The Battle.

I'm no ballerina, but when it comes to writing and blogging (and all creative things), there are days when I feel a little like this:

But here's a great pep talk from Jon Acuff about the struggles of blogging.

And so, my inspirational thought for you today is that anything worth doing is never easy.

(1500 plastic army men, via Adam Katz of design work life.)

On an entirely different note, I've started using BlogLovin' and I'm excited to gather all my favorites in one place, because there are many. Follow my blog with bloglovin.

Also, do you follow me on Twitter? Do I follow you? No? Let's be tweeps!

Happy Monday, friends. Here's to a good week.

Inspired By.

Happy weekend, dear readers. I figured I'd follow up yesterday's slightly crazed post with a simple one and wish you a good weekend.

Here are a few good thoughts I found around the web this week:

I've been following Jessica Quirk of What I Wore for awhile now. Aside from the fact that she's dang cute and talented, her blog continues to be an example of how to encourage personal style. Her post today about fashion norms really got me thinking about what motivates my style.

You ARE the perfect age to chase YOUR dream. It may be hard to make that choice, but it's better to make the change than to look back on your life in regret.

And finally, In Brief, Beautiful Bloom. A heartbreaking reflection on the symbolism behind the Japanese cherry blossom. 

Next week you'll get a couple of good posts out of me, I have a feeling. Check back for a poem draft and post on the 5 things that have made me a writer (as if I can narrow it down to only 5...)

O'Hare, Earl Grey, Apologies and Poetry.

What a day I've had, friends. (And it's not even Monday.) First, I'll mention my utter frustration with myself. My severe penchant for untimely tardiness really distresses me. This statement seems ridiculous, but the reality is that while I am not a morning person, I really don't intend to oversleep by nearly 40 minutes on mornings when I need to get to work early. My alarm did not go off; God only knows why. I'll refrain from the hashing the details about the crazy dream I was having when, inexplicably, I woke with a start and realized I was late. Let's just say it wasn't as bad as the dinosaur dream from Tuesday night. Yes - dinosaurs.

Second, the five hours that I was actually in my office today can be described in a single cliche: time to put my foot in my mouth. This is no different than any other day when I readily express my opinions before I think about how to say them tactfully, but this morning was worse than usual. It was the kind that has left me wincing and cringing for the rest of the day. Did I really say that? 

I am trying to rectify this ever-present flaw in my personality. To those who received the brunt of my mouthiness today, take comfort in knowing that my feet taste disgusting and I am truly sorry.

Third, I love Chicago and nearly every thing about it. I also love doing whatever I can to help a friend, which is why I offered to drive my dear bff to O'Hare this afternoon so that she could hop a plane to Cali for vacation. I love her, which is why I'm not upset that she didn't take me along. My love for her is also the reason I'm simply grateful that I survived the whole experience because believe me, I almost died. Several times. Lots of wailing and pointing involved as I continued to miss exits and swerve away from other vehicles. Chicago rush hour traffic is the one thing I truly hate about living here.

Sigh. It is now 7 p.m. and I am safe and sound, sitting in Starbucks and enjoying an Earl Grey Latte while contemplating life. Our days are a series of decisions and distractions, and all we really want is to follow our calling, fulfill our purpose. It's so easy to let things stand in our way - other people, our selves, our bank statements, our schedules. It's easy to make excuses about why we're never the best version of ourselves or why we said one thing when we should have said it differently (or maybe avoided making the comment at all?)

It's also easy to be too hard on ourselves. We set the expectation that we are super-human, that because others depend on us we have to hold it together no matter what the circumstances are. We have to be on time, be prepared. We have to perfect our craft and our work before we share it with others. We have to have everything figured out.

Both ends of the spectrum keep us swinging back and forth, avoiding the middle of the road where our expectations can connect with our reality:

We are imperfect, yet we are capable. 

Tomorrow is another day to try again to be the better version of ourselves. If we mess it up or say the wrong thing or receive criticism on our work, then we can continue learning and growing from it.

And so, with that thought, I'm going to make a commitment. For the first time ever, I am going to submit my writing for a local poetry contest. (Yes, I write poetry.) It's a baby step, but a movement forward nevertheless. Enough with my expectations. Time to do.

Changing Tides.

Here's a thought for your weekend:

"Just because the tide is out, that doesn't mean there's less water in the ocean." - Seth Godin.

