Searching and hoping

Last week I went to Maui and went whale watching for the first time. Our boat would head toward ones we spotted, and then we'd wait to see if they might want to come toward us, or show off for us in the distance. There was a lot of searching. A lot of hoping. Sometimes there was disappointment and sometimes there were cheers when we saw something wonderful. At the end of the two hours, we went back to the harbor, and I felt so thankful to have been a part of those whales' lives for a little while. It was a good whale-filled day.

It reminded me of writing in many ways. Searching for the story. Searching for the right words to tell that story. A lot of hoping that I'm doing what needs to be done. Sometimes there is disappointment and sometimes there is cheering. We don't often know what we'll discover when we start out writing a book. There's a lot of hope and blind faith -- just like whale watching. But in the end, when the book is finished and it's out in the world, finding readers who appreciate it, I'm filled with gratitude. It's a good story-filled life.