Yes, I Did It Again

When I was 12, I started writing on any piece of paper I could find, from the back of receipts to napkins. I was writing whenever the muse would strike me, half sentences for short stories while sitting on the bus or writing love poems in my bed at 2 o’clock in the morning. Later, as a young woman I was writing, while sitting in the corner of a café writing about the people I was watching. I didn’t really know or care if I was talented; all I knew is that I enjoyed doing it even if those piles of papers would end up in my drawer for years. In time, I only believed that my talents were good enough when they were published in newspapers and magazines and when my multimedia art was shown in galleries. Having a vision— a dream— was an amazing driving force and making it a reality was truly fantastic. It was like I followed a magical light that was drawing me in. I just couldn’t help but get immersed in doing it with all my passion. Finally, my dream came true three years ago when I published my first art and poetry book, “Whispers of the Heart.”
Following that success, I intended to publish my second book “Splendor”, this time, in both English and Hebrew. I was excited about finishing its editing by my birthday in 2019, but then the COVID-19 pandemic hit us all. Suddenly, my attention was shifted, and I put the book project on the back burner. I was doing anything but finishing my book. Instead, I was doing art every day as if my survival depended on it and keeping myself occupied during the quarantine. I even finished a complicated colorful mosaic that took me 4 1/2 months. Still, my dream to publish my new book was never diminished because of the challenge we all faced; On the contrary, my desire to make it a reality just got stronger. Eventually, the paintings and new poems that I was feverishly working on during the lockdowns made it into my new book .
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” Not by oops at all. I did it again with absolute intention and a new approach of focus and determination. I completed my second book. After 3 years of delay, I finally held in my hands my new “baby”, the fruit of my labor many years in the making.
I feel humbled and filled with gratitude for the opportunity to share it with all of you. I hope that you too can get motivated by my writing journey and get inspired to manifest your own dreams by stories and artwork within it. If I can do it so, can you!
Naomi Young is a Jewish studies and a Bar/ Bat mitzvah teacher in Santa Clarita for 40 years. She is a published writer and a multimedia artist. Contact her at naomiyoung7@yahoo.com Visit her art website at www.naomiyoung.com