put us in a receiving line and we winded around the corner to where Spence was shaking hands. Before he said anything, he reached out and put his arm around Paige, looked her in the eye.
“How you doing tonight, baby?” He never took his eyes off her.
It was the only time I’ve ever seen my wife melt like an ice cube tossed in a hot skillet.
We exchanged pleasantries, had our picture taken with Spence, then passed through the room and out of his sight.
At the end of the line, Paige looked at me and said, “Do you think they would let us go through the line again?”
That’s when I realized why Gerry Spence was such a great lawyer.
The moral?
Looking at that picture touches a host of hot-buttons. The process of aging, the joy of a totally unexpected life moment, the fun of recalling something so special. To relive those few minutes is like finding a treasure in a field, like a dream from youth.
It writes itself if you will only let it.
And when it writes itself, you will find your soul hitting on all cylinders.
And you will be on your way to unfiltered, healing writing.
Comments