When life changes the story you thought you were writing…blog 147

A Probe & Ponder Newsletter…July Issue

Exploring books, learning, travel, life experiences & adventure with author, Roberta E Sawatzky

Welcome to Issue #5 of my newsletter (AKA blog)

If you’re someone who’s curious, courageous, and eager to grow through fresh ideas, practical writing tips, thoughtful prompts, and real-life reflections, you’re in the right place. Here, I share my ponderings and discoveries with a community of readers and writers who’ve connected with me through my books—and who love exploring how writing shapes the way we learn, create, and experience life. Let’s dive in together.

To learn how/where to order my books, click here.

I would REALLY appreciate your posting a review on Amazon or Good Reads if you read either of the books.

What am I up to?

Thinking a lot about turning life’s disruptions and losses into honest words.

Sometimes life hands you a story before you are ready to call it one. At first, it may look like a cancelled flight, a closed road, a diagnosis, a goodbye, a box of belongings, or a plan that suddenly no longer fits. In the moment, you are not thinking about craft or character or theme. You are simply trying to get through what has changed.

But writers have a particular way of returning to moments like these. We circle back, sometimes much later, and begin to ask what was really happening beneath the surface. A change we did not ask for might reveal character. A detour might expose longing. A disruption might uncover humour, grief, resilience, confusion, or a truth we did not know we were carrying.

I want to be careful here. Not every change leads to a better outcome. Some changes are heartbreaking. The death of a spouse, the loss of a child, the end of a relationship, a serious diagnosis, the loss of work, home, or community—these are not detours we neatly reframe as blessings. They are losses. They deserve tenderness, honesty, and time. Writing does not have to make the change good. It does not have to explain it away or tie it up with a bow. Sometimes writing simply gives us a place to tell the truth about what happened, what was taken, what remains, and how we are learning to carry it.

Thinking back…

Many years ago, when our children were much younger, we set out on a family trip to Disneyworld. We were travelling from British Columbia, my brother’s family was travelling from Ontario, and we were all looking forward to being together in the Florida sun. Everything was packed. We boarded the plane. We were ready. Until Hurricane Gordon changed the story.

AI generated
AI generated

Instead of landing in Florida, we found ourselves stranded overnight in Denver, Colorado. We were dressed for warmth and sunshine—shorts, t-shirts, sandals, light jackets—and had no access to our checked luggage. The excitement drained quickly. We were tired, underdressed, disappointed, and very aware that none of this had been in our control.

Then another memory surfaced. Years earlier, while travelling with a singing group, I had celebrated my nineteenth birthday in Denver and had been introduced to Casa Bonita—a wonderfully over-the-top Mexican restaurant complete with food, cliff divers, music, caves, and sopapillas waiting for honey. I had nearly forgotten it. My husband had not.

Before long, we left the hotel, tiptoed through the snow in our sandals, climbed into a taxi, and headed toward a memory I had not expected to share with my family. Was it exactly as I remembered? Not quite. Was it cornier than my nineteen-year-old self had noticed? Absolutely. But it became part of our family story. The trip had not gone according to plan, yet the interruption offered something unexpected: a chance to connect my former life with my present one.

That is one of the gifts of writing. We can return to an experience and ask different questions of it. Not only, “What happened?” but “What did this change in me?” “What did I resist?” “What still hurts?” “What surprised me?” “What detail has stayed with me?”

The gift of writing…

Whether you are new to writing or have been writing for years, your life is already full of beginnings, turning points, detours, ruptures, and unresolved middles. Some changes arrive gently. Others barge in uninvited. Some are chosen; others are forced upon us. Some bring opportunity. Others bring sorrow. Either way, they leave us with something to notice, name, and perhaps one day write.

AI generated
AI generated

For me, journalling is often the first place the truth begins to loosen. I can write without polishing, explaining, or deciding what the experience means. I can simply tell the page what happened, what I felt, what I resisted, and what I am still trying to understand. That may be where writing begins for you, too. Or perhaps your path is a blog post, where your experience might offer companionship to someone standing in a similar place. Or maybe it becomes a short story, where you give the change to a character and see what they do with it. Each form gives the experience a different kind of room.

Think about..

  • Recall a change you did not welcome. What did it disrupt, reveal, or ask of you?
  • Ponder the physical details of the moment: weather, clothing, sounds, smells, objects, body language.
  • If there was a turning point, where did it happen? If there was not, what remains unresolved?
  • Consider what the experience still needs from you: attention, compassion, distance, imagination, or simply silence for now.

Not every disruption becomes a neat lesson, and not every change needs to be redeemed. But when you are ready, writing can help you look again. It can help you notice the cliff divers in the middle of the snowstorm, the humour tucked inside the inconvenience, or the ache that still deserves language.

So, what change in your life is asking—not demanding, just quietly asking—to be written?

A practical first step (a writing prompt):

Choose one change—large or small, welcome or unwelcome—and give yourself ten quiet minutes to write about it. Don’t worry yet about making it polished, profound, or publishable. Begin with one honest sentence: This is what changed. Then see where the writing takes you.

Books…

I usually have a few books on the go at once: an audiobook for listening on the move, a memoir or life story for the pleasure of stepping into someone else’s experience, and a book that helps me think, reflect, and grow.

Audiobook (I love Libby!): I love the writing of C.J. Archer. Her stories, often set around 1890, draw me into a richly imagined version of old England, complete with class systems, atmosphere, and memorable recurring characters. Archer has a gift for painting a scene with words and making the reader feel invited into the world she has created. The books I have been listening to are murder mysteries, but what keeps me coming back is the warmth and development of the characters.

Growth book: How to Live a Meaningful Life Using Design Thinking by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans

Here is a quote from the book that stayed with me: “…you can’t be fulfilled (i.e. have every aspect of your personhood fully expressed and appreciated, because you are too big to fit into a single lifetime). However, you can be fully alive, which mean completely present for and fully experiencing the life you are in right now.”

