Erika K Rothwell, Author at Writing From The Kitchen

Grace to All – Happy Fall!

October 15, 2019October 15, 2019by Erika K Rothwell7 Comments

Autumn has arrived in my kitchen. Can you see the shadows and the reflections?

The birth phase of care-free Spring and the youthful energy of young-adult Summer have led me to the nostalgic and “time doesn’t stand still”, Autumn.

The death of winter has not yet come. Dreams are alive, just fading into colorful prismatic displays on the trees in the hills, mesmerizing me into a fantastical trance where I once again accomplish nothing, or so I think.

Negativity surrounds me, yet hope lightens my load as I write from the kitchen.

Evening’s sun rays light up my decor. Chosen colors of blue, white, and orange encourage me to share inspiration from a simple photo taken as I attempted to fend off sadness.

Who writes from their kitchen? I do. Somehow, the spirit of life brightens the space where my heart lives. My memoir speaks from the kitchen. The memoir that I have not yet written, and may never write.

There are pieces of me, in segments of 300 words or less, scattered, fragmented, and disjointed in my documents folder. All of which could be completed and shared with the world.

I keep writing, searching for that perfect view. I don’t stop. I keep living and writing more. It doesn’t feel right. So I just keep writing. However, I just may have captured my thoughts, raw and unfiltered, once again. The perfect piece to describe how I feel, today.

Happy Fall and Grace to all!

Love y’all

Erika

©Erika K Rothwell

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authenticity, beauty, Creativity

Let Yourself Bloom

September 23, 2019September 23, 2019by Erika K Rothwell2 Comments

Decide who you are, do the work, and then just be. Stop discouraging yourself. Yes, the world is flooded with information. We have too much and too many of everything.

Yet, another flower blooms in the garden outside my window. A morning glory.

Reminding me that the world needs you. It needs your blossoming self. You add to the colors of the landscape of life. We all have so much to offer, yet many of us prefer to hide our lamps under a blanket of insecurity believing what we have is not worthy to be seen or has been seen already.

This is the humility of the creative introvert, but it will get you nowhere. How do I know? Because I was you. I spent many years creating but not sharing. My light did not shine because I would not allow it to.

I hid it where only I could see it. And that was not selfless.

You see, I was too concerned with self. What would others think? Who am I to think anyone would be interested in anything I had to offer?

My ego could not take the beating. The imagined beating, that is. I created the struggle in my own mind. When I was able to release my ego, and know that I am I for a reason outside of myself, I was able to not only create but share…share openly…share authentically.

The path I now follow allows me to appreciate each new bloom I find along the way. Only from emerging from the blanket I comfortably wrapped myself in, could I see the magnificence of others through the eyes of freedom.

I entreat you, let your creativity bloom. Show your glory. Let yourself free.

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authenticity, beauty, self-acceptance

Love Your Messy Truth

September 3, 2019September 3, 2019by Erika K RothwellLeave a Comment

Love your messy truth – It’s beautiful! Your truth is not ugly. Believe in the beauty of your truth.

Frame your point of reference in grace and acceptance. And allow yourself to be reborn.

The birth process can be visually messy. Yet we find ourselves in awe of the beauty of new life.

In fact, the birth of anything is a messy process. Our lives are also generally messy, our pasts littered with indiscretions and uninvited challenges. But to accept oneself through it all is courageous and beautiful.

Truth is where the beauty begins. Embrace authenticity. Find truth within yourself and share it with the world. Trust in the process. Do not deny yourself by denying your inward truths.

As the tight bud of a flower unfurls its petals, unguarded and opening to the possibilities, we must expose our deepest selves, providing the seeds of tomorrow.

Denying that we hold these seeds only leads to an unfulfilled life and a timeline of “what ifs?”

Joyfully release these seeds, for holding onto them too tightly will not spread the beauty.

More importantly, only in the acceptance of our deepest truths are we allowed to gaze upon the beauty of others.

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courage, Creativity, encouragement

Hiatus and Back to the Path

July 23, 2019July 23, 2019by Erika K Rothwell6 Comments

I wrote this a week ago and did not publish because I was so empty I was afraid to share. However, as this sits in the past and I celebrate placing it there, I want to encourage all out there who have hit the wall. Empathetic relating to your situation has brought me to openly share my personal detour off the path.

“ A hiatus is a pause in which nothing happens or a gap where something is missing.” Definition provided by Collins English Dictionary. Yet life does not exactly have a pause button.

It may be incorrect to state that I’ve been on hiatus, as so much has actually happened. However, there has been a gap, a “ginormous” gap where something is missing. And that something is me. I have suddenly found myself missing. Missing feelings, missing thoughts, missing a connection to my center. Life’s happenings appear to have executed full domination creating a major gap in my ability to function on a functioning level.

Needless to say, this gets in the way of productive energy and creativity. The standstill is rock solid and difficult to penetrate. I stand motionless and empty.”

Because I was searching for words of encouragement and did not have the strength to ask for them, I present words for you without you having to ask.

This soon shall pass. Momentary burnout and “this” seemingly helpless state will produce strength in you beyond what you imagined. You may question how this emptiness ricochets into a strong force that moves you along your destined and individually created path.

Every moment has its place. Every place has its time. And the path waits for you.

Your path. The path of your life. A unique path that is sometimes self-dictated, sometimes courageously followed, and sometimes simply faithfully followed, moving you in a forward direction.

This is the path you must stay on. This is the path you were born to follow. And in my most recent experience, I have learned it is a path you cannot always control the direction of, but one you can accept and embrace with positivity assured that forward is the only way to go. Gracefully acknowledge that detours and an unexpected hiatus only delays the inevitable direction. The direction of your dreams.

I encourage you today. You will recover. Stay on your path. Let your heart guide you.

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Grace, hope, self-acceptance

Embrace Grace

June 19, 2019June 20, 2019by Erika K Rothwell5 Comments

Imagine Grace resides at the mountaintop. Your life consists of climbing through the unknown, toward that high peak, suffering the maladies from unplanned events along an arduous journey, dreaming and reaching for Grace.

Now, instead, imagine Grace alongside you every step of the way. Perhaps, like me, place a flower in your hair as a tangible reminder of her presence. You climb without any equipment or even the necessary strength as the vertical path opens up ahead of you potentially fraught with unexpected hardship and loss. All the while, your companion, Grace, supports you. You survive the best you know how, while she reminds you she is always there for you no matter what choices you make.

Grace in a yellow mountain flower — Photo by Erika K Rothwell – Mountain Flower

Grace exists, but first you must acknowledge her existence. You must call her into your life, as if she were your greatest advocate and most empathetic friend. She is your hope and a companion in your life all the way through to the end.

Grace gently caresses your dreams, your feelings, your being. Without her, you suffer from judgment, insecurity and fear. With her you are accepted, understood, and open to be loved.

Once opened, you are filled with her and you become a conduit to spread her powerful and healing ways.

Join her. Accept her into your life. The support you find will infuse energy into your journey to the mountaintop. When you reach the top, thank her for her loyal patronage. Praise her source.

Bring her back down the mountain, inside of your heart, and share her exponentially as you strive to spread love and kindness, non-judgmental support, encouraging others to embrace her like you once did.

With Grace,

Erika K Rothwell

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