Write Team: Writing to the task

“I’ve got a column to write.”

That’s my answer, every other week for six months of the year, when my husband asks me what I’m going to do today. There’s a deadline and a story to tell.

Most people who write, do so because they have something to say. There are many forms and styles of writing, and I am certainly no expert, but I’ve always felt that sharing stories is a way for us to connect, inform and understand each other.

And I like words; all the ways they create a scene in someone’s mind or transport us to another time and place.

Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year for 2023 is – “authentic.” This is based upon the highest number of lookups that the dictionary experienced.

In a year filled with Artificial Intelligence, not-so-real reality shows, robo calls and spam emails, the fact that “authentic” is the word that people most want defined, is very telling.

We have become skeptical. And we aren’t sure who to trust.

There is so much information available today yet we are more unsure and overwhelmed than ever before. What news sources can we believe? Which politicians are honest? Why does Apple keep calling to say there is a problem with my computer?

Where is the truth? Whose reality do we believe?

As much as we want to believe that honesty is best, there are times when being authentic to oneself may not be easy. We’ve been hurt and disappointed. People were not as loyal as we thought. The great career wasn’t what we expected. We made mistakes and now what should we do? How and when do we walk away and move forward?

First, eliminate the overload. Before we can truly listen, we need to turn the volume down so we can decipher what is authentic for us. Filter away the excess noise to allow room for simplicity.

American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson often wrote about trusting God, nature, and our own good judgment.

He said, “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in. Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense.

This new day is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on the yesterdays.”

Very wise words, indeed.

For the past 22 years, it has been my privilege to write columns for our local newspaper. That is 1/3 of my life. I’ve learned much along the way, about myself and our journeys. And I’ve appreciated hearing your stories.

It’s not always an easy task, but I enjoy saying, “I’ve got a column to write.”

And that’s authentic.

Karen Roth is a semiretired librarian/educator living in Ottawa. She can be reached at dbarichello@shawmedia.com.