Day One: Prejoicing!

I want to share last night’s dream: I’m walking through Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle with my pal, Woofmutt, when an elderly shopkeeper waves us over and asks, “Do you kids like words?”

“Sure,” I say.

“Of course,” adds Woofmutt. “We’re writers.”

“Thought so,” the man says. He then launches into a sales pitch while sliding a piece of wood out of a rough burlap sack. It’s a varnished board, about two feet long, six inches high and thin as a candy bar. The man explains that, by using special tools included with his kit, we can easily turn that piece of wood into a cursive word to display on our wall.

“Oh, so it’s like those, ‘live, love, laugh,’ signs my sisters hang in their kitchens,” Woofmutt says with obvious disappointment.

“No, no. Not at all.” The man looks offended. “Those are mere decorations. This is special wood. These are actual words.”

“What do you mean, ‘actual words’?” I ask.

The man glances around nervously, then beckons us closer. Woofmutt and I laugh because the guy acts like we’re in the middle of a drug deal and not just haggling for Christmas gifts. “Listen, I’ve got the perfect word for you and your friends. I don’t offer it a lot. I don’t offer it lightly, but I think you could use it.” By now he’s speaking in such hushed tones that all three of us are huddled behind the shop counter with him. “Here’s the word I’m offering you two: prejoice.”

“Prejoice?” We volley it back and forth a few times to make sure we heard him right.

“Never heard it before,” I admit. Neither had Woofmutt.

“Of course not,” the shopkeeper says with a laugh. “Few have. That’s why it’s so full of energy. It’s built up quite a charge over the centuries.”

It takes some cajoling on our part, but the quirky merchant eventually defines this new word. “To prejoice means rejoicing for something that hasn’t happened, yet.”

“Like rejoicing in advance?” Woofmutt asks.

“Exactly,” he tells us. “Let’s say you’re starting a big project, like building a house, writing a book or finding a new job. You need to prejoice, to have a little celebration before you begin. This sets your intentions in the right direction.”

“So prejoicing helps people achieve goals?” I ask.

“Yes, yes, exactly, but people have forgotten. They’re so serious all the time. I wanna let you two in on a little secret; most people set the wrong intentions. They build a train track over a cliff and then wonder why they crash.”

“You mean, they didn’t prejoice in the right way?” I ask.

“They didn’t prejoice at all,” he tells us. “Not at all. They spent all their time on that other word.”

“What other word?” Woofmutt asks.

“Come back next week and maybe I’ll tell you.”

OK. So that is where my dream ended, but it’s also where my October begins. With this post, I hereby prejoice for all the fun October is going to bring thanks to the following three blogging challenges:

#OctPoWriMo

First off, there’s OctPoWriMo, which encourages folks to write 31 poems in 31 days, as well as read and comment on other participants poems. You can write poems in any style and any subject, plus there are daily prompts to nudge you along, too. Here’s how my pal, Morgan Dragonwillow, describes how she came up with this now-annual October poetry challenge:

“I am a poetry lover and decided to set this challenge for myself and for you. April 2012 I participated in the NaPoWriMo challenge though I didn’t write everyday as I had hoped. Since that time I kept wishing that someone would create another poetry month but so far I haven’t seen anything for it. Tired of waiting, I created this challenge for October in 2012. Welcome to the 2013 OctPoWriMo!”

#Blogtoberfest

Next up, there’s Blogtoberfest, which is simply a challenge for bloggers to post something new each day in October, then visit and comment on other participant’s posts. You can blog about whatever you want, but there are also prompts and other ideas to be found at the Blogtoberfest Sign-Up Page. This year’s blog fest is hosted by Michelle Reynolds an artist who lives in Australia (how exotic!) I really like how Michelle describes Blogtoberfest:

Blogtoberfest is an annual blogging festival and a wonderful opportunity to:

* challenge yourself to blog every day for 31 days in October 2013
* discover kindred blogging spirits
* carve out a tiny slice of time each day to write and to read
* share any creative projects you have on the go
* host a giveaway, if you feel inclined to spread the love

#31Days

The third and final October blogging challenge that I’m drawn to is called 31 Days. I bumped into it while visiting Julie Jordan Scot’s blog today. I was expecting a poem for the aforementioned #OctPoWriMo, but instead I found out that she is blogging 31 Days of Living a Passionate Life.

I haven’t quite figured out how to join… but I will, right after I publish today’s post!

In the meantime, I’m going to hop around the blogosphere to see what other peeps are posting for #OctPoWriMo, #Blogtoberfest & #31Days. And, yes, tomorrow, I will post at least one poem.

Oh… OK… Here’s a poem for today:

OctPoWriMo: Day One

Hello Autumn

Hello sock drawer!
Hello stockings!
Hello wool beret!

My favorite pieces of clothing
Spent summer tucked away

Hello neighbors!
Hello garden!
Hello closed toe shoes!

When autumn visits north Texas
It’s impossible to confuse

Hello oven!
Hello wood stove!
Hello snails and rain!

My husband’s marinara simmers
like a heady jazz refrain

Hello notebooks!
Hello novel!
Hello 12 bar blues!

When Autumn finally gets here
It lights a fire beneath my muse