The Voice in Your Head

“No longer forward nor behind I look in hope and fear;
But grateful take the good I find,
the best of now and here.”
– John G. Whittier, poet

In Issue #151

The Voice In Your Head
by Krista Jones

I’ve been writing like crazy this year. Absolutely working full out, taking only one of the last eight weekends off.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about all the work. Unlike many other times in the past when I’ve been slammed with projects, I’m actually enjoying all the work.

Even so, all work and little play can make Krista a weary girl. And so I recently found myself trudging through a park with my head down and my shoulders wrapped around my ears. My upper back was tight. And I snapped at my dogs more than once.  

Even though I called myself taking a break, I was not having a good time.

Luckily before I ruined the entire walk, I realized what was wrong with me. It wasn’t that I was tired or cold or that my dogs were misbehaving. I was in a bad mood because my head wasn’t where it was supposed to be.  

Instead of it being in the park with the rest of my body, my mind was still at home thinking about headlines, the conference call I was having later that day, and the invoices I needed to send out when I got home. Suddenly it was so clear that I was creating my own suffering.  My shoulders immediately relaxed and I began to smile.

How silly it was of me to take life so seriously that I forgot to fully take in the fresh air and the cool, sunny morning.

And for a few blissful minutes I was able to shelve my thoughts and slip into awareness.     

Of course, the voice in my head eventually regained its hold on me. But not before I had a chance to notice the miracles that were going on all around me.   

My glimpse of sanity left me yearning for more. I want to lose my mind much more often because that’s when I feel the most connected. And it’s when I’m most likely to be taken by surprise.

I’m sure you’ve experienced special moments like that.

I know that as writers we rely on words and thoughts to do our jobs. But, oh my, isn’t magical when we’re not caged by them? 

Resource Referral: The World’s Largest Classroom

I’m reading an eye- and mind-opening book called A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose by bestselling author Eckhart Tolle. It’s a book about our changing consciousness and it’s this month’s selection for Oprah’s Book Club. 

Next Monday, March 3rd, Oprah and Eckhart will be hosting a free ten-week online class discussing this book.  Here’s what Eckhart says about the book and the upcoming class:

“Our aim is to explore through the teachings of the book the most important question you can ask: What is the purpose of my life and how do I fulfill that purpose?

It will be a course in self-exploration and awakening. It will help you see what the dysfunctional patterns are within yourself that create unnecessary conflict and suffering and prevent you from finding true fulfillment. Hopefully, it will also help you access a dimension within yourself that perhaps you didn’t know existed or only caught glimpses of on rare occasions.”

I thought you might like to join me—and millions of others who are searching for something deeper—in this class. To learn more, go to: www.oprah.com.  I hope to meet you there next week.

Scroll Call # 8: An Unusual Niche Market
by Laurie Cauthen

My favorite Uncle Belvin passed away this morning. While my emotions were freshly on the surface, I quickly wrote a 463- word tribute to him because of how much he meant to me.

Back in 1981, I wrote my first poem-tribute for my grandmother after she died. The family loved it so much, that they all cried loudly in unison at the funeral as I read it. Even the pastor wanted a copy…

It seemed odd to be showered with praise for my writing and told how my words captured so accurately my grandmother’s essence. This was my gift to someone I loved, and I didn’t quite understand all the fuss over my words.

I haven’t really thought much about these kinds of personal writings as a marketable venue until today and here’s why….

Over the phone, I read the tribute for my uncle to my sisters. Their reaction was explosive crying and then begging me to read it at his funeral. They told me how much they appreciated my capturing in words so vividly the essence of whom my uncle was in his life and that it would be a comfort to my aunt and cousins. 

This sparked a memory of why this kind of writing comes so easily to me and why my words impacted them so much because…

In high school I was a speechwriter and member of the National Forensic League Speech and Debate Honor Society. I loved writing speeches and was often asked to write speeches for others when they were running for an office.

It seems to me that…

There is a correlation between speechwriting and eulogy-tribute writing. In speechwriting you write to promote yourself or your agenda in the most positive and emotional way. In eulogy-tribute writing you showcase the best aspects of the life of someone who has passed on, and because of the reverential aspect of the writing, it is highly emotional.

An undiscovered market for eulogy-tribute writers may very well exist. In addition to copywriting, I plan on offering my tribute-writing services to local funeral homes, nursing homes and churches in the area.

I can see where this service can benefit grieving families, or for nursing homes where family members are absent or unknown. All you would need to pursue this unusual service is the gathering of very basic personal information, affiliations, interests, faith based and community contributions. A wonderful lasting tribute could be easily crafted for the family of a loved one who has passed.

When someone in my family passes I am often asked to write a tribute for them. In honor of my Uncle Belvin, now I will also offer this service to others in their time of need, and create an unusual new niche that serves a gracious purpose.

Until next time…