by Nancy Casey
We get up every day and make decisions all day. Some of them are life-changing. Some of them are life-complicating. Some of them are so small and ordinary that we barely notice that we’ve made them.
Today, write about some of the decisions you have made.
As you organize yourself to write, think about your life in terms of decisions. Gather your materials—whichever ones you decide to use. Draw a line across the top of a blank sheet of paper where your title will go. Set aside some drawing or doodling space if you decide to do so.
As soon as an idea comes into your mind, write down some words about it.
If you have made a decision that turned out to be very important in your life, you might decide to fill up the page by telling the whole story of it.
Any time you have a choice about what you are going to do next, you make a decision. Even if the decision is the same one you have already made thousands of times. You could write about all of the decisions you have made since this day began.
Life-complicating decisions are usually a mixed bag of knowledge and hope, with a few surprises tossed in. You could write about the factors that went into a decision that took you down difficult or unexpected paths.
You can write about a decision without saying what the decision was. To do that, you might write something like, “That time I decided what to do about…” Or you could describe the clothes you were wearing, where you were and what you were looking at when you made a certain decision. Another possibility would be to write about all the consequences of the decision.
Once your page is full, go back through your work. Does it need illustration or decoration? You decide.
Do your ideas form any kind of a pattern? Do they seem to be about a bigger idea that you hadn’t really planned on writing about? If they do, maybe you can use that insight to decide on a title. If they don’t, make up some kind of a title anyway and write it at the top of the page.
Put your initials or a signature on the page, too. And write the date on it. 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. If you would like some help or encouragement with any kind of writing project, contact Nancy or the Latah Recovery Center.
Raised by God: The Autobiography of Patricia Clayton is a new book that grew out of the Write For You program at LRC. It is the story of a person making herself new after years of addiction and trauma.
Latah Recovery Community Center, Inc. 