101 Things to Do in 1001 Days: Goal 25

My quest continues to complete my list of 101 things.

Goal 25 is to journal daily a six word memoir about my life* . . . (for at least 30 consecutive days - 3 times during the 1001 days). I began the first block of this journal writing the day my daughter left for her summer adventure in India. "Meg to India. Miss her already."

Some days are easier than others. A specific event or emotion just needs to be the center of attention "Change ripples outward: splashes over me." Other days, ordinary days, I work through many possibilities to choose the right words. Sometimes, I try to go with the silly "Mani/Pedi. Fingernails: neutral. Toes: outrageous." For balance, I often try to be a bit more serious or profound "Parenting adult children. A learning process."

I'm an expansive writer so summarizing a full twenty-four hours (1,440 minutes)into six words is a challenge for me. One of the aspects I like about this challenge is that my whole life is showing up on the page - parenting, writing, family, risks, realizations, fears, friends, as well as the ordinary and boring. "Need to sleep; deep without dreams."

I'm learning that for me, there is something liberating, yet safe, in writing just six words. I find the writing a bit easier than it was when I began in May. Many days, it is even fun! I've gone longer than 30 days with this first block; I've adjusted the goal to journal the entire time my daughter is away (through the end of August).

And I'm doing it . . . day-by-day.


*See http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords

Flexibility

One of the things I love about the early morning hours of a summer weekend day is the 'promise' of the day -- so many things may happen and but right now, I don't know what any of them will be. This is not a scheduled week day which begins with the buzz of the alarm at 5:00AM -- but a day that has a vague plan (maybe we'll barbeque around six); a day that has the ability to be flexible.

Right now, my neighborhood is as quiet as my neighborhood ever gets: just the hum of an air conditioner compressor, the rise of a neighbor's electric garage door, a few birds, a barking dog, and a car or two on the adjacent street. I don't want to move, to disturb the silence around me. I want to listen to the quiet.

Lao Tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher, is credited with noting "Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished" . . . I trust that whatever I need to accomplish today, will be accomplished.

First on the list, a hot cup of coffee.