So just because our economy is bad, that doesn't mean we're lacking resources and ideas. We just have to dig deeper, go to greater distances to find them.

Speaking of resources, the people of Japan are desperate for food, clean water, gasoline, and more. I read my friend Wakako's post and found myself in tears for the people who are stranded there. Please consider giving to For Japan With Love, which will give all proceeds to Shelter Box, which will give supplies to the people of Japan. Every donation and prayer will help.

Have a good weekend, friends.

If I Look Like One, Maybe I'll Be One.

I have an addiction. An addiction to blogs. And not just any blogs. Design blogs. Fashion blogs. It's a wonderful thing to be addicted to - I can preoccupy myself by reviewing others who dress better, design better, than myself. They have the money and the means to wear all the things I can't and drape their house in fabrics and furniture and prints that I can only dream of. And the blogs themselves - gorgeous!

I have visions of making my own blog easier on the eye than what I have at this moment. My hope is that before the end of the year, I'll have a custom design for my blog to introduce to you. A friend is working on it for me, and I can't wait until that day when my writing finally has a space that visually reflects the same quality.

However, like any addiction, my design-blog obsession has distracted me from what I really want, which is to delve deeper into the world of self-published writing. I've found a plethora of writing blogs, but I hardly ever read them because the designs are often nothing less than detestable. I don't care if you're the greatest writer to come along since Shakespeare. If you've posted your words in lime green over a cerulean background, I won't get past the title before I click over to something more appealing. (Is there something wrong with taking the basic templates and messing with the color? Live a little, people.)

And so, I have this fear: if my blog isn't visually appealing, it's not worth reading no matter how well I write. Which means that my real problem boils down to this thought:

Maybe if I look like a writer, I'll become one.

I hinge my success on how I appear to others. I may write well for my blog, but to be a successful blogger, I need to grab your attention, right?

Understandable. Proven fact with world wide web analytics. "Content is king" doesn't matter if no one can read it.

But I can't allow that to be my excuse not to write, right? Waiting for a better blog design is not a good reason to refrain from posting.

Once again, I find myself peeling back the layers of unnecessary negativity in my life in order to see what's really there. Underneath it all, I have something good going for me and I need to unearth it. I need to let it out. I need to write. I need to create. I need to share it with others.

Here are some posts that have propelled me forward in my hope for my writing:

Jess Constable at Makeunder My Life has a fresh batch of wisdom every day - I can't get enough. Read her post about why managing your business is like high school (no cringing necessary!)

Jon Acuff has some interesting things to say about selling out. What is your definition of a sell out? How do you impose that on others, and how do you allow others to impose their opinions on you?

A bad review isn't the end of the world, right?

I found this blog today - I need more poetry in my life. And maybe I should start posting photos from my idea journal… what do you think?

Tools for writers. Exactly what I need.

This Artistic Life.

Two confessions:

1. I am a public radio addict. Morning Edition, Eight Forty-Eight, Fresh Air, All Things Considered, This American Life. Without cable and time, I have limited connections to what is going on in the world. Thanks to public radio, namely WBEZ and NPR, I'm at least tuned in. More than that, I find the sound of their voices comforting, their stories fascinating, and let's not ignore the fact that it has rescued me from the utter dread that is pop music radio.

2. I have taste. I have a deep love for all things artistic and I consider myself an artist of words, images and food. But I often recognize as I write, paint, photograph or cook that while I know the difference between what's good and what isn't, I am just not up to par with others out there. It took me a long time to admit this, and while the thought is somewhat discouraging, it's also inspiring. So the more I see of something that's good, the more I aspire to become good... After all, art and excellence take practice.

Just ask Ira Glass, creator of This American Life.

I dedicate this video to impeccable taste, and to the day when our abilities finally live up to it...

Persist in your art.

Better Mistakes Tomorrow.

This is my new philosophy:

I am not perfect. Far from it, in fact, and it's really been bothering me. I annoy myself, quite often.

It doesn't help that I have this theory that writers, more than most people (except for maybe designers and politicians) are thrown over the coals for mistakes we make. Why? Because our mistakes are out there in black and white.

It's rather crippling when you think about it. And I think about it a lot.

