Dumpster Diving

Ok, so I really am not a dumpster diver. It's not my thing, though as a kid my mom once forced us to knock on someone's door and ask if we could have a dresser they were throwing away. Embarrassing!!!

Figuratively speaking, dumpster diving is something I think we do to ourself emotionally from time to time. Sometimes when we're down, we like to wallow in emotional "filth." Life can be difficult. Often we find ourselves at the bottom of a too-tall dumpster. We lack the motivation to even try to escape it. Call it the blues. Call it depression. Call it what you want. But these feelings are real, and sometimes overwhelming.

Whether you consider yourself a writer or not, this emotional rain cloud has a bright silver lining. Some of the best scenes or stories I have written come to me when I speak from this place of seeming despair. I think the same can be true of any extreme emotion: Love, hate, jealousy, euphoria, etc. When we write a scene that reflects our mood, we can immerse ourselves more fully into the character's thoughts and setting with true empathy.

What we may not realize is that by giving these emotions voice through writing, we are not only creating something special, we are acknowledging our own feelings and unconsciously giving ourselves permission to heal. To move on.

Some times we are all going to go dumpster diving. I just hope that, whether you consider yourself a writer or not, you put pen to paper or fingertips to keys and express yourself. It can be the equivalent of shoving garbage to the wall of that dumpster and climbing your way out.