Don’t fear the blank page
by Jill Ogden

What will your story be today? When the day looms before you as a blank page, remember you do not and cannot author the book all at once. Image credit: Kelly Sikkema on unsplash.com
This year, after the ball dropped in Times Square—apparently the last in the long-standing tradition—Natasha Bedingfield performed “Unwritten.” This song is a wonderful reminder that we are all the authors of our own stories.
Often, we go through life as if we were nonplaying characters in a video game. We believe that the script is prewritten, and we have little choice in what happens. This results in letting life happen to us. The truth is, we all have authorship of our narrative. Others’ storylines will intersect and affect our own, and there will always be elements out of our control, but we still have complete control over how we respond to those external influences.
The blank page is overwhelming to many. Knowing that what happens on that page will impact all the pages to come and knowing that you have to fill an entire novel of pages is daunting.
When the blank page looms before you, it is important to remember you do not and cannot author the book all at once. Start with today and draft your short story for the day or even just an hour. Learn to pivot the narrative. When a tale is going in a direction you are not comfortable with, how can you change it? We will all have dark and challenging chapters. Heartbreak and misery are unavoidable and can be a story unto themselves, but we all have the power to determine how we end that chapter and what the next chapter brings.
What will your story be today? Will it be a quick, cozy conversation with a loved one or the beginning of an epic adventure? Instead of the events in your life being overwhelming burdens, view them as story prompts in a choice of your own adventure.
I have always struggled with the unknown. I prefer a game plan, a detailed map, and written instructions are nice. However, life is full of unknowns. Every day you wake up you run the risk of the day being completely and totally different by the end of that same day. I am still learning: Rather than fear those unknowns, I only need to evaluate them and decide how they fit into the story I want to tell. If there are elements of my story I can change, what does that look like? How can I alter my perspective on those elements I cannot change?
What will your story be today?
Jill Ogden is the Stockbridge Village Council president and manager.