A New Challenge

Only 9 more days until Talk Like a Pirate Day. Because I don't really want to acknowledge the other thing that is happening in 9 days. I know it's not really a big deal, but at the same time, it is-- primarily because I have been lazy. I have not done most of the things I've wanted to do, and the reality is that some of those things are out of my control, but some of them are not-- some of them I've just been lazy about. I'm not trying to be too hard on myself-- after all, I know I've made progress in reaching out and meeting new people as well as being okay with being the one who does the inviting. But I've been lazy about other things that are important to me. I've been lazy about eating, mostly because I kind of gave up, deciding that if I was going to feel crappy no matter what I eat that I might as well enjoy it. I've been lazy about blogging because I got tired of nobody reading, even though I started it for myself and that used to be good enough. I've been lazy about writing because I'm afraid that I'll never be good enough. These are just some things that I've been lazy about, but they're also the ones that need to change. So the plan is as follows:
1) I'm going to join Weight Watchers with some of my co-workers. Our company pays for half, and I figure I may as well take advantage of that.
2) I'm working through a book of writing exercises one a day-- just as a warm-up to get my focused so that I can hopefully finish the novel by Sept. 19, 2010 (a year later than I'd originally planned, but better late than never.)
3) I will post the writing exercises on my blog, no matter how rough & crappy they are. This will be my way of keeping myself accountable with the help of anybody who may read this and notice that I'm slacking.

Feel free to check out now if you're not into this sort of thing or if you're opposed to long blog posts. Here is the first writing exercise from last night-- now remember, I said I was posting these no matter how crappy and nonsensical, so here goes:

Today dive into writing by choosing any one of the following words that have more than one meaning: bear, cleave, lie, sewer, tear or desert. Start by copying the word and quickly, without stopping for any reason, continue writing until you reach the end of the page. Making sense is unimportant. Your goals are speed and endurance. If you get stuck, repeat whatever word you've just written until something new spills out. After you finish, read the result. Don't forget to breathe, and try not to tense up your hand. Ready, set, go...

Desert
Living in the desert can be quite like going through life alone. After all, in both scenarios, any company you might find will be a great pleasure, and quite the relief.
There will be times in the desert that you find yourself parched. After going quite some time without the living water of companionship, you will find yourself dry-- unable to speak because of the cotton heaviness upon your tongue. In these times the appearance of even the most unwelcome acquaintances can come as a relief-- the may not be the cool, refreshing sparkling water you may be desiring, but unfiltered tap water will still quench your thirst until you are able to get to the place where you can find the cool refreshing drink you're looking for.
You may find times where you feel alone and deserted and sometimes it's because you simply chose not to drink-- you didn't want to settle for luke warm tap water, so you held out for something shinier in a plastic bottle. But when you get thirsty enough, you will take what you can get and you will find that the tap water is not as bad as you thought it was. You realize how much hurt you could have saved yourself if only you had given plain old tap water a chance in the first place.
After all, while the pretty plastic bottles can be so quick and convenient, so tasty in its variety of flavors and so attractive in its decorative bottle, you will find that it is tap water that will always be there for you, a faithful friend who never leaves, who will be wherever you go, whose provision will never run out and who will still be refilling you long after the pretty bottle is gone.