Green was once my favorite color. Not a pale pastel green. Not even the basic green from the Crayola box. We’re talking Green with a capital G, dark, smokey, rich forest green, or even deep emerald green. Over the years I leaned into more of an olive color. I liked the neutral, earthy tone of olive. Then, for several years into the present, I’ve absolutely loved the color brown—any shade of brown, as long as it can’t be mistaken for orange. In fact, I love all neutral, earthy tones.
I still enjoy dark, rich greens, but it’s more of a fond nostalgia than a current love.
The above is only one simplistic example, but, looking back, I’ve changed so much over the years, in both simple and more profound ways. I’ve learned from mistakes, tried to evolve, and become a better version of myself—a me that is more honest with myself and open-minded and accepting of the people and world around me. I’m more mindful of my actions and mindful of my reactions to other people’s actions. I’ve learned that silence can be an answer. Silence can be comfortable. It’s okay to be still. It’s okay to be excitable. And it’s okay to inconsistently be still one day and excitable the next.
Love. Ever a work in progress, I’m always trying to embrace love, rather than fear, judgment, or hate. One step in front of the other, I try to press forward and do better, rather than linger on past stumbles, hurts, and failures. When I regress or fail, I no longer opt-out or quit. I take notes and start over.
How serendipitous (I love that word) that each one of us is capable of change. It’s a dash of hope in a mixing bowl of imperfections that make us who and what we are. We mess up, we try again. We make a mistake, we correct it. We fall down, we get up. We learn, grow, change, and evolve…consistently, every single day. And that, in itself, is its own form of magic.
One of several themes within the pages of the Ash Bennett series is the possibility of an evolution for every individual. People are not always all bad or all good. Life isn’t black and white. Good people make bad decisions, and vice versa. Aggressors can evolve into helpful friends while trusted confidants can grow bitter and dark and inevitably bring us harm. People make mistakes and fall short. They change. That’s simply a part of living.
Sometimes, people are presented with the opportunity for change and decline. As with real life, there are a few stubborn exceptions, so set in their ways and beliefs they refuse to change or see things from another perspective. Those insular, steadfast few aren’t nearly as fun to write, but they’re necessary for the overall theme in question. They’re every bit as realistic as the characters who can and do evolve because we all know someone or multiple people who simply refuse to alter their way of thinking or accept anything that differs from their belief or point of view.
Flawed characters forced to deal with very real issues are fascinating to me. Old Souls and The Nothing Place both have a multitude of flawed characters, many of them just trying to do the right thing. Sometimes they win and sometimes they fall short. They occasionally hurt each other unintentionally. Still, they learn, try to do better, try to be better. They evolve, one way or the other, positive or negative.
It’s so easy to empathize with and care for flawed characters in any story for obvious reasons. We see pieces of ourselves in them.
I feel so lucky to be in the category of those capable of change. I hope you are, too. I wish all of you an excess of learning, growing, and evolution, just as much as I continue to wish it for myself. I wish all of us the magic of change, and the peace that comes with the understanding that things, people, the world around us, can, and will, inevitably change…and that’s okay.
If you’ve read and enjoyed Old Souls or The Nothing Place, please consider leaving a review on Amazon. Even just a few words can help an author. Thank you!
Love and light!
L.A. Goodman
