Today I will…
Today’s writing prompt was to write for ten minutes starting with the words “Today I will…”. So when lunch came around I grabbed my laptop and a cup of tea, set a timer, and wrote.
What you see below is just what came out – I’ve not done any editing of any sort. So please forgive me for any errors or confusing thoughts.
[Side note: Whilst I say that I will do these things today, I have to also acknowledge that many of them are just too difficult right now. Some will be achieved today and others will be achieved over time and some will remain attitudes to strive for throughout my life. Blah, blah, blah…]
Today I will…
Today I will be happy. I will think about good things and try not to dwell on the sad.
Today I will help someone who needs help and I will try to remember that it’s OK to ask for help when I need it, too.
Today I will be creative. I will take time to draw and colour.
Today I will think about my future in positive tones and I won’t think about the possibility of failure.
Today I will smile more and cry less.
Today I will think about a friend who means the world to me but I’m mad at. But I probably won’t speak to them because I’m too stubborn.
Today I will forgive myself for not being perfect. But I will still expect perfection and will cause myself much grief over it.
Today I will take a few minutes to just relax and do nothing.
Today I will enjoy my own company and I will remind myself that being alone is OK.
Today I take time to think about happy memories and less about sad ones.
Today I will be gentle with myself and not demand more than I can reasonably do.
Today I will not get mad at myself for being afraid.
Today I will pay more attention to my surroundings and be thankful for the gift of sight when I see the sun setting over the Palouse hills.
Today I will be more patient when others upset me because they probably don’t even know that their actions are causing me grief.
Today I will remember that it’s OK to be mad and that it’s OK to be grumpy. But that I can’t take those emotions out on innocent people who only mean well.
Today I will remember that I have friends around the world who care for me even if I never hear from them.
Today I will remember that my life is not as bad as I think it is and that I have a bright future ahead of me even if I can’t see it.
Today I will remember that I am in control of my life and my destiny.
Today I will remember to love myself.
Today I will remember to pray.
I found this today when I was looking up something on line
“for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so”
And while it’s a bit trite and at the time I wanted to punch the computer screen, I think there probably is something in it. Not that positive thinking makes everything go away and get better, but just that taking control of how I’m feeling and thinking and reacting can help. And thinking happy thoughts can help to make you happy – for a bit at least!
I like your today ‘I wills’ – you should definitely try to do some of them today, particularly the one about not being so hard on yourself, and letting yourself be less than perfect.
xx
(In case you’re wondering – although I suspect you already know this – it’s good old Hamlet, prince of the happy one-liners, to thank for the quote. Now I come to think of it, maybe not such a good recommendation for a philosophy seeing as where Hammy ended up!)
Oh no! I’ve already broken one of my “I wills” as I’m very mad at myself for having errors in the post.
So:
Today, I will let the errors slide and I will not go in and fix them because it will mean breaking the rule of a 10-minute free write.
And I never really got into Shakespeare, so actually didn’t know where the quote came from and don’t really know the story. (I know, bad Frances!)
But I do like the sentiment of the quote, so thanks for sharing!
I love that you just tapped this out at work, no edits. It’s really beautiful.
Thanks! I think that it helps that I am a writer by passion and by trade – and my PR degree certainly helps with the BS portion!
Actually, I find it easier to think when I write. Or maybe it’s that I find the act of writing things down forces me to think about things whether I want to or not!
Today YOU will… help others through therapeutic blogging – reminding them to keep their chins up, expect a lot, yet not be disappointed and just live.
Love you cousin!!