When I do not know where to begin, I know it is time to venture outside. This is true for almost everything in my life, but even more so for writing. As a writer, my experiences fill me with opportunities to write. I start with a blank screen, press keys on my computer, and words, then sentences appear. Acknowledging the world around me reminds me that being here, in the present moment, is living.
A few days ago, when the words were swirling around in my head, but I couldn’t arrange them in an order that made sense, I stepped outside. I walked barefoot on the grass, careful not to trample the tiny white and yellow flowers sprouting everywhere. I felt the warmth of the earth under my feet and felt a sense of ease.
I noticed that our local library has what they call a Story Walk — a precious idea created several years up north. Due to the pandemic, our library adopted it as well. I walked from one post to the next and read the laminated pages of Tomie DePaola’s Jamie O Rourke and the Big Potato (An Irish Folktale). I chuckled a few times. The post holding the last page was right beside a satsuma tree. I picked a leaf, rubbed it in my palm, and let it release the essence of citrus. I walked back to the cottage, sure of what I needed to write.
This morning, I got my coffee and sat on one of the benches under said satsuma tree. I looked around me. Behind me, there is a mural, where an artist has painted three large butterflies — a monarch, buckeye, and a swallowtail — on a blue wall. In front of me, there is a budding azalea bush. There is another bench, where I wish someone else was sitting, sipping coffee, and enjoying their senses with me. Overhead, there is a wooden pergola, and between the slates, the white clouds move snail-like across the sky. All around me, the essence of citrus saturates the air.
In Jamaica, there is a saying: Waak fi Nutten, better dan Siddung for Nutten. Translated, the wisdom of these words is: It’s always better to walk than to sit. A simple walk outside afforded the inspiration to write today. There is always something to gain when we step outside for a few minutes. For me, the outdoors has always unclogged my mind, opened me up, and inspired me.
Step outside, friends
Kadine Christie
