She Writes

allison howard
The Writing Shawl

The Writing Shawl

Contributor

Written by

allison howard

October 2010

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Well here I am again. Forgive if I seem a little dazed...honestly, I still am! I'm a bit later coming to my writing this morning than I'd like to be but that's something I can work on. I actually laid in bed this morning thinking about what to write & smiled with the thought that I am writing. Bed is made, pajamas traded for real working clothes - t-shirt & yoga pants, breakfast eaten (yogurt, fruit, whole grain toast...oh, water), checked on my Cafe World (yes..I am SO addicted) and now I've landed. I am finally ready for the most essential detail of this daily writing process: placing my 'writing shawl' ever so comfortably around my shoulders.

My 'writing shawl' is a long, flowing, lavender-colored piece of fabric with imprinted reddish designs. I bought this fabric from one of the vendors at the Monterey Jazz Festival last month. For those of you who are familiar with the weather in that beautiful part of the country, the day may start off sunny & warm with not too much of a breeze. Then as the evening approaches the temperatures will suddenly drop & the wind intensifies. Since I had neglectd to bring any type of outer covering and my 50+ 'years young' shoulders & arms had given me notice, my shopping trip amongst the many colorful vendors began. It didn't take long to find this fabric there in a rattan basket under a vendor's tent; and the moment I wrapped it around me...Kismet!! I have found that each time I enfold myself in it's simple but exotic beauty, I am serenely taken to a place of vibrant, mesmeric thoughts & memories. Events, places, people associated with pain & bitterness, no longer possess that power. Wrapped in the splendor of this cloth, the vibrations of all the great live jazz I've heard come alive inside of me and I am inspired. I am creating. I am exactly where I'm supposed to be. Hmmm...these are all of the elements I need gathered up around me when I sit down to my laptop or pencil & paper (that's another blog for another time!) to write! Alas....my writing shawl. Once again, my writing shawl has not disappointed. I have returned to successfully complete my second blog. Yay!!! You can be assured that regardless of the weather, time of day or what I happen to be wearing underneath it, when I'm writing, my shawl is there caressing my shoulders with encouragement.