Thanksgiving Ingredients

Use the best ingredients, pay attention to detail, and savor every morsel. Good advice for preparing any meal, is good advice for living life.

Am I a Writer? I say, yes, and that’s the only opinion that matters to me. I write. I always have. I’ve written for others. I’ve written just for me; four boxes of old journals on the top shelf of the storeroom attest to that. I’ve sold my writings, but there are novels and stories and poems filed away along with their rejection slips in my studio’s lone filing cabinet that may never see print.

Am I an Artist? A Photographer? I say, yes, and that’s the only opinion that matters to me. I paint and draw and take photographs. I’ve done them all for others. I’ve done them all just for me. I’ve sold many paintings and some photographs, and many more languish in a portfolio on the top shelf of the coat closet.

The only opinion of me that matters to me is my own. If I can look in the mirror and like and respect the Woman I see there, it is enough. That belief has drawn considerable fire from friends, family and foes alike for most of my life. Now, I have company.

Lately I meet more and more like-minded women. Women, who at 40 and 50 suddenly asked why not, instead of why. It’s as if they’ve crossed some magic boundary in their lives and now they’re making up for lost time in pursuit of their authentic selves. Now ask, “why did I wait so long? Is it too late? Can I become myself at this late date?” Just say, yes, and that is the only opinion you need. Life’s banquet waits; the choices are yours.

On this Thanksgiving Day, I am grateful for the banquet that is life. I can choose from the bounty and savor my choices. I joined the Blogosphere recently and what an adventure it is. I can find homes for words that have too-long languished in boxes on a shelf. I’m mining those old journals for timeless topics. I’m posting old and new poems on gather.com’s poetry groups and perlespoems.blogspot.com.

I’ve decided to give this Blog a Mission Statement:
That Mission is to Savor Life and bring others along on my journey, while encouraging them on journeys of their own.