The Ramblings of a Redhead

The mind is a most intriguing place. Especially when it is the mind of a writer. So many stories just waiting to be told. Heroes, heroines, villains, and friends all just waiting for their windows to be opened. They yearn to be set free. Each window is different. Each one holding a unique story all of its own. An ocean of ideas fighting to be released, but only the author, their creator, can open them and allow them to fill up the blank pages. If all the windows were to be opened at once, what would happen then? Would stories that were never intended to cross collide, or rather perhaps a brand new adventure would take on a new unforeseen life. A stack of old notebooks filled to the brim with pages and pages of ideas and creations. Some are unique while others are re-imaginings of ideas already existing. The creativity is breathtaking. Nothing would be worth more than a love of writing. Who else could set these stories free if not the one who created them? The mind is a most int

The gentle *tap* *tap* *tap* of each raindrop hitting the leaves in the trees echoes in the stillness of this grey day. I can hear a soft chirping from a bird that has taken shelter in a nearby pine tree. An occasional car drives past, and the sloshing from the tires on the wet road disturb the stillness, but the sound quickly fades leaving behind only the sound of the gentle rainfall. I glance down to the steam that rises from the cup of hot chocolate that warms my hands. The hot liquid is a sharp contrast to the crisp air. The rich flavor hits my tongue and warms my soul. There is nothing quite as refreshing as a cool autumn morning accompanied by a cup of hot chocolate. It takes me back to the days when my biggest worry was not getting in enough playtime before the sun went down. I can still hear my mother's voice calling from the back porch. I can still see the sparkle in her eyes and the smile on her face as she would surprise me and my brothers with cups of freshly made hot

I watch the moonlight stream through the window. The gentle glow caresses the ivory keys of an old piano. I wonder, what if the rays could become fingers? Would they gently lull a melody out of the instrument? If so, what would it play? A melancholy lullaby or a sweet whisper of yesteryear? I close my eyes and listen. The night sings its song...and it is luring me to sing along.

As night falls so does the rain. The brilliant colors of autumn are washed clean by the cold autumn rain, but the bright colors fade into the shadows and the night grows older. Another day draws to a close, and I find my mind wandering to days long past...the number of sunsets I have watched, the clear nights when stars dappled the sky overhead, the full moons...all of them singing their songs in my mind, and oh, what a beautiful symphony it is. I lie and listen to the rain falling. It hits the leaves and streets, and I find myself content to just be. The puddles on the ground are much like my mood, reflective...the puddles reflecting the things around it and I of time gone by. Still the night grows even older, and autumn moves forward. The days grow shorter with each that passes. My friends, don't lose heart for the growing darkness, for dreams await, and what better time for dreaming then after the sun has set and night has taken hold?

Light begins to fill the sleeping world, and autumn's crisp chill is its dance partner. Their melody of the early morning causes me to drift between consciousness and sleep. Memories of an epic adventure are still fresh in my mind. Thoughts of a new day dawning begin to cut in to the dance. What new adventures shall today bring? As light filters through my window I can't help but smile. Each day is precious. Each day its own adventure.

That moment when you are torn between ...the epic book you are in the middle of reading and dying to find out what kind of trouble/adventure your friends will get into next. ...and the new book you just found with its unknown pages filled with new friends to be made and new adventures to be had. It seems to call out to you to open it up and delve head first into its own adventure. You look from one book to the other. An old friend and a new friend...how does one choose? So many stories to be read, adventures to be had, friends to be made, dragons to be slain... I suppose the easiest way to settle this is to stop writing about what to do and just start reading. Perhaps the true struggle is there is simply not enough time in the day to do all the reading that needs to be done.

Letters upon a page;      Paint upon a canvas;           Notes upon a piece of sheet music;                Pen,                     Brush,                          Pencil,                          Each tool...                     Each instrument...                Whether it be used to create            Music,      Art, Literature... ...they are each a piece of the soul, and each piece reflects emotion, creation, and the breathtaking beauty of the world that surrounds us. Take the time to stop and look through new eyes. Let the tantalizing spinning melodies and harmonies of your favorite song ensnare you and take you to a place words often fall short of... Open your eyes, really open your eyes, and see every single shade of colour cascading across the canvases of life around you and watch as they envelope you in all their exquisite wonder... Allow yourself to be hopelessly lost within the pages of a spellbinding story where villains are real and the heroes even more s

The soft patter of raindrops dances in harmony with the night wind. The soft rustling of the changing leaves mixes with the fluttering of the curtains that frame my window. There is a cold bite to the air now that lulls me deeper within the warmth of my bed. I hear the whispering of dreams to be dreamt and adventures to be had within the music.  What greater lullaby can be found than that of an autumn's eve?

A very happy 80th birthday to my hero, Julie Andrews. When I was a little girl I remember watching her wide-eyed as she would clean nurseries with a snap of her fingers, pull lamp posts from her carpet bag, help medicine go down with just a spoonful of sugar, feed the birds, dance with chimney sweeps, jump through chalk drawings into fantastical places of imagination, and in the end pulled a hurting family back together. As I grew older, I watched as a problematic  nun in training left behind a world she thought she wanted to become a nanny to a group of rambunctious children. She put up with their antics and shenanigans as the children initially tried to drive her out, but they ended up falling in love with her, and she in turn for them along with their father, a man who had forgotten how to love. She again healed a broken family. Through the years I have watched this amazing woman bring amazing characters to life on screen and stage. I wanted to do what she did. I wanted to bring

There is something about the rain that soothes my soul. Perhaps it is... ...the steady gentle sound of the raindrops hitting the leaves, roofs, windows, grass, and sidewalks. ...the grey sky that makes the whole world lethargic and quiet. ...the desire to curl up inside with a hot beverage and a good book. ...the drops of water that kiss my face during a walk in the rain. ...the raindrop patterns on the window pane. There is just something about the rain that soothes my soul. 

We live in a world filled with people. We should love and cherish each soul. Time here is short, and it should not be wasted. Take time to invest in people. Listen. Learn. Love. Value. Appreciate. Cherish. It will never return void.

An epic quest has begun yet again... I look out across the vast field of battle. The enemy far outnumbers myself. I ready my weapon and give out a mighty cry as I charge into the enemy lines. One by one I begin setting my enemy aflame. I don't stop long enough to watch them burn as more and more surround me. Exhaustion threatens to take me...I can not and will not be beaten so easily. After an intense hour of battle...597 of the enemy now lie dead upon the battlefield, and I stand victorious! The rest of the enemy has fallen back to regroup...we shall meet again, and once more I shall defeat them. For now, however, I shall go to cleanse myself of this battle, and prepare for the next time that I shall face them. (Aka - I just completed my Zumba cardio/core class and burned 597 calories wahoo!....Come on, admit it...exercising would be so much more rewarding if the calories screamed when you burn them) Day 2 Upon a vast field of snow we meet again foul beasts. I shall slay you