I'm supposed to think of a person who really bugs or annoys me. Then I'm supposed to "mentally" send them someplace and I suppose this writing exercise is supposed to be my imagined postcard from them.
Dear Benefactor,
Thank you for making this vacation possible for me. I am enjoying a reprieve from my work and yes, even friends and family. I am catching up on reading and taking lots of walks. I enjoy feeling the sun and the smells of the vegetation and even the dirt. I enjoy meals at a nearby cafe`. I especially enjoy the spa treatments and planning what I want to accomplish in the coming season. I've even indulged in a new mix and match wardrobe complete with accessories with the spending money you provided.
Back to me and off the exercise, let me 'splain (as Ricky would say to Lucy).
I can't think of anyone who really bus or annoys me. That's not to say that's never been the case. But I have found praying for that person -- really praying FOR them, not what I want from them but what God wants for them -- has been the most helpful path for me. Then I realize that I may really bug or annoy someone and then I pray for forgiveness and look for ways of blessing others. My daughter tells me this is "turning out".
A long time ago I read aloud to my children a book by Frances Hodgson Burnett titled THE LOST PRINCE wherein I discovered the philosophy that whatever you wish on others you must be willing to pass through you first.
The place I sent my annoying person to is very like a retreat I took every August with my husband for a number of years.
I shared this exercise with two of my children and they observed that sometimes the ones that bug and annoy us the most are immediate family members and even ourselves. That puts an interesting spin on our choices.
The exercise concludes with this injunction: Take the next step -- Describe the ideal place to write. Be very specific and detailed. Go there in your mind the next time you write. See how your writing changes.
So I'll take myself to my retreat place and see what happens.
