Sun-shiny day

by CARMELLA VAN VLEET on MARCH 30, 2010

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone

I can see all obstacles in my way.

Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind.

It’s gonna be a bright, bright

Sun-shiny day.

I’ve always loved this song. My favorite line is the second one:

I can see all obstacles in my way.

Notice how it’s not the obstacles are gone; they’re still there. It’s just that I can SEE them now. I know what’s in my way. Isn’t that an exciting thought? Being able to see those things standing in your way is the first step to getting around or through them.

This song has been running through my head the last couple of days. I suspect it’s because after months of feeling my way around in the dark, writing with only some kind of vague direction in mind, I now have an outline for my new project. What brought on this sudden clarity was a combination of things my amazing critique group said. They were not bang-me-over-the-head comments, just simple nudges and questions. But they were enough to make things clearer, enough to blow away the dark clouds that had me blind. Sometimes inspiration is like that – a soft breeze instead of a wind storm.

Yes, I have a lot of work to do. (A lot!) But I can see what needs to be done now and at least have some kind of plan for getting to where I want to go. That’s more than I had before.

It’s gonna be a bright, bright, sun-shiny day!