A Real Event

At times, writing becomes a real event.

It is a remarkable sensation to see ideas and words flowing so easily, as if they had always been there but had not been allowed expression.

Meanwhile, I become more and more aware that for me writing is a very powerful way of concentrating and of clarifying for myself many thoughts and feelings.  Once I put my pen on paper and write for an hour or two, a real sense of peace and harmony comes to me. 

Consequently, I feel much more willing and able to do little routine jobs.  After a day without any writing and filled with only reading and manual work, I often have a general feeling of mental constipation and go to bed with the sense that I did not do what I should have done that day.

It is good to become aware of all this.  This seems to help me to understand quite a few of my bad moods . . . during the past few years.

~ Henri Nouwen