Laura Smith Writer

Just Do It

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I traveled to Brookline Massachusetts Sunday, 270 miles round trip to see one of my favorite speakers, Mike Dooley, author of Notes from the Universe. It was well worth the drive and Christ’s Church Unity welcomed me into their fold and made me feel part of the family. As I am not a big fan of organized religion, I was surprised to enjoy the service which included a meditation, song and readings from scripture. One of the points that Mike stressed after the service in his talk, was gratitude. As we open ourselves to gratitude, instead of focusing on the lack in life, the floodgates of the Universe open and possibilities gush right in. You’ll have to explore the book, Manifesting Change: It Couldn’t Be Easier if you want to know more about manifesting, but I have been toying with his teachings for years, and can say without a doubt that if I practice radical gratitude, my life changes. No buts, no ifs, it changes. I also become a nicer gal in the process. I had an exam to take the day after the lecture, and as I found out, it is very hard to study in the car on the turnpike while driving near Boston. I know, kind of stupid, but it was a major exam and I made the choice to see Mike (and get my book signed, yippee) so was a little behind in my schoolwork. The day of the exam I let my God take over and instead of bemoaning the fact that I would fail because I didn’t have enough time to study, I told everyone around me that I was going to rock the exam. I did, the material on the exam was material I knew and enjoyed writing about. I was happy to take it. No, Pollyanna didn’t overtake my body, I just experienced what it feels like to live a full, meaningful life that is graced with gratitude and a positive attitude. How do I allow God into my life? How do I practice gratitude when I don’t want to? How do I allow magnificence in? Nike knows the answer. Just do it. And if you don’t, quit complaining. And remind me next time I forget.

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● About Me

I wrote and published my first blog post on May 26, 2009. I was about to turn 36 and had been accepted to Mount Holyoke College as a non-traditional student, on my way to completing a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Medieval Studies. I had managed, finally, to know what general direction I was traveling. As a self proclaimed voracious reader I knew that I needed a vocation that would allow me to engage daily with words: reading words, writing words, and hearing words. I also needed to eat, so I navigated my way to a teaching position and I began to fine tune my craft. I love to teach and I love my students, but I also needed to continue to hone my own literary technique, voice, and style. I continued my education in order to delve deeper into literature, making connections, and most definitely, writing. I gained more confidence as a reader as well as a writer of both creative and analytical text. That first blog post in 2009 is short, the writing average, and the topic mundane, but as I continued to learn from other writers I began to understand that to become a better writer I needed to write more. Each time I write and release a poem, a post, or a story, I hone my skills. I invite you along for the ride, for this journey of mine as I attempt to wrangle a wealth of ideas and competing directions into an organized freshly paved path to publication. I might get distracted along the way, but sometimes those detours lead us to amazing views and new friends. 

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