knowing your muse :: whenever & wherever

Editor's Note: during the month of June, members of my Story Sessions community will be posting about what it means to pursue dreams, engage in self-care and practice active boundaries. They had free reign on what they wrote, and the topics come from my 30 Days of Prompts. I'm so excited about the wisdom these ladies will share with you, and I know you'll be inspired.

xoxo,

Elora Nicole

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Growing up, my muse was books.

I loved to read, devouring every book I could get my hands on. I would check out piles of books from the library, reading every one.  I loved the stories, being able to travel wherever and whenever I wanted.  Little House on the Prairie, American Girl, Dear America Diaries, (can you tell, I like history?) and more: reading and books inspired nearly everything I did.  I wanted to live like the characters, learn more about the history behind certain books, tell my friends and family everything I'd learned from reading, and then just read more books.  

Even in high school, when typical teens wanted to go out and party, I was the nerdy homeschooler who just wanted to read more.  My reading made me who I am, showing me characters I should emulate AND characters from whom I should learn how not to behave. Through my reading, I satisfied my quest to know more and learn more.

I still read in college, but social life and homework nudged reading off the pedestal of important priorities in my life. The habit was still there, it just wasn't as strong as it was when I could devote every spare moment for reading the next book in my stack of to-reads.  Then I graduated, and started a job at the nonprofit Christian ministry I still work at today. That full-time job was physically, emotionally, and spiritually demanding. It was wonderful, but it was demanding. I also tried to do full-time graduate school at the same time. That was not one of my better decisions. I was exhausted, drained, worn out. 

I wanted to read, to be inspired by something outside of work and class. But as soon as I pulled out a new book, I couldn't muster up the energy and just fell asleep.  Instead of books, though, I started turning to my new friend Netflix. I started falling in love with the stories of TV shows, of Bones, Castle, 30 Rock, Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica, and more. I felt guilty "wasting my time watching TV." But the more good shows I watched, the more I realized how fascinating these stories are, even if they're "just" TV shows. I began to love watching TV shows, getting to know the characters, getting caught up in new stories: ways so similar to my love of books. I realized, they're not the same, reading and watching. But they're more alike than I previously thought.

When my life changed, my muse had to change, at least in form.

I will always love reading, but I'm learning that I love story more, in any of its forms. Whether it's a fabulous TV show, a beautiful song, or an amazing book, it's the story that counts. I need stories in whatever form they come to inspire me, to entertain me, to teach me. I'm still falling in love with books like The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks or Brain on Fire or A Year of Biblical Womanhood. But I'm also falling in love with shows like Chuck, the West Wing, and Parks and Recreation.  Whether I'm reading or watching, I still can travel wherever and whenever.

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Sarah is on an adventure figuring out who God wants her to be and what story He wants her to write.  She loves to read, watch shows like Chuck and Doctor Who, and be with people she loves.