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But first, let me introduce myself.
HI, I'M ARDIS!
Author & soul care advocate, a full-hearted participant in life who takes my superpower of curiosity into my reflections, writing, and photography.
My passion is to empower mind, body, and spirit for a better life, especially in times of illness or aging.
Previously, I studied music, nursing, psychology, and theology on a journey that led to hospice nursing and ordained ministry.
With my service dog, Dekker, I find my joy and purpose through writing. My work can be found on my blog Thereflectivepen.com, in several anthologies, on Medium, and on Amazon.
WHAT INSPIRED ME TO BECOME AN AUTHOR?
As a child, I read a book about a missionary surgeon who helped people whose hands were deformed by leprosy. I found myself inspired, but I was unsure which I wanted to be—the doctor or the person who wrote the book.
By the time I got to college, I knew medicine would not be my path, and the idea of writing got buried in all the other interests I could pursue at that age–including marriage and family.
A few decades later I found myself retired and unable to shake the memory of the book with the orange cover I had read so many years ago.
Could I write a book like that? Why not?
I picked up a pen, and opened my heart to inspiration from the universe, and the rest is history.
HOW MY BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCES SHAPE MY WRITING
Although my life has held uncountable blessings and opportunities for adventure and learning, it has been from my failures, losses, and struggles that I have grown in wisdom and courage to begin as a writer in the last third of my life.
I have known seasons of privilege, poverty, health, and illness. It may be that a diagnosis of MS in my mid-tweties has had the most profound influence on my writing, for this disease has taught me to use what I have in the moment and to remember it was the tortoise who won the race.
With the flare-ups and remissions of this chronic disease, I have learned to hold everything lightly, to be grateful for little things, and to go slow! Once I realized that even the longest book is written one word at a time, I knew I could do at least that much.
And so I began. One. Word. At. A. Time.
WHAT IS A TRANSFORMATIVE MOMENT FOR ME AS A WRITER?
One transformative moment in my life was when I retired from a beloved career in ministry because of MS. I could do little else but sit. And so I sat. I learned to meditate.
It was a shadowy time, a dark season of sitting and waiting, not sure for what.
Slowly I experienced the light of hope and purpose. I picked up my pen and began to write haiku and journal. My pen created a light that guided me on a path to writing. (Bringing new meaning to “penlight!”)
WHAT ARE MY CORE VALUES?
The core values that guide my work as a writer begin with fun. I write for the pure joy of it. It’s fun to take a few letters, add a comma or two, and create something that blesses others.
I could not write (or do much else) if I didn’t believe that ‘all things are possible.’ My favorite mantra is “Things have a way of working out.”
Two other values that impact my writing are curiosity and listening. I inherited the curious mind of my father, a science teacher who encouraged my questions, and when I listen, I try to hear what isn’t being said without being be too hasty to reply.
THE ONE PIECE OF ADVICE I FIND MYSELF GIVING MOST OFTEN
“Remember, the turtle won the race.” In the busyness of life, it is easy to take on more commitments and projects than there is time. In an attempt to do it all, it is easy to become like the hare until we remember who won the race.
HOW I CONTINUE TO GROW AS A WRITER
I continue to grow and develop as a writer as a direct benefit of the pandemic, i.e., online classes for learning, an online community for connection, and online businesses for resources, supplies, and chocolate.
I am currently learning how to harness Ai as an assistant to my creative process and how to organize all the digital files I have hoarded over the years. Whenever I have the chance, I take a class in pottery at the local high school to give my brain a place to relax and just “be.”
A FEW OTHER THINGS ABOUT ME..
- I am published in a number of magazines and anthologies
- I hold a BA in psychology and an MDiv in theology
- I am a member of PsiChi for honors in psychology
- I am ordained in the United Methodist Church
- I am accompanied by a service dog, Dekker, known for his guest posts on my blog once a month.
- I am a trumpet-playing fiddler and occasionally lead a drumming circle.
- I am a farmer at heart, loving with fond remembrance my wood stove, goats, chickens, and ducks.
- I am an INFP on Myers-Briggs
- I am a mother to two, grandmother to three, and great-grandmother to four…so far.
- I traveled when I was younger but am content to explore my backyard today.
- Born and raised in Maine, I thrive with ocean air and the silence of the deep woods.
SOME OF MY FAVORITE PRACTICES
Getting up at dawn, journaling,
spending some time in nature, fiddling when given a chance
And happiest when I am able to empower others in mind, body, and spirit to live a better life.
