by Nancy Casey
In today’s writing, you will have a chance to consider what you trust. Not who (or even whom!) you trust, but what. Things. Not people, not pets, not even plants. Inanimate stuff.
For instance, you probably trust your favorite chair not to collapse under you when you sit on it. You trust gravity to keep working. You trust certain keys to fit in certain locks.
As you gather your writing materials and set up your page, take your mind on a tour of the reliable objects in your life. Draw a line at the top of your page where your title will eventually go. Set aside some room for drawing on the page. You can draw a frame where you can doodle or draw pictures. Or make a border around the whole page that you can decorate.
While you are setting up your page, you might also think about the idea of trust. When you trust something, you have a set of expectations for it and are pretty confident the expectations will be met. The car will start. Winter will come. Pull the cord and the curtain closes.
Write about something you trust. Sing its praises a little bit. Tell why you count on it and how it has helped you down the road of life.
Maybe you’ll write a whole page about one single thing you trust. If you finish writing about one thing and there is still room on the page, write about another. If you don’t know what you are going to write yet, draw or doodle on the page. Drawing and doodling get your pen started. The motion slows your thoughts and helps you notice them better.
After you have filled the page, go back over your work. Make small changes if you want to. Add more decoration if there is room. Think up a title.
Write the title at the top of the page. Write the date on it too, along with a signature or your initials.
When you have finished, you will have sketched out a partial map of what’s reliable in your life.
Here is an example of what someone could write.
You can share your work by posting it as a comment below. You can type it in, or take a photo of it and upload the image.
Nancy Casey has lived in Latah County for many years. You can find more of her work here. It’s not possible to have an in-person Write-For-You class at the Recovery Center at this time, but if you are interested in writing coaching, contact Nancy or the Latah Recovery Center.
Latah Recovery Community Center, Inc. 