This is exciting. My very first website! I was considering topics of conversation for an introduction, the obvious one being my entry into the world of writing and being published.
Have you ever felt something emerge here and there in your life, like the pull of an insistent child? For me, it could be something as simple as writing a letter to an old friend, and feeling satisfaction in doing that, or the flush of pleasure as a child, when a teacher read a composition I had penned to the class. There were other isolated moments of inspiration. College essays, which I loved to write, a pediatric therapeutic story that helped me in my work, an entry for a west coast writing contest years ago, about an aging horse put out to pasture. Eventually I came to see these moments as signs, or portents, if you are a fantasy lover.
One day, when I was still newly retired and had pretty much covered my to do list around the house, I took a spin out to my eldest daughter’s home. She knew I had joined a writers’ group and was pleased I had found a social connection with like minded people. She suggested that I write stories about growing up as a baby boomer in a memoir for future family generations. I mulled it over, jotted some notes and sprung a few of my reflections to our writers’ group. We have writers of all ages and backgrounds, so I was especially pleased to hear support from some of our younger members. It became a collection of my boomer years as well as characters I created from those times.
There were some challenges. Often, when describing our histories, we may blandly look through rose tinted glasses, or worse, belabour the difficulties our generation faced. I believe I was sensitive enough to keep these extremes in mind.
Two years ago, I finally decided to bite the bullet and publish my words. It was an exhilarating, often nerve-racking experience. But once I held my book in my hands, I was glad I followed through.
It’s still early days in the marketing world for ‘The Boomer Years, Reflections’, but no matter how it does, I see it as a labour of love and a tribute to years past.