Life story: Queen of the Mist by Caroline Cauchi. I am still reading, but so far it is engaging and has the kind of narrative pull that makes me want to keep turning the pages.

Podcasts…

I listened to a great podcast this past week. It was the April 13th episode on The Written Word Podcast titled “From Page to Stage with Jess Ekstrom: How to Get Paid as an Author Speaker.” As someone who loves speaking and presenting in all contexts, I found this a wonderful encouragement to consider speaking as an additional income stream to writing and selling books. In fact, it is actually a wonderful marketing tool for selling books. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.

The second podcast to recommend comes from The Write Place, release date April 17th. This podcast is called “From Traditional to Self-Publishing: Nikki Moore on Becoming a Hybrid Author”. Niki has published for years with HarperCollin, and decided to “take the leap into self-publishing” with her new novel Magical Beginnings in Little Bowbrook.

A third I’d like to share is from the Fully Booked Ep 139: The Reality of Selling Your Books Directly. They come from the premise, “…instead of having your book on Amazon and you advertise your book and send people to Amazon, you host it on your own website.” An interesting listen.

Some final words…

C. Joy Bell C.

“We can’t be afraid of change. You may feel very secure in the pond that you are in, but if you never venture out of it, you will never know that there’s such a thing as an ocean, a sea. Holding onto something that is good for you now, may be the very reason why you don’t have something better.”

When writing goes quiet ~ blog 146

A Probe & Ponder Newsletter…March Issue

Exploring books, learning, travel, life experiences & adventure with author, Roberta E Sawatzky

Welcome to Issue #4 of my newsletter!

If you’re someone who’s curious, courageous, and eager to grow through fresh ideas, practical writing tips, thoughtful prompts, and real-life reflections, you’re in the right place. Here, I share my ponderings and discoveries with a community of readers and writers who’ve connected with me through my books—and who love exploring how writing shapes the way we learn, create, and experience life. Let’s dive in together.

To learn how/where to order my books, click here.

This season has changed the way my attention works.

Grief has a way of narrowing the field, of quieting what once felt urgent, of asking different questions altogether. I haven’t stopped writing—but the writing has slowed, deepened, and turned inward in ways I didn’t anticipate. (summarized from various readings)

What am I up to?

There are seasons when writing feels like movement, with pages accumulating, ideas connecting, momentum building.

And then there are seasons like this one. I’ve been asked, gently and often, how the writing is going. I understand the question. I’ve asked it of others myself. But the answer doesn’t land easily these days, because it isn’t really about productivity or progress.

It’s about presence.

This season has changed the way my attention works. Grief has a way of narrowing the field, of quieting what once felt urgent, of asking different questions altogether. I haven’t stopped writing—but the writing has slowed, deepened, and turned inward in ways I didn’t anticipate. For a while, I told myself I was stuck.

Now I see something else. A familiar space, entered again.

When I look back on my two books, I see a thread that has been weaving quietly for years.

What If…? was born in a season of uncertainty…traveling with obstacles, living alongside illness, choosing curiosity when circumstances refused to cooperate. That book asked a brave, outward‑facing question: What if we go anyway?

Between Here and Where came from a different place. It lingered in the space of transition, change that is forced or chosen, the loneliness of thresholds, the grief that accompanies becoming someone new. It wasn’t about answers so much as about staying present in the in‑between.

What I’m living now is not separate from that work. It is its continuation.

The difference is that this time, the transition has taken my husband with it.

This season doesn’t respond well to pressure. The kind of writing it allows is not linear or ambitious. It arrives in fragments, in memories, sensations, and half‑formed sentences that don’t yet know where they belong.

Some days, writing looks like a single paragraph. Some days, it’s a page I don’t keep. Some days, it’s simply sitting long enough for something true to surface. From the outside, this can look like avoidance. Like a lack of motivation. Like a creative block that needs fixing.

From the inside, it feels like listening.

I used to believe deep writing meant digging harder, about producing more, pushing through resistance. Now I’m learning that deep writing sometimes means staying exactly where you are, without rushing the process, trusting that silence is not empty but active.

The Work of the In‑Between

In my second book, I wrote about the ‘between’, that space where clarity is suspended and identity is quietly reshaped. I described it as painful, lonely, often joyful, and yet necessary.

I didn’t know then how fully I would come to inhabit that definition again. You see, grief rearranges attention. It changes what matters, how time feels, and what the body can hold. The work of this season is not to arrive somewhere quickly, but to remain honest while something new takes shape.

I think that honesty matters more to me now than momentum.

If you’re reading this and finding yourself in a similar place—unmotivated, unfocused, unsure what happened to the version of you who once thought and created with a certain degree of ease, here’s what I’m reminding myself:

I’m not behind. I’m not broken. I’m not failing my work.

Some seasons are meant for asking What if? Some are meant for waiting between here and where. And some seasons ask us simply to be present, to listen, to trust that what feels quiet now is still part of the story.

Books & Podcasts

Podcast:

Are you concerned about the use of AI in your writing? What’s the difference between AI assist and AI generated? I found this podcast episode to be quite helpful in understanding the proper role of AI in our writing. The Podcast is “Fiction Writing made easy”, and the episode I am referring to is #236, entitled “The truth about AI and creative writing”. Listen along as host Savannah Gilbo interviews Ana Del Valle, award-winning novelist, technologist, and founder of the AI Creative Writing Academy.

Here are some valuable thoughts from the interview:

“AI Generation is when you’re essentially asking AI to write the book for you. You hand it an idea, it drafts scenes and chapters, and before long, ChatGPT is doing all the heavy lifting while you’re just reviewing and tweaking.”

