Susan Richards Workshop

Take a writing workshop!

On Sunday I came back from Woodstock, NY, and the Susan Richards workshop. Was it remarkable? Yes! Was Susan a good teacher for this group? She was a rock star! (Cliche??)

At her home, nestled in the Catskill Mountains, I grew as a writer and I grew personally. Susan laughed with us, cried with us, and gave this group of hers enough skills to last a lifetime. Susan did not hold back in her critiques and we'll always be grateful for her honesty. If my writing could be better in places, she helped me. If she liked what I had to say, she complimented me and helped me feel worthy of my work.

So, take a workshop. Do it. If I can, so can you. Five days of listening, growing, and getting feedback. Lynn and Michele, the two other writers in my group, critiqued my manuscript along with Susan. Their help was accepted, and it came back to me with caring and love.

Susan, you really know how to run a workshop! Thank you.

In the picture:
Michele, Susan, Me, and Lynn.

Reaching for the calmest part of myself...

Making my way home from the Princeton Jumping Horse Show in New Jersey this past weekend, I realize how simple my life has become. Driving on Peppermint Road, which is close to my home, I look at the serene field on my left and feel calm and cradled in such a setting. It gives me what I need each day to heal from the strains of life.

I try to live from the heart of my soul. My spirituality has always been at the center of who I am. On my three acres I can be still and uncomplicated, enabling me to live in clarity and conscious choice.

God's finest whispers fill every bird song I hear and I am thankful for each day. I experience euphoria by living without being limited by the judgment of others. We all have a finite time on this earth, and it is important that I learn to balance the gifts I've been given, and to take responsibility for the space I hold here.

I must challenge myself to do better in each moment, because I have the opportunity each morning to start again. To give of myself in a way that enhances rather than diminishes. What is genuine and what is lasting is who we are.