Taking Stock

A few days before we graduated, the Pacific MFA Class fo 2008 had a special dinner at a local pub. We celebrated with three bottles of champagne, fine food all around, and even some good old fashioned singing. We also went around the table and shared our highest high, a regret, and a goal for the next six months. During part of this conversation, someone suggested that we give ourselves permission to stop disclaiming our successes and just allow them to be the accomplishments that they are, as small or large as they may be. Likewise, we shared praise for setting small goals and keeping ourselves in check with realistic yet serious commitment to the daily effort of being a writing. In that same vein, here is tonight’s post:

Small goal: Meditate 20 minutes a day. (This is how I first began, five years ago.)

Small goal: Try to evoke the perspective I wrote from a few years ago with this blog, where each day had an anecdote and a metaphor to live by and it was my job to find it and tell it in story form.

Small goal: Stop spinning thoughts in my head about how I think there is an underground plan at the school to take away the health care benefits from my job. (Even though there probably is….Um…)

Small goal: Walk the driveway sometime next week and clear the jagged rocks and clean the water bars.

Small goal: Don’t schedule something for every single night of the week like I have this week (it makes for lousy writing, lousy blogging, and hazy perspective).

Small goal: Don’t worry about kissing a boy from Calgary, Canada.

Small goal: Forget that August 31st exists until August 31st, at which point winners of the Narrative contest are announced.

***

Small success: I got yet another acceptance for an art essay this week. Yeehaw!

Small success: I’ve almost made it through my 4th summer at the craft school (tough work!)

Small success: I designed new business cards and had my friend letterpress them and they’re fantabulous! They have a vintage typewriter on the front with the word, “word.” and my info on the back.

Small success: Now I can do 45 full sits ups in a minute (compared to 40 in April).

Small success: I am trying. I am still trying. Everyday. To work my way toward self-employment and a sustainable writing life.

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