“AI Assist is something completely different.” Ana describes it as “using AI throughout the entire life cycle of writing your novel, but you are always the one in the driver’s seat. You might use it to brainstorm subplots, test your story’s structure, explore character motivations, or use it as a kind of developmental editor that gives you feedback. The AI is never writing the story. You are.”

Books:

I’m still making my way through “Living the Artist’s Way: An Intuitive Path to Greater Creativity”. The book focuses on what author Julia Cameron calls the ‘fourth essential tool of writing’. If you have read any of her books, you’ll know those tools are: morning pages, artist dates, walks, and the 4th, writing for guidance. As with her former books, Cameron lays out Living the Artist’s Way like a six-week course, each week having an action step. My approach to the book is to read it through, then go back and practice the weekly lessons. I like knowing where I’m heading with a book like this. In the next newsletter I should have read the book, and if so inspired, have started the suggested exercises. Stay tuned.

St. Emillion in France…a recent visit while presenting at an International Business Week. One feels inspired just walking the streets while being drawn into it’s history. (This is the village where the macaron originated.)

Tips for giving yourself a break…

Shift Your Perspective on “Productivity”: In my previous blog, I mentioned Karen Wyatt’s insight about writing as a tool for dealing with change. When you’re grieving or stuck, your “logic brain” often takes over, trying to force a result.

The Fix: Stop trying to write the next book for a moment. Instead, use your daily journaling to “witness your own grief” or lack of motivation without judging it. As Julia Cameron suggests in The Right to Write, view writing as a conversation, not a performance.

Lower the Stakes: The pressure of the “first word on the page” for a new book can be paralyzing, especially since if your previous writings came with clarity.

The Fix: Try the “Question Method” referred to in my previous blog. End every writing session (be it a chapter, paragraph or journal) with a single question for tomorrow. This bypasses the “blank page syndrome” because you aren’t starting a book; you’re just answering a question.

Change Your Sensory Environment: Sometimes the “stuck” feeling is physical.

The Fix: If your usual writing spot feels heavy, move. Go to a library, a park, or even just a different chair. For me, I enjoy going to a local cafe where the people ‘buzz’ gently seeps through my ear buds and creates a soothing environment.

Lean into the “Waves”: My most realistic saying… “Grief is like the ocean; it comes in waves.” Creativity is exactly the same.

The Fix: Accept that this is an “ebb” tide. Instead of fighting the low motivation, use this time for “Creative Refilling.”

Writing Prompts (pictures from travels):

How might a statue (Le Pouch, in Paris), a broken suitcase, or a plate of deliciousness help you express how you feel?

“And slowly, I understood—
even if grief someday grows quieter,
the love behind it will never leave.
Because you are still gone,
and part of me will always miss you.
But sitting with grief?
It’s how I honor what was real. –

Author unknown

My books: For ordering and book information visit my website.

What If…? Finding new adventures through life’s obstacles

Between Here and Where? Embracing life’s transitions.

Writing through grief ~ blog 145

A Probe & Ponder Newsletter…February Issue

Exploring books, learning, travel, life experiences & adventure with author, Roberta E Sawatzky

Welcome to Issue #3 of my newsletter!

If you’re someone who’s curious, courageous, and eager to grow through fresh ideas, practical writing tips, thoughtful prompts, and real-life reflections, you’re in the right place. Here, I share my ponderings and discoveries with a community of readers and writers who’ve connected with me through my books—and who love exploring how writing shapes the way we learn, create, and experience life. Let’s dive in together.

“One of the things I love about writing is it’s a place you can witness your own grief.”
—David Kessler

What am I up to?

It’s amazing how life can change in a moment. From reading my books, you will know that my husband of 47 years had been dependant on kidney dialysis for the past five years. This, combined with lymphoma offered many life challenges. However, because of his amazing and positive attidude, combined with my determination, we enjoyed much travel and adventure until travel became medically impossible for him. On January 7, his body finally had enough and my husband passed away. His final days were surrounded with family and friends, as together we expressed our love for Rob and for each other.

My writing has taken on a new focus for now. Actually not new, just more intentional. You see throughout our lives, Rob and I talked about everything; we texted or called each other often throughout the day, talked about the joys and challenges each of us was facing, and shared our dreams for the future (mostly as we walked or biked to our favourite coffee shops). We shared our lives while still honouring each other’s space. You can imagine the impact when this connection is no longer possible. At least not the way it had been.

I have been a journaler for quite a few years, more so in the past five years since his original diagnosis. The jouralling was a record of my own reflections on life. However, my journal entries are now written to Rob. It’s not the rich two-way conversation we so enjoyed, but it is a way for me to share my struggles, my grief and pain over his passing. It also allows me to tell him about what I’m reflecting on and how I want to live my life in a way that honours him.

Travel has always been one of the great shared joys of our life together. It was important to Rob that I continue exploring the world, even after him. Still, it feels almost impossible to imagine travelling without him by my side.

Recently, while listening to a podcast interview with Mary-Frances O’Connor, author of The Grieving Body, I heard words that settled gently into my heart:

“I’m going to do these things because you can’t. I’m going to do them through a body and eyes that were shaped by you so that you can come along with me.”

That is how I want to travel now. Not away from him, but with him — through the ways he shaped how I see, notice, and cherish the world. And each evening, before I turn off the light, I will continue filling the pages of my leather journals with all the things I get to do because my life was shaped by his love.

Books & Podcasts

Podcast:

A podcast I continue learning from is The Creative Penn with author Joanna Penn. This specific interview is with physician and author Karen Wyatt as they discuss Writing as a Tool for Grief and Dealing with Change. Throughout the discussion they talk about different types of grief we experience, addressing topics like: why write about grief and end of life; using writing to deal with the complex emotions around grief; and transforming personal writing into publication. Wyatt also shares how journalling her thoughts during a time of grieving helped her get out of her logic brain and awaken the creative side of the brain. Wyatt shares,

“When that switch started happening, I was able to begin moving into a more productive aspect of working through my grief; I was really able to start processing it better and get past all these ruminating thoughts that came over and over again.”

