‘Ever constant, always changing’ was the result of an assignment for my current writing class.

The assignment was deceptively simple, yet exceptionally challenging (at least for me)

Write a short (one-page) nature essay about some weather event that you have experienced or about some nature scene that you have observed. (I won’t mention that there was an option to write a haiku or to keep a week-long nature journal)

This was a particularly tough assignment for me for some reason.  I discovered a lot about myself and my ‘voice’.

I road and I ran and I took pictures along the way.  I took copious notes and jotted down my observations after each time.

I had no intention of keeping a nature journal, but in the end I think that’s what I did.

I struggled to make this piece ‘perfect and powerful’ to find all of the right and beautiful ways to bring words to life and paint a picture. I have at least 7 versions of it in various forms and states of completion.  At one point, I even traveled to a different state and place in my mind to try to bring life to my thoughts.

I thought I was getting close, and I shared that version with a dear friend.  The feedback was – it’s nice, well written, but it’s not you.  He was right.

His sage advice was to ‘just say it from your heart.’ and so I did.

In the end I don’t really know if I used a single metaphor or simile. And I don’t think it really matters.

What I learned is that when I ‘force it,’ I’m not happy with the outcome.  When I write ‘from the heart’ it works.

I somehow think this lesson applies to more than just writing.