What's The Weather Like

You might say I'm percolating. No I'm not making coffee. I'm making something creative. And as a writer it's not just putting language down on the page. Oh that's important, some would say critical. But the creative process also involves the often unseen "inner" work beforehand.

For me my mood and my writing is heavily influenced by the weather. Basically I've never left the sunny weather of Southern California. It suppose to be 75 degrees and sunny. That's my inner norm. Everything else is something "different." While living in Washington, DC we've had blizzards, hurricanes, tornados and the ever occurant thunderstorms. And then the ordinary days of rain, sleet, snow, hail and wind (with an occasionally sunny day). So you see I've had a lot of different moods from all that weather.

All this DC weather has made me a more interesting person. I believe that the 75F and sunny weather of Southern California would have have lacked inspiration. (The sheer predictability, you know?!?!?) I only really long for LA weather when its in the teens and snowing 2 feet from a blizzard.

So it's almost the end of winter and the time of rebirth is almost upon us. Spring offers all sorts of new energies and opportunities. My hibernation and "percolating" will be done for a few months.

I'm looking forward to seeing what comes up this spring. And of course what's the weather like.

Vibes Change

You know, your whole vibe changes after fifty. Now I'm into a calm, peaceful and just generally relaxed kind of energy. I often feel like a cool, cloudless and blue sky on a pleasant early October day. Just a little crisp but not in the least bit cold.

Compare that to pre-fifty. I was passionate in and out of bed. I was intense like a crimson bed of coals. And I was ambitious. I would let little or nothing obstruct my will. But I was also anxious and filled with angst. I was all charged up and ready to go, but I still worried about making the right choices.

Well, I charged ahead and not too carefully, I might add. So as you can no doubt imagine, I got banged up a lot. It wasn't because I was stupid. I was just stubborn and couldn't abide prejudice, bigotry or social injustice.

But over time I sought refuge from the front lines of societal conflicts and worked behind the barricades. I moved myself closer to the liberal base and stronghold. Working in academia and psychology was great. Met wonderful people too (like Kathleen). They were kind to me. They seemed to have compassion for my pain and suffering but let me work out my issues in my own way and in my own time. I worked in psychology for twenty years doing research and administration. It wasn't my first choice. Quite frankly, it wasn't even on the list. But now in hindsight, I see that it saved me from a life of pain and frustration, which I surely would have had if I had pursued a career in Hollywood. I'm glad I didn't go that way. My fork in the road led me to psychology and its rewards.

So now I'm making another transition to the life of a retiree. What do you do, people still ask. I write. Everyday. And trust me...staying open to inspiration and imagination whether it be big or something tiny, is a challenge. So now my vibe is a little more bluish and a little less reddish than a few years ago.

So, do tell. How has your vibe changed over time? I'm interested in your story too. Feel free to leave a comment.

A Typical Unproductive Day

Don't know what to make of today. I slept most of it away except for a few minor interruptions of neighbors, phone calls and lunch deliveries. This retired life is definitely set your-own-course. Aside from pouring coffee into Kathleen and driving her to and from the metro, my day is pretty much my own. Oh, I call my mother every day and then I call Kathleen around lunchtime (she works so hard that I have to remind her to eat lunch; something you'd never have to remind me about).

I like staying home. I don't watch daytime TV except for an occasional Ellen episode. But I do listen to Top 40 radio. I really kinda tune out the music. I don't know the songs' titles or the artists. It's really nonsense music to me (except for Adele) and that's why I guess I like it so much.

And then I'm on the Internet...for hours. I do email and I write. I shop (too much!). I check the weather. And I surf a lot. I'm especially happy when I find a new kitten video to watch. Cause I've got to get a daily dosage of "cuteness" in; otherwise everything gets dark and cynical. And we can't have that.

But I'm happy with this arrangement because I have time to research, muse, and write every day. I may be "unproductive", but I write every day. Other than answer email, what do you do every day?

Wow…It’s Been a Year!

That’s right. Today is Forgetful After Fifty’s first birthday. And boy has it been year. At last count, there were over 85 posts and over 4,000 pageviews. And I’m also proud to report that the blog has traveled all around the world to English-speaking countries as well as non-English speaking countries.

But you, my readers, are what have made Forgetful After Fifty a success. Your support has inspired me to write another post and then yet another one. And I’m amazed that you keep reading. You’re all better than Facebook friends.

I can’t tell you what direction my whimsical musings will take. But for certain I am grateful for the experience of writing for you.

With laughter,
Diane

Friends Are Asking For More…

I had no idea that I would still be blogging Forgetful After Fifty. Somehow the muses have remained faithful to me and have whispered sweet inspirations on a regular schedule. I am just these comedic muses' typist, and sometimes I wish I could type faster to keep up with them.  But my slow typing gives both the muses and me ample room to edit as we go. And we go a little here and a little there until finally we have sentences, paragraphs, and lastly, a posting.

But this isn’t funny, you say. True, even my cats are funnier than writing about writing. You’re right---It’s really boring.

But you must understand that we writers fret about process and are amazed by its mysterious qualities like gleaming gems in sunlight. The best of us and the worst of us live for those moments when we are entranced or just “channeling” some muses’ work which we later claim as our own.

Basically, we writers don’t understand what we are doing but we do it nonetheless.

So I’m going to keep doing it,. Hopefully, my muses will be funnier in the next posting. Maybe I'll get back to funny basics: CATS.

The Write Stuff

I'm finally doing something I enjoy because I simply enjoy doing it. Not for money, not for recognition, not for popularity and certainly not for fame. I enjoy writing and I think more so than your average writer. Because from all the writing classes I've taken, everyone acts as if the writing is just something they did while alone to pass some time. Now, in class, they want to talk about agents, publishers and producers. That's where their passion lies. And then there's the market research and demographics and your target audience. It's easy to get consumed with the sale side of writing and forget about your writing itself.

I know this all too well. I did it until now, and if you don't believe how obsessed I was with selling my work, ask Kathleen. Maybe now I've gone extremely the other way and want only my artistic freedom. (I'm sure I'll find the middle road some time soon.)

But in the meanwhile I'm still looking for a writing class. I wonder which one will be right for me?