I’m sure you’ll find the episode inspiring, no matter what kind of loss you may be experiencing

Books:

As I listened to the podcast with Karen Wyatt, I was reminded about author Julia Cameron. One of her books I thoroughly enjoyed was “The Right to Write: an invitiation and initiation into the writing life.” I read it early in my writing experience and have begun to reread it. One of the thoughts expressed in the book spoke to me as I continue to engage in journalling,

“I do not experience writing as a monologue. I experience it as a conversation. Writing raises questions “I” hadn’t thought of. Writing offers “me” a different perspective, a different and more engaging way to look at things.”

By the way, I just ordered her latest book, released in 2024, called “Living the Artist’s Way: An Intuitive Path to Greater Creativity”. In my next newsletter I’ll let you know my thougths on it.

Where my deepest thoughts happen…

Tips for Writing Through Your Grief

(all from a great article in Psychology Today)

  1. Identify a set time of day to write, and put it in your calendar as you would any other appointment.
  2. Get a beautiful journal if you write with pen and paper. Make some tea, light a candle, snuggle under a cozy blanket…whatever you need to create an inviting space.
  3. Don’t be judgy. Write what you feel. Remember that nobody else will see what you write unless you want them to.
  4. Enlist a writing buddy. If going solo doesn’t work for you, invite a friend and hold each other accountable.
  5. End each writing session with a question you’re going to respond to on the next go-round. That way you’re never faced with a blank page.

Writing Prompts (pictures from travels):

Think about how each of these picture prompts might inspire you to complete the sentence: “Grief is like…”

    Grief is like the ocean; it comes in waves, ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.” – Vicki Harrison

    My books: For ordering and book information visit my website.

    What If…? Finding new adventures through life’s obstacles

    Between Here and Where? Embracing life’s transitions.

    Through the eyes of writing ~ blog 144

    A Probe & Ponder Newsletter…December Issue

    Exploring books, learning, travel, life experiences & adventure with author, Roberta E Sawatzky

    Welcome to Issue #2 of my newsletter!

    If you’re someone who’s curious, courageous, and eager to grow through fresh ideas, practical writing tips, thoughtful prompts, and real-life reflections, you’re in the right place. Here, I share my ponderings and discoveries with a community of readers and writers who’ve connected with me through my books—and who love exploring how writing shapes the way we learn, create, and experience life. Let’s dive in together.

    My books: For ordering and book information visit my website.

    What If…? Finding new adventures through life’s obstacles. Between Here and Where? Embracing life’s transitions.

    “A writer, I think, is someone who pays attention to the world.”
    —Susan Sont

    Books & Podcasts

    Podcast:
    I love travel and I love books. Needless to say, podcasts that combine those two topics catch my attention. My recommend for this month is from Books and Travel with Jo Frances Penn. You may recognize the name J.F. Penn, a prolific author of both non-fiction, and the ARKANE series. Born from her love of research, Penn hosts authors who books have been inspired by their travels. Episode #110 is titled Ahchemical History and Beautiful Architecture: Prague with Lisa M. Lilly. If you have never visited the amazing Prague, this interview will certainly whet your appitite to pay it a visit. Lilly shares how her visit to Prague inspired her latest book The Skeptical Man.

    You just never know where your next book inspiration will come from–and I’m not suggesting you have to travel across the globe for that inspiration. Might I encourage keeping your eyes open in your own neighbourhood, city, or country? Like Lisa M. LIlly, you might just see a book scene unfold before your very eyes.

    Book:
    There are many tried and true practices as they relate to writing. However, how often do we reach for the latest and greatest book on the shelf, just to find that ‘magic bullet’, the one to make writing seamless. If only that were true!

    I am finishing up reading a classic book on writing. Originally published in 1976, but updated several times, the latest revised update in 2006, William K. Zinsser’s book On Writing Well is full of treasures for new and accomplished writers. As I look back through the chapters, my pages are splattered with yellow highlighting. Let me share some of the nuggets that caught my attention from just the first chapter.

    “Ultimatelly the product that any writer has to sell is not the sugject being written about, but who he or she is“. “But the secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components.” When speaking of style, Zinsser shares, “Readers want the person who is talking to them to sound genuine. Therefore a fundamental rule is: be yourself.” That one really spoke to me. One more quote. “I write entirely by ear and read everything aloud before letting it go out into the world.” This became clear to me when I was recording my audiobook What if…? Finding new adventures through life’s obstacles. I had read through the book more times than I wished, had a professional editor go through it multiple times, and shared it with three beta readers. I was told by folks much wiser than I in the field of editing that the first read through will catch 80% of errors, leaving a mere 20%. Not too bad, but not what I would be happy with. After two more read throughs, 0.8% of the original errors would still go unchecked. I was good with that. However, as I read my book aloud for the recording, I was shocked by how many mistakes I still found, simply by listening–by using my ear. Mr. Zinsser, you know your stuff! So, this is a high recommend book from a wise man.

    Capturing holiday memories in a memoir can be both meaningful and fun. The following tips and story prompts are designed to help you bring your family traditions, special moments, and unique celebrations to life. Let these ideas spark your creativity as you begin writing your holiday stories.

