A Great Grandchild Is Due Next Summer

This is my wish for you: that you take these cards, grab the topic on one side and write, write, write. Then flip to the other side of the card and take note.

I’ve always used the word topic instead of prompt. Prompt is the starting place, but topic indicates more the idea of plunging in and immersing. Natalie Goldberg

I love to write and I enjoy the writing prompts. These feel more difficult than the others. That is okay, as it makes me stretch. Maybe it is the cards are topic ideas rather than them being a prompt.

Then I don't mind the write, write, write instruction.

Natalie Goldberg's Write Down the Bones Deck to Free the Writer Within - Now go for ten minutes on "What I'm not thinking of." How can you write what is not there? Oh, it's there; it just hasn't risen up to consciousness. Your writing will make it present. Pen to paper: "What I'm not thinking of."

Timer set for 10 minutes and it is started now: I can't imagine that what I'm thinking of will just pop out here by writing. I am not sure how that happens but I will take your word for it. But 10 minutes though? Really? Who wants to read all of this as I search for what I'm not thinking of??

My knee is hurting right now. I haven't thought about that in a while now. Sometimes when it hurts it isn't long before my side starts to hurt too. I have scar tissue there on my side from when I was drained of some cancer fluid 11 years ago.

The connection to my knee is weird I think and when I have mentioned this connection, the experts don't seem to think anything of it.

Done. So that isn't the thing that I'm not thinking of as that ended pretty abruptly. I guess I'm not thinking of all that I have to do yet to write my book today. Should I be. Not necessarily. Well then what is it that I am not thinking of?

In attending a couple meetings this week we got around to talking about our past year and what our hopes were for the coming year. That was interesting. Some people shared some very painful happenings for the year.

I stuck to the positive. I could have gone into pain and sadness, but that is probably what I do not want to think about and that is what this exercise has given me. Now, I have two minutes left of the ten that I started with.

At the end of September, when my mother and sister died, I struggled. That month though, I got 3 top stories. With that, I decided I would write a book to be published. Then, I saw a grant that I could apply for that popped up on my feed with just a short time to respond.

That was important as with more time I may not have responded. 10 minutes are up!

Natalie Goldberg's Write Down the Bones Deck to Free the Writer Within - We have a way of presenting ourselves. The topic "I'm thinking of" gets the pen and thoughts moving. Often these are more socially acceptable thoughts: things like worry about the electric bill, a new dress we want to buy, a plan for the weekend, a food we hunger for.

With "not thinking of" we have to pull harder, getting to what's below the everyday patter, what is not so comfortable to acknowledge, what we really hunger for and are afraid to admit. We begin to explore the darkness. Ah, good. This is the source of real writing. Much more intense, interesting, alive, true. It's embarrassing. Good.

My thoughts I'm "not thinking of" is what's going on with Grandson? I have text messaged, called, and left messages, stopped by their house.

Then separately, I'm thinking we have a new boy coming. Who is pregnant? We have 27 grandchildren with one on the way that we know about. Now, I have this strong sense that someone is pregnant. I asked my husband if he knew of anyone pregnant.

He said, his son's stepdaughter that we never see is. That didn't seem right. I then asked him "Is she having a boy?" He thinks I'm crazy but it is a gift I have of knowing. I then said, "I found baby boy clothes in my closet." I thought I had given all of the baby boy clothes away to our youngest daughter who is due in February.

Okay, I know in the past I may have been hung for witchcraft. I do not identify as a witch. I think it is a gift. With pros and cons. The pros are knowing, most of the time before the tests show the sex of the baby. It used to be I would know for longer, but now they can know at their first medical appointment with a blood test.

Authors note: Right after writing the above I got a call and I was told what I already knew. My grandson's partner thinks she is having a boy too and they have been only thinking of boy names. She just found out last week.

She said her pregnancy feels different and because of that, she thinks she is having a boy. I spoke with the parents and great-granddaughter on the phone. Great granddaughter will be two when her brother is born. She said, "Hi grandma!" and she was blowing kisses! So fun!