Ink and Shade – the blog

“Tree” by Dan at Free Digital Images

A friend asked, “What’s with the blog title Ink and Shade?  I get the ink because of books and writing, but shade?”  I had to laugh.  Maybe it does sound way too arbitrary.  Just what is this Ink and Shade thing anyway?

An artist will tell you it’s the shading that makes things really pop.  Without shading things look flat.  I think life is like that.  It’s the shades of our past lives, the darks and lights of it, that make who we are more clear.  Without the dark there would be no sense of becoming.  There would be no new if we didn’t come out of the darkness, the shadows, and into the light.

I have, on more than a few occasions in my life, followed someone or something down a path I knew was not right for me.  To shield myself from taking the responsibility for my choice I simply lied to myself….over and over and over until I believed it.  My heart, however, could not be fooled.  It was a hard climb out of the pit.  I didn’t do it alone.  Couldn’t have survived it alone.  I won’t tell you what it is.  It really doesn’t matter.  The point is that life must be lived honestly.  I believe that down to my toes.

I really do believe good trumps evil.  I believe embracing one’s own fallibility and examining one’s own prejudices, fears, desires, strengths and weaknesses is what the journey is all about.  Writing helps me reveal the truth to myself.  If I need an answer, I write.  It is the ink that clarifies for me all the subtle nuances of what’s buried deep.   Simply, that’s my quest with this blog.  I will take what I’ve already written, share more of where I’ve been, and look deeper to reveal the beauty the darks in my life have highlighted.  More than that.  I will celebrate the light.  I will laugh along the way, probably cry too.  But I will be honest.

I’m looking forward to sharing this journey and learning from others along the way.