    Writing Tips (for the holiday season)

    1. Start with sensory details
    2. Focus on meaningful moments
    3. Interview family members
    4. Use photos and keepsakes
    5. Write one memory at a time
    6. Embrace both joy and challenge
    7. Use prompts and story starters

    Try these prompts to get you started:

    1. Describe a holiday tradition that has been passed down through generations in your family. How did it start, and how has it changed over time? 
    2. Share the story of a holiday celebration that didn’t go as planned. What went wrong, and how did your family respond?
    3. Imagine a holiday from the perspective of a gift waiting to be opened. What does it hope for, and what does it witness? 
    4. Describe a holiday season in the future or in a different setting (another country, another planet, etc.). How do traditions adapt?
    5. Write about a holiday celebration that brought together people from different backgrounds or cultures. What did you learn? 

    Created with the assistance of Microsoft Copilot.

    Writing Prompts (pictures from my travels):

    1. “I remember a time when we drank exquisite cocktails and talked about…”
    2. “This Christmas gnome made me smile because…”
    3. “As I sat in the chill of winter, gazing over the lake, my thoughts wandered to…”

    What am I up to?

    Last week I attended yet another Winter Market and shared a book table with a friend. I don’t know about you, but this is not my favourite way to market and sell my books. To be honest, sales were basically non-existent, and my feet and back hurt from standing so long. Perhaps it’s the memoir genre, or my poor sales skills. HOWEVER, I spoke to some wonderful people and heard their life stories. They were filled with heartwarming experiences, reflections of sadness and tragedy, courage, and hope. For me, as I reflect on the day, it was a success. It reminded me that I write because I’m passionate about sharing life with others in a way that will encourage, uplift, teach, and bring joy. I write because I’m a teacher at heart and have learned so much through books. I write because it provides a creative outlet that causes my mind to slow down and reflect.

    In November’s newsletter I shared my thoughts on what my next book might look like. I did think more about writing a fiction, tried to come up with some creative ideas for story lines…nothing! I absolutely love reading murder mystery and suspense books, but writing one is outside my wheelhouse. And my love of storytelling about real life is what brings me joy, and from what I’m told, my readers find joy in reading my books. So that’s my lane, that’s where my voice is truly me. I’m now three chapters into a new work…stay tuned for updates.

    “You don’t write because you understand life; you write because you want to.” — Anaïs Nin

    Happy Holidays from our home to yours.

    Through the eyes of writing ~ blog 143

    Probe & Ponder…

    Exploring books, learning, travel, life experiences & adventure with author, Roberta E Sawatzky

    Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.

    Anne Lamott

    Are you ready to explore new adventures through life’s obstacles and transitions? Welcome to this first edition, sharing my ponderings with a community of curious, courageous readers who’ve connected with my books:
    “What If…? Finding new adventures through life’s obstacles.” and “Between Here and Where? Embracing life’s transitions.”

    Each month, you’ll receive:

    • ✍️ Insights on writing and creativity (from others wiser than I)
    • 📚 Book recommendations that inspire and challenge (from my readings)
    • 🌱 Quotes and insights on overcoming obstacles and embracing change
    • 🎧 Thought-provoking podcasts worth your time (from my listening)
    • 💬 Life stories or travel pictures to inspire your writing journey

    Books & Podcasts

    Podcast:
    The Writer’s Routine Podcast is a great source of inspiration. In a recent episode, Faith Hogan shares her journey to becoming a bestselling author. She describes writing as a “punster,” letting stories evolve naturally. Her novels often take place on fictional Irish islands to shape atmosphere and theme. She explains her commitment to uplifting fiction and the core elements needed to engage readers.

    Book:
    There are so many great books on writing… all offering great value. The first book I read when I only dreamed about writing a book was Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. Lamott offers practical advice and honest reflections on the writing life, encouraging writers to focus on small, manageable steps, rather than feeling overwhelmed by the whole project. She blends humour, personal stories, and hard-earned wisdom to address common writer struggles like perfectionism, self-doubt, and writer’s block.

    October in Hawaii

    Writing Tips

    Memoir writing is all about telling your story. Here’s a tip to help get you started:

    Pick a Memory
    Choose one moment that sticks with you—it doesn’t have to be dramatic.
    Example: your first day at a new job, a family dinner, a childhood walk to school.

    Set the Stage (5 minutes)
    Write down where you were, what time of day it was, and who was there.
    Use sensory details: What could you see, hear, smell, touch, taste?

    Zoom In (10 minutes)
    Describe one action or exchange in real time.
    Instead of “My grandmother was kind,” write a scene:
    “She slid the last piece of pie across the table to me, her eyes twinkling as though she had a secret.”

    Reflect (5 minutes)
    Add a short reflection on why that moment mattered.
    This bridges memory (what happened) with meaning (why it’s part of your story).

    Writing Prompts (from my travels)

    Looking at this photo makes me think of a time when…
    Imagine this bowl could tell its story. What has it seen? How old is it? What life might the creators hands have lived?
    What might these two have been talking about…or avoiding talking about?

    What am I up to?

    I’m mulling around an idea for a new book. I love telling stories from life experiences, but I would also like to try my hand at fiction. So, I may attempt to create a memoir-esque, factional novel, autofiction… not sure what the correct term is. Or maybe I’ll just stay in my lane and write stories from life that hopefully inspire, motivate, challenge, and produce a giggle. The pages are still blank… perhaps I’ll have more clarity to report in the next newsletter.

    “You’re never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream.”

    C.S. Lewis

    The Joys of Spring: New Life, New Perspectives…blog 142

    I love spring!
    It brings renewed hope, freshness, new perspectives, and the reminder that after the darkness of winter, the promise of new life always returns. I cherish every part of it—rain or shine.

    Spring is also the perfect time of year to celebrate those women in our lives who have had such an impact. Whether or not you are a mother, or provide support and love for others…I celebrate you!

    A Symphony of Scents and Sights

    I don’t know where you live, but here in British Columbia, my bike rides are filled with the sight and scent of flowering trees and shrubs in full bloom.

