Happenstance

I woke up at 3:00 this morning as I always do, but reset the alarm for 3:30 (as I always do).  I’m not quite sure what those additional 28 minutes do for me. Yeah, I did the math right.  It takes me two minutes to focus this pair of forty-somethin’ eyes, point to one of the three or four alarms I have set on my phone, and wait to see how much time shows up. Twenty-eight minutes.  That should do it. I roll over and drift away.

At exactly 3:30 the gentle Dawn Chorus awakens me a second time. I need something gentle to wake me up.  It’s more soothing than Cousin Tootsie’s feral rooster that woke me up every morning as a child. It wouldn’t just crow once and get on with his day.  He had to do it three or four times, leave his roost and strut around the neighborhood–just rude! Now, I’ve digressed.

Sitting and writing over coffee, I thought I’d share a little secret with you.  I’ve been writing off and on since I was in third grade. Back then I attended a summer program for so-called gifted writers at USL (what would become my alma mater years later). My third grade teacher set that in motion.  Some may see it as happenstance, but I see the divine in this — a prayer from the lips of a child answered and brought to fruition.

Roll your works upon the Lord so shall your plans be established and succeed. ~Proverbs 16:3

This verse reminds me that God has caused my thoughts to become agreeable to his will. My desire to become a writer was actually his idea, not mine as I had previously thought (in my ignorance). The pull to do it every day is so strong that I can no longer fight it, and trust me, I fought it. Some would say I’m a bit feisty at times.

As I finish up my last drop of coffee, shove a few bites of cereal in my mouth, and slide my cold tootsies under my Golden for warmth, I’ll hammer out a few more words before scurrying upstairs to get ready for work. I want to leave you with a few wise words from an author whose name I’d prefer not to share.

Start where you want to finish ~ Name Withheld

You could Google it and figure out who said it, but then you might ignore his sage advice which merely suggests that we should prepare for our futures now. I write every day because I hope to write for the rest of my life.  What is it that you want to do that you should be starting today? Think about it (but not too long), and just do it!