Gary has been posting monthly essays on a variety of topics for the website now for almost three years. Some of these essays, or similar essays, have been published in other sources. Writing has been a significant way for Gary to learn about new things and about himself.

His essays are usually based on his everyday life experiences and the learning that comes from those experiences. He likes to say that a ton of learning can come from an ounce of experience, so any event can become a "moment of astonishment," a phrase coined by the author Annie Dillard, to reflect a personal connection with events in the world.

Gary Holdgrafer

" W E   N E E D   T O   B E
W I L L I N G   T O   L E T
O U R   I N T U I T I O N
G U I D E   U S   A N D   T H E N
B E   W I L L I N G   T O
F O L L O W   T H A T
G U I D A N C E   D I R E C T L Y
A N D   F E A R L E S S L Y "
S. Gawain

"A S K   Y O U R S E L F
I N T E R E S T I N G
Q U E S T I O N S "
Eric Maisel

Gary's writing has developed beyond meeting the monthly deadlines for essays. Essays have become longer and embrace, more and more, the style and content of creative non-fiction with fewer traces of the academic writing that characterize his earlier essays. Gary now dedicates time each day to writing and has committed himself to taking courses from experienced writers to further develop his own writing.

In addition to creative non-fiction, Gary is becoming very interested in learning to write children's literature. He has completed a handful of short stories, mostly for his grandchildren, and is in the midst of another longer story, practicing such things a story structure, dialogue, characterization, and descriptive detail.

This focus on writing represents an advance in his personal process and his interest in the further developing his creativity. It is also been a lesson for him in letting go of what no longer seems to fit, so there is room for something exciting that is needed now. After ten years of studying and practicing Jin Shin DoŽ acupressure, it is time to move on and leave behind what has been a very important experience.

Shifts or advances in personal process have been described as being like a snake shedding an old skin. Although Gary has not identified with snakes, his partner Mary often uses the snake as a symbol in her artwork, so he is right at home with it.