Like, for example, when I'm about to send a mass email to 2,000+ people, or share a Facebook status, or publish an article on a website, or post on my blog... the possibilities are frightening. I scan every word, phrase and punctuation mark to see if I've done it right.

... And then, let the palm-to-forehead moment commence!

Or not.

Either way, I'm terrified that I've screwed everything up.

This is my excuse for the notebooks full of ideas that have never been explored, the plethora of blog drafts that have never been published, the unwritten articles that float around in my head: It's scary.

Trust me. I'm notorious as the picky, stuck-up writer that's constantly correcting others' spelling, grammar, punctuation and pronunciation flubs.

The truth is, I spend a lot of time worrying that someone else is judging me just as harshly. It happens! And when it does it stings, like a band aid has been ripped off and all my insides are exposed. My flaws, raw and real for everyone to see. A classic case of the pot vs. the kettle.

Jon's first post on his new site reminded me today, though, that a plethora of unwritten articles, a notebook full of unexplored ideas and a blog full of unpublished drafts mean nothing. They don't help anyone, least of all myself. Of course, as a writer I believe in avoiding posting the first draft of anything. But the real problem comes when I never post anything.

My old philosophy: if you can't write it "right," then don't write it at all. But that's not what this blog is about, nor is it an effective philosophy for a writer.

The true process is always the same:

1. Write.

2. Then right.

3. Repeat until you come to the best combination of fresh words and edits.

4. Publish.

5. Give gratitude (or apologize) when appropriate.

So, my new philosophy is about accepting my mistakes, swallowing my pride, and doing my best. And if I fail, at least I have a lesson to learn from.

Strive for excellence, not perfection. Perfection doesn't exist. Perfection is that nasty, cynical voice in your head, criticizing everyone around you and at the same time, telling you:

"If you try it, you could fail and that's worse than if you never did it at all."

In truth, perfection is envious of the freedom and confidence that others exhibit when they accept themselves as they are.

Maybe that's why God made me a writer: it continues to teach me about grace. Our flaws are part of who we are, but they're not the only part. The flaws don't outweigh the gifts, and the passion that we possess to fulfill our purpose in life.

So here's to tomorrow, to better mistakes next time, and the grace to write about it anyway.

[Image.]

Ritual: Poetry

I have this book, Good Poems, a collection from Garrison Keillor. He compiled a collection of more than 300 poems of every type and subject, written by the greats - Shakespeare, Donne, Yeats, Dickinson, Whitman, Frost, Hughes - and other lesser known poets.

I first discovered the book when I was a page at my local library. When I was bored during my shift, I'd sneak into the poetry section, grab this book and read it where the librarians couldn't see me from the front desk.

I loved it so much that I bought it, and now, every once in awhile I pull it from my shelf, entwine myself in a blanket, and read and read and read.

Never have I started at the beginning of the book and worked my way to the end, a phenomenon I only just realized the other day. I always find myself opening to a random page and reading it. Backwards. If I open to page 342, I work my way back through the book: 341, 340, 339... I have no idea why.

And I don't read it silently, and I don't read a poem only once. I often find myself reading it aloud, many times over. The second, third, or even fourth time takes me deeper and deeper into the poem until its rhythm becomes ingrained in me, like a tidal wave or the melody of a song, or the steady tick of a clock.

And when I reflect on each word - its meaning, its placement, the subsequent punctuation - I find a clue, a piece of the puzzle that reveals a little more about the writer's thoughts and feelings, their stream of consciousness.

Somehow this ritual, the book between my hands, the blanket cloaked around me, the sound of my own voice stumbling over the rhythm like waves over rocks until I am finally immersed in it like a river tide, feels more right and real to me than prose does right now.

One of my favorites:

A Light Left On

by May Sarton

In the evening we came back

Into our yellow room,

For a moment taken aback

To find the light left on,

Falling on silent flowers,

Table, book, empty chair

While we had gone elsewhere,

Had been away for hours.

When we came home together,

We found the inside weather.

All of our love unended

The quiet light demanded,

And we gave, in a look

At yellow walls and open book.

The deepest worlds we share

And do not talk about

But have to have, was there,

And by that light found out.

What are your favorite poems or poetry sources? Do you have a hard time reading poetry? Do you have a method for reading it that helps you understand it better? Do you enjoy another artistic medium better - music, visual arts, prose? What inspires you?