    The white, pink, lavender, and purple lilacs make even the finest perfumes seem dull by comparison, blending harmoniously with the sweet, honey-like fragrance of the Oregon grape’s yellow blossoms. Riding through it all feels like gliding through a fragrant flower shop.

    Sunshine, Scotch, and the Simple Joys

    Spring feels like emerging from the cozy comforts of indoors to breathe in life’s freshness.

    Time to clean off the patio chairs, lay out the bright cushions on the Adirondack chairs, pour a shot (or two!) of scotch, sit back, and smile at the sun. Pure bliss.

    Nature’s Reminder: It’s Time to Begin Again

    Spring speaks of new birth.
    We see it all around us: buds opening, grass once buried now sprouting fresh green blades, chubby robins tending to delicate blue eggs, and trees becoming concert stages for returning songbirds.

    But I believe spring also invites us—as humans—to embrace new beginnings, fresh perspectives, and personal growth. Each new beginning is as unique as the person experiencing it.

    A personal win: an audio recording and a second book

    On a personal note, I’m excited to have produced an audiobook from my first book What if…? Finding adventures through life’s obstacles.

    AND I’m thrilled about the upcoming birth of my second book, Between Here and Where: Embracing Life’s Transitions.The cover design is complete, and the final edits—thanks to the amazing Darcy Nybo—are done. Next up: sharing it with a few beta readers, then on to publishing!

    Looking ahead: travel, connection, and ocean breezes

    I’m also looking forward to traveling and exploring over the next few months. The thought of spending time with family and friends—creating new memories and building on shared experiences—fills me with joy. Add in some time by the ocean, and my anticipation reaches epic levels!

    Embracing change and finding hope

    Of course, life continues to throw us curveballs. Change and transition are part of the journey—sometimes beautiful, sometimes challenging.

    But even in the tougher moments, those changes don’t define us. They invite us to dig deep, hold onto joy, and let the warmth of past memories and hope for the future guide us forward.

    They remind us to live with a sense of expectancy for the good that life still offers.

    A few questions for you

    So, I wonder—
    What are you hopeful for as you witness the wonders of new life around you?

    How are you growing and learning in this season of your life?

    What thoughts linger in your heart on those joy-filled days—or on days when joy feels just out of reach?

    Welcome to a new year with Probe and Ponder…Blog 141

    January 2025…how has the year started for you? Slow and steady? Like a whirlwind? Full of expectancy? Waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop? Are you excited about new beginnings? None of these outlooks are right or wrong…they just are. And that’s ok.

    Mine started rather quietly – we slipped into 2025 without much fanfare. Like many people at certain stages of life, we were already in dreamland by the time the clock struck midnight!

    That was until January 3rd. 

    I love to smile, but recently I have been conscious of people’s reactions when they see a gap where until that day, a tooth lived. It happened like this:

    I was meeting with a close friend, enjoying a great cup of coffee and a soft veggie wrap. We were laughing together, catching up on each other’s lives, and about to begin talking about a second walk together on the Camino de Santiago, when I felt the strangest thing…there was a hole where a front tooth used to be! My tongue explored it, my finger found the hole, and a selfie confirmed what I feared…I had lost a tooth. It split up the middle and was gone! I truly did lose it—it wasn’t in my mouth, nor was it stuck in the wrap…it was gone. Well, not completely lost, I had swallowed it!

    As you can read in my memoir, life is not exactly stress-free when one’s husband has some major medical issues. So when this happened, I looked at my friend, recognizing my shock reflected in her face, and we both laughed! What else could we do? I immediately reached out to our dental office and shared my story of woe, and the receptionist laughed as well! Realizing her reaction may not have been overly empathetic, she quickly apologized. 

    Within an hour I was sitting in the dental chair having x-rays taken, then setting up an appointment with my dentist for the following week (of course it happened on a day when the dentist wasn’t working!). Thus began the long process of having a tooth implanted by a dental surgeon…but first the remainder of my broken tooth needs to be removed. (There are many things I would rather do than visit the dentist…for any reason!)

    So here was the dilemma I now faced. I was booked to be interviewed on a podcast (video, not audio), and present an Author Meet at our local library. I am also in the process of recording an audiobook. Do you know how difficult it is to pronounce ‘th’ and ‘f’ sounds when you are missing a front tooth? The recording mic is so sensitive the production guy could hear a plane passing overhead, a sound I couldn’t even hear! 

    What to do? We were able to adjust the mic far enough from my mouth so as not to have the offending sounds pop the mic…one problem solved. But what about the podcast? If you have spent any time on virtual calls, you know how distracting it is to see your face on a screen just inches away. It can be disconcerting to say the least. Add to that the insult of seeing a very visible gap anytime you smile, multiplying the distraction. So the podcast appearance was cancelled. 

    But what about the Author Meet? I seriously considered cancelling it as well, until I was hit with one of those epiphany experiences. That quiet inner voice reminded me that I had committed to be open and transparent both in my writing and in life in general. Having a tooth fall out is just part of life (at least my life). 

    So here I am, missing tooth and all, ready to take on 2025. I look forward to openly and transparently sharing my probings and ponderings with you. Please stay tuned as I continue sharing my learnings from life and travel with you. Who knows what’s next? 

    By the way, if you ever want to reach out for coaching, speaking events, or simply to say ‘hi’, here are my contacts:

    roberta@samisremote.com | resawatzky.com | robertasawatzky.com | https://calendly.com/roberta20/complimentary-chat

    As 2024 comes to an end…Blog 140

    I’m sitting in my home office, gazing out at a very gray day. We had snow last evening, but mild temperatures and light rain have turned the fresh blanket of snow into a dull, mushy mess.

    Winter isn’t my favorite season—my soul seems to hibernate, awaiting the awakening signaled by the first buds of spring appearing on the trees outside my window. These buds signal new life.

