With Profound Gratitude

As this month’s Blogging U’s Writing 101 course nears its end, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff at Writing 101 for all that they have offered us. I am astounded at how much I have accomplished in only one month’s time.

The month began with an assignment to write for 20 minutes without thinking about what we were writing, i.e. stream-of-consciousness, and then continued with assignments that covered such a wide scope of topics and styles.  So often during the month, I read the assignment and had the immediate thought “I can’t do this”. (That in itself was an interesting experience, because I generally assume I can do anything I want to do!) Then, in the course of the day, I found out that I could indeed do what was requested of us.   I even wrote two pieces of fiction, something that was definitely new to me. I loved the process and the result of writing those stories.

I am noticing that photographs are becoming an important part of my blogging.  That is particularly interesting to me because I have avoided using cameras for about 20 years, preferring to stay in the now rather than doing something that I saw as tying me to the past.

My attitude towards taking photographs actually began to change in 2011, when I started editing a monthly GreenFriends newsletter.  Two years in a row I was also asked to be the historian for a regional retreat. Pictures were an important component of both of those projects. I saw how my deep seated attitude towards photography was being challenged and beginning to change.

I not only have used a lot of photographs in my Writing 101 posts, I have also ventured beyond Writing 101 by participating in the recent weekly Wordless Wednesday and Bastet’s Pixelventures challenges. A new world is opening up to me.

I would also like to thank the WordPress staff for helping to create an incredible Blogging community. This community offers so much positive support to each other, not only support for writing, but also support for whatever challenges members are facing in their personal lives.  I have learned so much in this community and have made new friends besides. I have also discovered numerous websites that will be good personal and professional resources for the me in the future.

I look forward to continuing this journey. Where I will go next, I don’t know. I have to admit I have some interest at trying my hand at poetry. At this point, I don’t have a clue how to do that but I am aware that the answer could be just around the next corner. Who knows, maybe WordPress will offer a Poetry 101 course next!

And last, but certainly not least, I would like to offer my thanks to my son, Sreejit Poole, who introduced me to WordPress and the world of blogging through his blog The Seeker’s Dungeon.

Written for Writing 101 Assignment #19 Today is a free writing day. Write at least four-hundred words, and once you start typing, don’t stop.