Be careful of the confident step
The overloud voice that says
You’re headed in the right direction
Beware of the puffed chest
The broad smile
The straight line
Clear picture
No hesitation
Left or right?
Stop
Please
Listen
Deeper
Beware of the robust, the simply must!
The superlative
The hyperbole
The ad speak ad nauseoum
Be wary of the neat package
The known route
The well trodden path
With steel capped boots
(You do know that while they may protect you
They won’t prevent treading on other feet,
Other toes?)
No?
No.
Look out for strings that end in decorative bows
And gardens that grow flowers
In orderly rows
Everything weeded
Nothing left
To run to seed and feed another season
Beware of the direction to turn into a designated space
Nothing is wild
Everything is safe
Be very cautious of tall things that cast no shadow as you climb them
Lest you become shadowless too
Beware of finish lines that don’t exhaust you
Take everything you’ve got to give
Because
When you settle for less
There is no edge
To the easy chair
Nothing to make you get out of it again
Ever
The horizon is but a comforting blur in the distance
Naught to worry about
A calm and cultured existence
No bees to sting
Means
No pollination in progress
The winds of change
Putter out at your front gate
You have consigned yourself to a sensible fate
No fear
No anxiety ridden folly ahead
You are halted
Stopped
A cautious person proud of your lot
Lack of failures
Stupid mistakes
Stupid
Mistake
A whisper of unease appears
For legs can be severed
At the knees
Listen deep
Now!
Chaos happens for a reason
*My first novel is complete and as of last Friday even accepted by a publisher
I tried to deny the flicker of unease this presented
Isn’t this what I wanted?
It’s taken me till Sunday (today) to work out what my inner voice was all but shouting about.
I’ll backtrack
When one of my sons was just a little boy he came home with a project to do for homework
Much excitement ensued.
I love a good project.
Cardboard
Research
Glue
Colours
Cutting
Sticking
I looked at my son – he was sad, confused.
I had taken over his project.
I quietly handed the reins back but it wasn’t the same
I swore to myself then
I had learnt my lesson
Clearly I hadn’t
A few years ago a small feisty imaginary friend arrived in my writing.
Her name was Stripy and she told me her story. I loved it. I wrote a short story with her as my character and won a prize in a writing competition.
When looking for my first novel with which I wanted to target a certain age group I immediately thought I could continue Stripy’s story – she had more to tell.
The thing is because I really wanted to make this a “great project, a “successful venture”
I completely took over her story and wrote a lovely safe little tale that would sell easily and well to mainstream
Wasn’t that sensible?
Yeah maybe but it’s not her story
Stripy is far from safe and her story is more important then the ego trip I wanted to take as a published author
Safe kids are not the audience I even wanted to reach
And they certainly aren’t the sort that Stripy hoped to help
So
Despite a contract for my tidy little book close to hand and ready for the signing
I’m doing the right thing
Because chaos happens for a reason
Older posts you may not have read
https://athousandbitsofpaper.com/2019/12/13/the-mirror-doesnt-answer-much-in-the-end/
Or
https://athousandbitsofpaper.com/2020/02/04/the-rebalancing-act/
A wonderful piece if writing! I thought it was heading one way and then you turned it another! Very satisfying!
Oh and you should get a new pair of trainers 😉
Haha those are my sons safety boots 🥾 and him in them – took the photos ages ago because I loved the dilapidated state of them.
😉
This is absolutely fantastic, Kate! Took me on the journey I needed to go on today. Wow. I am so inspired by your writing. 👏
Thank you so much Katy – that’s a lovely thing to hear. Have a lovely day.
I’ve subscribed to that basic sentiment most of my life… it’s impossible to totally tell good circumstances from bad because all is interconnected, woven into a fabric, or braided into an eternal chain, and both perceptions are misleading. Things are never black and white and all that they seem. Not ever. However, that doesn’t mean that the short term bad and the short term chaos aren’t still horrible at the time. Nazi Germany comes to mind, Russia under Stalin, Mao. Other totalitarian regimes, religious atrocities–too many to count. Governments never perfect, only “best possible” perhaps. Eventually “better” came out of that chaos, maybe, and maybe influenced the world for the better for a while. But that kind of chaos is still something best avoided if at all possible. Groups and parties and clubs always to be questioned. But still, we never reach any of the good in our lives without having passed through the bad. And that brings some comfort. A reminder. Nice post. I’m off for a couple more days.
Hi Lynn lovely to hear from you, enjoy your time off.
It takes courage to reject ‘safe’ … bravo. 🙂
It’s just not the book I want to leave behind if I fall off the perch tomorrow.
Heh, ‘fall off the perch’ … love it! 😀
“Nothing is wild
Everything is safe
Be very cautious of tall things that cast no shadow as you climb them
Lest you become shadowless too
Beware of finish lines that don’t exhaust you”-Kate Duff
I get this. All of it. Congratulations on your contract! I’m so proud of you. Finding you has inspired me. And this week….was chaos through celebration. And my fingers have typed hard at work. And my mind won’t “settle”-yet, I don’t want it to “settle”. I’m in a funk and your piece is advising me. Love it! Thank you!
As writers we are incredibly blessed to choose why we leave behind us. I think we get caught up to easily in the sell nature of publishing our work – why wouldn’t we? My husband is shaking his head at me for changing my mind and my book but…A writers got to do what a writers got to do. Think I just needed to reach the finish line to know I could do it – now I’ve got to back track. None of us know what we are doing so may as well follow the only guide book that speaks to me (and just happens to come out when I write poetry) thanks for your lovely comment and glad to be of inspiration – we light each other’s little candles when they blow out – the beauty of a community of writers and bloggers. ✍️🦋❤️
Beautifully explained ❤️
Things break down or ho South for a reason. What’s destined to be yours will always happen. There are no straight lines in life. Whatever is being extracted from your life is meant to make room for something greater to occur. Hugs my friend 💜
Hugs back to you Lady Sag – love your writing.
Your kindness is deeply appreciated. I write how I feel, something I can articulate. I love our little community here, uplifts me daily💜🙏 My real name is Maria my friend😉 Maria Teresa. What’s yours?
I’m just Kate. Kathryn Anne when in trouble 😊 Lovely to know your name Maria.
I love it, Kate the Great😊 likewise my dear🤗 happy to know you.
❤️
Proud of you on many levels ❤️ our guts don’t lie…….. mines grumbling from indulging in too much for lunch 🤪
I just read your post – proud of you too – life looks so good on you Mare – keep rocking it lovely ❤️
Oh I love this, I was scanning quickly to see what happened, yes, I believe chaos can happen for a reason too and good on you for choosing to write your way ❤️
This is, truly, a beautiful guide for life.
“Beware gardens that grow flowers
In orderly rows
Everything weeded.”
That especially struck me. Sometimes we weed our gardens thinking we have to, failing to see the beauty and authenticity in the chaos. Cheers to embracing the chaos! Congrats on your book, too ❤️
Thank you 😊
Beautiful and well-written life lessons!
Thankyou Cherie 😊
You’re very welcome! 🙂
Nice one, Kate and many congratulations on publishing your book. So happy for you, you must be excited. I’m reminded of Jordan Peterson’s theory that maximum existence is achieved somewhere between order and chaos.
Hi Len, hope you had a lovely week-end, thanks for the congratulations but I have to do some substantial rewrites before I’m happy with the book. I think I needed to get to the end point yo know it was there, now I need to back track a little.
An interesting perspective!
Perspective is everything – it’s amazing how it changes from person to person. 😊
And I love yours. What an amusing write! ☕️☕️☕️☕️