    In summer, we slow down to soak up the sun’s warmth, shedding cumbersome jackets, socks, and ‘whole shoes’ (as our daughter used to call them) to make way for sandals, sundresses, t-shirts, and the ever-present sunnies. At times, the sun’s heat becomes oppressive, prompting us to seek the perfect shade under which to sip a cool beverage, dreaming of storing this glorious heat to be slowly released during the cold, frigid winter months.

    Then autumn arrives. How I love this season! The summer heat fades, leaving warm days and nights that call for the cozy embrace of light sweaters to fend off the evening chill. The greens of summer transform into vibrant reds, ambers, and crimson leaves, drawing me in like the crackling flames of the fires my mum used to set in the evenings back in Ireland.

    However, without the winter months that prompt us to hunker down and reflect on the gifts of new life, warmth, and harvest, we might miss the lessons nature offers.

    I believe the four seasons—winter, spring, summer, and autumn—are a rich metaphor for life, especially when we consider the changes each one brings. Over the past year, I’ve been working on a book about change and transition. Initially, its focus was on transitioning from full-time employment to part-time, contract work. This transition would bridge the years between the workforce and possibly leaving paid employment altogether. As I wrote, I realized that life is, and will continue to be, filled with various transitions, each with its own intensity. This process has made me reflect on the many changes and transitions I’ve experienced and consider how successfully or unsuccessfully I’ve navigated each. Transitions stem from change; some are self-initiated, while others result from decisions made by others that impact us. Some transitions bring wonderful opportunities filled with adventure and excitment, while others may lead to loss, grief, and anxiety.

    During this winter solstice season, as I reflect on the past year, I remember moments of joy and laughter, delight and pleasure, beauty and wonder, awe and curiosity, peace and stillness. I also remember moments of deep sadness and tears, anger and fear, loss and grief. This is life; these are the seasons of life that shape us into unique and wonderful human beings living amidst its messiness.

    One of my favorite Broadway experiences was Rent. From the opening number, I was captivated by the stories of a group of young bohemians endeavoring to live fully. It chronicles a year in their lives. The opening song, “Seasons of Life,” asks, “How do you measure the value of a year in a person’s life?” A big question! But is it really? Looking back over 2024, how would you describe its value in terms of your accomplishments, contributions, and what you’ve received? What gauge or criterion might you use to evaluate its worth? I believe this question, posed by songwriter Jonathan Larson, provides a simple yet profound foundation for closing off a year and setting intentions for 2025, marking it as a year of great value.

    What do you think? How might you measure the value of 2024?

    PEI…Canada’s smallest province…Blog 139

    It happens this time every year…I wonder where the summer went? 

    Where I live, summer was everything it should be: mostly blue skies, hot temperatures (ok, those days with temperatures in the high 30’s was a bit much), very little smoke from fires, travel, and a much slower pace of life.

    I did a great deal of reading; some books for learning, some for inspiration, and others simply for entertainment. I took time to work on my next book (about life transitions, but no inspiration for a title as yet…ideas?), contracted a marketing specialist for my business, who lifted a massive weight off my shoulders making my summer so much more pleasurable.

    In my last blog I shared the joy of discovering and learning about yoga and mediation. What I failed to learn is that when they say ‘listen to your body and let it guide you’, they mean it! The trouble is, sometimes your body doesn’t speak until the day after you pushed to do those 100 leg lifts after a nasty spill on a concrete sidewalk the previous day. Yup, all headway I made with my regular exercise program came to a full stop until my muscles and ligaments do some much needed healing.

    This isn’t the first time I’ve done a number on my body…you can read about it in a previous blog.

    Pexels.com

    Enough about the woes of my irresponsibility, let’s talk about travel. I have done a great deal of travel in the U.S. and Europe, but not as much in my own country of Canada. It is a vast area stretching over 4,700 miles (7,560 kilometers) from West to East, and crosses six time zones. We are surrounded by the Pacific Ocean in the west, the Atlantic Ocean in the east, and the Arctic Ocean to the north.

    Each of the ten provinces and three territories offer their own beauty; according to National Geographic Kids, Canada is home to two million lakes (14% of the world’s lakes), 8,500 named rivers, 125 mountain ranges including the Rockies, the Appalachian Mountains, St. Elias Mountains, the Laurentian Mountains and the Purcell Mountains. Three of our provinces, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta constitute the great wheat-producing region of Canada and are a major source for petroleum, potash, and natural gas…and they offer the most amazing sunsets and sunrises.

    I lived my teenage years in Ontario, Canada. School trips and camp experiences included brought us to a lush forested areas called Algonquin Park. This incredible park covers an area of 7,630 km² (or about 2,946 square miles). To give some perspective, Algonquin Park is larger than Canada’s smallest province, Prince Edward Island, or, around the same size as Delaware and Rhode Island, U.S….COMBINED!

    It would take a life time to fully take in all Canada has to offer. To date, my experiences in my own country have mostly been in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario. However, this summer I fell in love with Prince Edward Island. A friend is driving across Canada (taking several months to make the return trip), so I decided to meet up with her for a week in PEI.

    St. Peters Beach

    What a beautiful place! We were welcomed with such warm hospitality, drove by fields of such varied crops, especially potatoes (and ate our share of french fries), and iron-rich rust coloured soil. We visited the Anne of Green Gable site, a favourite of my Mums, and marvelled at the amazing and inspirational talent of author Lucy Maude Mongomery. And the lighthouse…all sixty one of them!

    For me the best of PEI was the beaches — more than 1000 km of coastline and 90 beaches! The long stretches of soft silky red or white sand, ocean so inviting it was impossible to resist at least walking along the waters edge, if not taking a dip in the clearn, refreshing ocean. Most welcome when the temperatures were high and the humidity even higher. Most beaches sported incredible sand dunes, however,  over the past two decades, on-going coastal erosion is threatening the dunes, causing great concern to locals and Nature Conservancy alike.

