Wednesday, September 25, 2013

A Serendipitous Moment


So, here's a story of something kind of nice that happened to me today.

The day didn't start so well.  I got some sharp words of criticism from a family member.  Then I had a disagreement with some people on the internet, and I realized I had to completely remove myself from any further discussion with an entire group of people, because they just weren't worthy of the respect I had had for them. 

It's always more disappointing when these things happen between myself and folks who I thought were more intelligent and mature.  It wouldn't hurt as badly if it was a group of people I didn't care about.

It wasn't hugely devastating, but not the way I would have chosen to start my day.  So, when I started work that evening, I didn't feel so great.  So, when am I getting to the something nice, I'm sure you're wondering?

Well, I had been working for about 45 minutes, when I saw a familiar face come into the store.  A gal I had worked with about 15 years ago was shopping, and she remembered me.
In fact, she told me a story, something I had forgotten about.  She said, "I had a broken heart, and you gave me a little heart necklace and I still have it."  I don't think she knew what just that little sentence had meant right at that moment, how it lifted me out of the doldrums I was in.

There I was, stewing about how someone had called me a moron today on the internet--I mean, come on, it's the internet, how important is it?  And here comes along, this old friend, and reminds me of a small kind gesture I did and that they remembered it this whole time.  Some little thing I did made *them* feel better.

I pretty much had a smile on my face the rest of the night, and work went really well.

Monday, September 23, 2013

#100DayWriter Challenge

Been getting pretty chummy with a lot of real writers on Twitter and other places lately.   And here is this one lady with a challenge:  Write every day for a hundred days, and  mark off every day on a sheet.  Here's the post regarding the challenge: 

http://blog.writingspirit.com/2013/09/2013-writing-challenge.html

Now, I'm not one of those published authors or ready to publish hopefuls she seems to be talking to, I'm just someone who used to do a lot of text-blogging and wants get back to doing it on a regular basis. 

At the risk of sounding whiney, I kind of have a lot of duties that take me away from blogging, a mom who, when there don't seem to be enough chores for me to do, comes up with the idea that it would be really cool for me to wash the walls.  And a job which, though I'm very happy to have it, can be very physically taxing.

I'm basically a much more stressed out Hermgirl than I was back in 2002 when I was firing up my LiveJournal nearly every day.  However, I refuse to believe that means that I have to put my blogging life out to pasture. 

Maybe I need to use it as a place to vent, or self therapize or whatever, but I know that someday I will have the time and space to myself to pursue my creative endeavors, and that I will publish one day.

I need to find a way to keep my hand in.  Keep my hand in writing, keep my hand in reviewing, keep my hand in grammar and editing, keep my hand in books, keep my hand in WORDS!  I won't give them up, I will fight.

So, here I am, making a commitment to blog every day for 100 days, the remainder of the year.  Can I do it, with all the irons that I have in the fire?

I think so, if I keep it "downsized", if you will.    So I'm thinking the commitment I will make will be this:  I pledge myself to blog 75 words a day, at least, and to make at least one tweet or Facebook post, or both, every day. 

The blog entries may not be here, I have a couple blogs for different purposes, there are some I don't want everyone to see, but by cracky, I'm doing this!