Everybody has or will have a White Rabbit or two.  They’re different from an ‘aha” moment.   White Rabbits are enigmas.  We have to study them a while to see what they are telling us.  Well, some of us study them.  Some of us just jump in behind them and see where they lead!

We run across them every day and for the most part they remain unnoticed, just part of the general ebb and flow of our lives.  But now and then one catches our eye.  Something about it seems unique – carrying a  pocketwatch, for example – and we decide to follow it.

They often take us down an unfamiliar path and we might lose track of them for a while, but  they subtly show up again to remind us of our quest.  When we’re lucky it’s something we are happy to have discovered.  If not, there’s still the option and ability to return to more familiar, comfortable settings, even if it’s a short struggle to get there.  But we will have changed something in our lives in the process.

Change in life is inevitable, but some change should be of our own choosing.  Like choosing our careers.  Or choosing to change our careers.  Pretty scary stuff  – and these days, people are often forced into those changes.  But what you decide can make a difference, so think about that White Rabbit.  Did you see an ad for a class in something that piqued your interest?  Do you have a skill that could help you start a new business, or get a job at a firm you are interested in?  Do you have a hobby that just makes you happy?  Could you use it to create a new life? 

These are thoughts sparked by, yep, White Rabbits.  Those little ideas that just get caught in our minds.  How many of us started writing because of one?  Maybe it was a friend of a friend who published a book.  Maybe a teacher said you should write.  Maybe it was a notice on a bulletin board.

Coincidentally, one of my White Rabbits was White County Creative Writers.   I ran across a notice for their second meeting ever.  At that moment, I was heavily into writing divorce poems and thought Oh, that looks interesting, and it would be a good way to meet people.   Encouraged and motivated by founders David Roper, Norman Martin, Jean Gipson, Patsy Pipkin and a host of others, I joined and began sharpening  my skills.  Eighteen years later I still belong to that group, have had a few modest successes, and I’m still learning.  

The idea of blogging has been another White Rabbit for me.  I’ve known about blogs for a long time, subscribed to several, and always thought I’d like to start one.  The idea was hanging there, popping in and out of my consciousness. Then this year at the Arkansas Writers Conference,  electronic and internet publication dominated the discussion.  Blogs, Websites, Kindle, Nook, Facebook – you name it, it was being thrown at us.  That Rabbit was now jumping up and down in front of me, pointing to his watch.  It was time.  So here you go – it’s part of my adventure.

Do you have a White Rabbit?   Where did it lead you?   Tell us about it.