    Great oyster bar in Victoria on the Sea

    If you are a lover of oysters, PEI would be a haven for you. Sadly, I am one of many deprived individuals who can’t partake of these gems of the sea, so I enjoyed them vicariously through my friend. I can’t remember all the varieties she sampled, but here are a few: Northern Belle, Lucky Limes, Rustico, Sweet Blue, and Colville Bay…her pleasure and delight was a joy to behold.

    An amazing volunteer at the Summerside information centre told us about a series of concerts called ‘Under the Spire’, held in the Historic St. Mary’s Church, built in 1902 by Island architect William Critchlow Harris. Fortunately for us, we were able to get tickets for the next night. The Acadian sounds of Vishtèn Connexions were amazing, thrilling us with musical combinations of fiddles, keyboard, flutes, bodhrán, guitar, mouth harp, and of course, vocal harmonies that carried the words of their original works across the enraptured audience.

    So much more could be said about this nature inspired, understated Island, but I’ll leave it up to you to discover when you go visit for yourself – I’m confident you’ll be as enraptured as I was.

    Photographs by Me.

    Travel-inspired meditation…Blog 138

    Welcome to the start of my meditation journey! As someone new to this practice, I’ve often felt hesitant about diving into the unknown world of meditation—perhaps out of fear of what I might discover. However, my curiosity and the need to slow down my constantly racing mind have finally led me to embrace this new experience.

    So how does mediation relate to my travel learnings? A great deal! In fact, I discovered that mediation actually created an opportunity for me to think back and dwell on some very special times in my life, from recent travels all the way back to my childhood. Let me elaborate.

    In the meditation session, the ‘guide’ used imagery to walk us through a 30-minute practice:

    Body like a mountain, Heart like the ocean, Mind like the sky.

    Mountain, ocean, and sky…nature in all its beauty. However, what do these three images mean? I had to go back and do some research on this (remember, I’ve only been to one class so far). This is what I learned.

    Body Like a Mountain: Symbolizes strength and stability, encouraging a grounded posture in meditation. Now, to go along with this was the imagery of a strong back and soft front. This speaks to balancing resilience and vulnerability, promoting courage and an open heart ready for connection and compassion. (Quite lovely!) Heart Like an Ocean: Represents depth and emotional openness, fostering boundless compassion and acceptance. Mind Like the Sky: Signifies spaciousness and clarity, allowing thoughts to come and go freely.

    What was especially wonderful, was not having any issue calling up mental pictures of each of these – all from my life. 

    Mourne Mountains looking over the Irish Sea. (Thanks Pexels free photos)

    During the meditation on body like a mountain, I vividly recalled climbing the Mountains of Mourne in Ireland as a young girl. I remember walking through the beautiful heather as it gently danced with the breeze coming off the Irish Sea. The vivid purple colours amidst tufts of green provided a soft cover between the rock surfaces. Of course, it would have been impossible to not allow the visual of a great deal of Irish Hare droppings to enter my mental scrapbook of memories. As a family, we would do day hikes on Slieve Donnard and Slieve Binnian (Slieve is Irish Gaelic for mountain). My grandparents lived in a small fishing village called Annalong…a view of the Mourne Mountains out their front door, and the Irish Sea out the rear. This was the playground of my father’s growing-up years.

    Cabo Finisterre, Spain

    The practice continued, and I was ready to stay in the memories of heart like an ocean for the rest of the day! If you know me even a little or have read previous blogs, you will know that the ocean is my happy place. Not surprising since I was raised in a seaside town called Bangor in Northern Ireland. There is something about being by the ocean that puts life in perspective. Sitting on a sandy beach or perched on rocks along the water’s edge can transport me to places of pure calm and peace. But the presence of the mighty sea can also unveil deep emotions that have been squashed, finally forcing their way to the surface, longing to be acknowledged and processed. A visit back to Annalong a few years ago provided a memory refresh of long-ago days sitting on the Black Rocks, just five minutes from my grandparent’s home. For me, however, there was more climbing than sitting – a successful day of rock climbing called for several bandaids (plasters as we called them), on scratched and bruised knees and shins.

    Our travels have blessed us with many more open heart memories of moments sitting and walking along the ocean. Carvoeiro, Portugal;  Cape Finisterre, Spain; Greystones, Ireland; Tofino in British Columbia; the South of France, and the beautiful Greek Island of Naxus to name a few. All call out to my heart refusing to be ignored, requiring a response to whatever bubbles to the surface.

    Last but not least, a mind like the sky. Who doesn’t need clarity in their life? But how many of us actually make the time, and space for clarity to work its way through the noise of our endless thoughts. The focus this required for me was the most challenging. As already noted, I have one of those minds that is always thinking, planning, worrying, and just plain busy! The idea of seeing a thought, acknowledging its existence, then allowing it to pass by without stopping for a visit is easier said than done. Again the visualization really helped (not conquered – helped). Think of days lying in a field of daisies looking up at a clear blue sky, relaxing on a warm, soft sandy beach, or dressed in warm winter gear taking a break from making snow angels with your grandkids to notice the shape of the clouds amid a cobalt blue sky. Being transported back to such memories helped greatly in my endeavour to let the thoughts that started flooding my mind, pass by. But it took willpower to not reach up and grab them…I have some work to do on this one for sure.         

    What I learned is that meditation can provide a guided tour through inner landscapes and unforgettable moments. Whether you’re a seasoned meditator or a beginner, curious like me, I invite you to give it a try. I’m looking forward to further exploring the strength of mountains, the depth of oceans, and the vastness of skies, all while discovering the hidden beauty in my everyday life.

    Odeceixe, Portugal