"Winter Moved Inside" a writing prompt from @mariannewest

The log planks of the former evergreen trees rested beneath my feet. The deadwood splattered a touch of cold underneath both soles as I crept down the stairs. It was winter solstice but those deluded by Christmas believed Jesus had been born in a manger. And when the adults told the children a fat man snuck into their house last night and left them presents -- I am not supposed to find that creepy. I hesitate to share to others that winter has moved inside... my heart. I guess they can tell though. They can see the internal snow whenever I mumble, "Merry Fucking Christmas."

Quite honestly, I am just ready for a happy new years.

And the five minutes is over.

I woke up this morning and was searching through HIVE and found this #freewrite blog prompt, so I set the timer and wrote.

It was quite refreshing. I have enjoyed writing on here over the course of almost three years. I think this summer was such a special moment for me to rediscover my love of writing and art. And this platform really helped me be able to express myself in ways that I had not been able to do for a long time. For that I am grateful, I got my voice back. I also regained the ability to make mistakes and learn from them without feeling like a colossal failure. It was such an amazing release -- but am I going to write the same diary type of entries forever?

I wrote almost every day for months. It felt so incredible to really be able to have that outlet. And what's my new year's resolution for 2021? One post every single day -- and I really want to see where that takes me. I think emotionally, it could soar me to new heights of self-expression and discipline. That is where the journal prompts come in. I am not saying that I will use them every day. But I will take advantage of these daily challenges.

2020 truly was the year I cultivated my internal vision. Can 2021 be a year of action instead of all this quarantine sitting? I am ready to get out of bed, to get off the couch; I am ready to move. And here's the biggest change of them all -- I am ready to grow. Cheers to the sun and the celebrations of the 25th of December. Because there is no such thing as Santa Claus. And Jesus... He did not die for anyone's missteps.