Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Doors



Doors fascinate me. And as you will see…mostly blue doors. My interest sprouted after attending a Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit in the mid 90’s with my dear late friend, Drew Lazarine and spotted the "Farmhouse Window and Door" painting. Very different from O’Keeffe’s exotic and often controversial flowers and also far from her later Santa Fe/desert collection. The book, Dictionary of Dream Symbols, states, “A door may represent an opening to a new phase of life or a possible new development-either in your external circumstances or in yourself.”

Below is a quote from Gregg Fraley’s blog after viewing Claire Danes’s superb performance in the made-for-television movie, “Temple Grandin.”  

“Grandin learned that doors, literally and figuratively, are things you have to walk through to make progress. When faced with a new challenge, she girded up her courage and told herself she needed to walk through the door — to learn, to make changes. We all have those doors, don’t we?  If we want to change and grow we need to walk through those metaphorical doors.”


In January of 2011 I walked through an extremely significant door when I joined the Houston Writers Guild. I’d peeked through the same door back around 2005, but quickly slammed it shut due to intimidation by some Writers Guild members at several critique group meetings. The same intimidators were still present in 2011, but I persevered. 

Best decision I ever made... 

This door provided me the opportunity to meet the four most significant people in my writing career. We formed our own critique group, set our own guidelines and expectations and named ourselves 2.0, an offshoot of the Writers Guild. 




(I really need someone to comb my hair before a photo shoot)

The dynamics of the group continue to amaze me to this day. The general age ranges between 25 and 35…and then there’s me, I turned 61 in February. These young, wonderfully talented (each in their own right), fun-loving and extraordinarily compassionate people assigned me the title, Adopt-o-Mom, a name I hold dear to my heart.

We met every Thursday, bouncing around story ideas, making suggestions and always…laughing. Each week we held our little soiree at a different place. Once we met at Five Guys on Post Oak. The music, although meant to be background, boomed rather loudly and must have been SiriusXM Radio’s ‘80’s on 8, because Lauren and I were jamming to Cindy Lauper, Michael Jackson, Madonna and Robert Palmer, to name a few. And Lauren was BORN in the mid 80’s, for crying out loud. Her mother must have played some serious (word play on Sirius) rock music during her pregnancy. The others didn’t quite share our enthusiasm that night.

But I digress…

We’ve remained close although one of my adopt-o-daughters, Jules (creator of book covers for Saving Gracie and Partly Sunny), has flown the coup and now resides with her husband in Burbank, CA. These four fine people are a large part why today I call myself a published writer.

The doors I have opened in the last couple of years have been many, and with each one I become more fearless. From signing a publishing contract in April 2012, to book signings, book club appearances and speaking engagements, onward I gladly march. As Temple Grandin said, “A door opened and I went through it.” 


I felt a strong sense of importance to begin my writing blog by mentioning the people who helped make the current episode of my life possible. So…as a blog launch, I dedicate this initial post to 2.0. Onward and upward…


(blue door photos courtesy of Julie Tuovi Baker Hansen's (Reveal Photography) recent trip to Peru)



6 comments:

  1. So excited to see you in the blog world! Can't wait for the next book and following your blog!! :) Love you Aunt Terry!

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    1. Thank you dear niece...
      It's taken a while but I'm in it now for the long haul:) Looking forward to seeing you and my precious great niece next month!

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  3. What a wonderful post (and shout out) Mama Terry!! You are so amazing and inspire us every day.

    Ps. The 80s rock!!
    Pps. I have a story called the Blue Door :)

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    1. Yes, sweet Lauren, the 80's indeed rock! You having a story called the Blue Door truly makes me smile. Our connection deepens...

      And see folks? I really AM "Mama Terry!"

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