And What They’re “Supposed” to Be
I was kinda embarrassed not too long ago. To my great surprise, my husband—a cyclist, not a runner—came on a run with me. I took him on my usual route, where he exclaimed, “Wow, I can’t believe you can see the Gatineau Hills from here.”
I followed his gaze. He was right. The hills weren’t far but in all my years of running that route, I’d never noticed. How had I never noticed? How could I have missed a something as obvious as mini-mountains?? I’m supposed to be a writer! I’m supposed to be observant. That’s what everyone says. Carry around a notepad; jot down everything interesting you see and hear. I never have. And, it seems, I wouldn’t have anything to write down even if I had paper!
Instead, I live in my head. Not just my characters and my stories, though they fill up a lot of space up there, but musing over everything. My daily chores, how my kids are doing, how to figure out the meaning of life… Turns out I’m not one for mindfulness—being aware and present in the moment. Or observation, for that matter.
But I’ve written a bunch of books now, some of them I’m even happy with. 🙂 And all the while, I haven’t been observant the way I thought I was supposed to be. Which means maybe you don’t have to be observant. Maybe you just have to be you. Work to your own strengths. Find what you are good at to help you write. Ultimately, that’s all that matters.
But let me tell you, every time I go for run now, I notice the Gatineau Hills. 🙂