The house is still right now. Everything is in its place. I like to be up before everyone else. I like to make the first noises of the day. I like to relish in being home. No rushing for me today. Somehow this makes it easier to get out of bed. Soon the tea kettle will be whistling, the washer will be whirling, and I will be whipping-out words for the book.
They will get up, one-by-one. First Sam, who will snuggle beside me, with a laptop of his own. Then Stephanie, who will gather a slew of books and sit across the room. Hannah will soon join us, eyes puffy with sleep, who will snuggle with her doll and quilt and fall back to sleep on the couch.
Andy comes down the stairs, lightening up all of our faces. He will fill my tea cup and make breakfast. Then he plays trains and dolls and clean-the-kitchen and keep-the-laundry going, while I continue to write and write and write. Soon the stillness will be gone.
However, I’ve learned to write with the noises of a happy family. I’ve learned to cherish train tracks being built under the bridge made by my legs between the couch and the footstool. I’ve learned to be a babysitter to Joanna, a Cabbage Patch Kid while she sleeps next to me. I’ve learned to hold very still while a marble run is precariously balanced alongside of me. I’ve learned to pause the click-click-clack of my keyboard and listen to a few random thoughts.
I don’t write with stillness around me.
I write with my laptop balanced on my legs, in the heart of our home. I write with paper airplanes flying pass my head. I write while eating pretend pancakes with children playing puppy curled around my feet. I write while helping to decode words in the latest Magic Treehouse book. I write with the constant support of Andy, who fills my tea cup and banishes all guilty thoughts that attack me while I write Saturday morning away.
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Thanks for the peep into your life from someone who *does* get to write in stillness! Something tells me there are many pros for both 🙂
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Thanks so much for the feedback on this Slice. I appreciate your comments. 🙂
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That’s a really great slice of life. I love the image of you writing with a Cabbage Patch doll by your side!
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I love the description of your household, of the routine in the chaos, reminds me of my house growing up (6 kids!).
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What a wonderful way to capture the beginning moments of a day in your home. I want to eventually be like you in the idea of waking early to still a few moments to myself but unfortunately I love my sleep a little too much!
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So often when you write I feel like I am in the room with you. Skill and heart have a party! Thanks for this beautiful piece of writing.
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HURRAY THAT YOU GET TO WORK AND DON’T LET YOURSELF DETOUR INTO SOMETHING THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE MORE FUN! ( SOME MIGHT ASK- WHAT COULD BE MORE FUN THAN WRITING?) AND THAT COULD BE WRITING FOR ONE’S SELF, NOT ‘PRESSURE’ WRITING…
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I enjoyed your slice. It reminds me of a typical weekend morning at home. I am sure all of the noises of a home can be an inspiration. I can almost see a sound poem being written based on your slice.
Caroline
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So enjoyed your piece. I moved between picturing your words, as your descriptions were vivid and connecting to my own memories of the past. Thanks.
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I need to learn from you how to write with noise around you. I tend to want everything perfect (ie.the house clean, laundry done, children gone…) then I feel that I can write.
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Ruth, this piece is chock full of strong images for me as a reader. As the artist uses colour, you have used your words to capture the time and place of your writing. The day emerges around you as you write and the family whirs into action.
Great piece if not great peace!
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What a wonderful piece of writing Ruth. I love the early morning pieces of writers- starting a day privately and then slowly sharing it with the rest of the family and I love that fact that you are writing, writing, writing, in the heart of your home with your teacup refilled regularly…
I write with my laptop balanced on my legs, in the heart of our home. I write with paper airplanes flying pass my head. I write while eating pretend pancakes with children playing puppy curled around my feet. I write while helping to decode words in the latest Magic Treehouse book. I write with the constant support of Andy, who fills my tea cup and banishes all guilty thoughts that attack me while I write Saturday morning away.
Bonnie
I’m off in the rain and wind to meet with our Tech Team, planning our tech seminar for April. I hope the weather gets better…ahhh. memories of Aruba.
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