Just Step Outside
by Arlene Kaptur

Ah! sensual pleasures. Step outside on a bright, warm morning and breathe in the first morning air. Can you distinguish the lilacs growing on the edge of the road, and the sweet wet dew that is drying as the sun's heat intensifies?

Coffee must be ready because the aroma is seductive as you pass your kitchen window. You head down to the garden to take a look at what the night air may have produced. The moist strawberry leaves tell of jewels of sweetness developing in the summer's light, and the distinctive, pungent aroma of tomato leaves let you know that these round globes of distinction will soon bring tasty delights to your meals.

Your shoes are damp as you trek through the grass and the blades bounce back so that your footsteps soon disappear. A woodpecker is busy on some distant tree and a magnificent hummingbird flies past, with nectar on his mind. You begin to feel the sun's heat on your arms and the cloudless, blue sky predicts another great day.

The quick trip above may have taken less than 15 minutes but it awakened all your senses and raised your pleasure a couple of notches. The outdoors can seduce you out of slight bouts of depression and revive and revitalize your thinking. This journey into enlightenment and heightened awareness can take place in any setting - city, urban, rural. A city park, a peaceful, quiet lake, or a trout stream filled with life, can all attain the miracle of clear minds and colorful thinking. Something as simple as watching a thunderstorm rolling in and taking note of the hush that envelopes the area, as your heart skips a beat knowing that the clap of thunder and the brilliance of lightning will soon triumph through the evening is an exercise of awareness.

Stepping into nature, by just opening your door and soaking in the delight of a new day will give you renewed imagination and a penchant for a novel idea, or anecdote. Open the window near your work area, and bend one ear to what is happening just beyond your windowsill. Right then a descriptive scene could come alive, as you pen the cool breezes or the gentle raindrops. That annoying mosquito buzzing around can agitate your character into deeds you have not thought of.

As a writer, your life depends on an abundant choice of words, descriptive passages, and distinctive details. Color, sound, aroma, texture, and even the taste of perfectly brewed coffee will add spice to your lines and give you the basis for untold tales.

Whether the day is sunny or cloudy, bone-chilling cold or you are in a tropical heat wave, take note, breathe it in, and add it to your writing. You will be amazed at the clarity and beauty your writing will take on, and how satisfying it will be to your readers. You can place them anywhere and in any time frame with the right words.

ENJOY !

©Arleen M. Kaptur 2002 June

Arleen Kaptur has written numerous articles, cookbooks, and the novel: SEARCHING FOR AUSTIN JAMES Websites: http://www.arleenssite.com http://www.Arleens-RusticLiving.com http://www.jerry.1hwy.com http://www.webspawner.com/users/rusticliving/index.html http://rusticliving.info http://topica.com/lists/simpleliving