And Day One of Gratitude
Sure, some folks think it’s cheesy to write what we’re grateful for during November. I want NaNoWriMo to be only one thing we talk about this month. I set up my 3 ring binder yesterday afternoon. I’m a nerd that way, I guess. When we were in grade school, I loved the feel of a new binder and a fresh ream of paper at the start of the year. Pristine, I suppose.
So the first thing I’m grateful for is the memory I have of starting school every year. I know the folks weren’t even middle class when we were all young. Dad probably didn’t start earning a great salary until after I left home. Years after he retired, I was making what he was making at the newspaper. I worked in I/T and finished my college degree, along with numerous certifications along the way.
And my kids and I struggled while I bought them school clothes, supplies, etc. It was hard for me, as it was hard for the folks. Our grandkids don’t know those struggles. Their parents make considerable higher salaries than we and our parents made. Unless your kids wear uniforms to school or have a strict dress code, you don’t really have any added expenses for school clothes.
My big thing was wearing brand new socks. Our family did not have a clothes dryer until I was a junior in high school. Seriously. Mom hung clothes in the basement during the winter and outside in the summer. The socks and underwear were always sort of stiff. Yuck! To this day, I marvel at a brand new, fluffy, soft pair of socks. It doesn’t take much to please me, what can I say?
I have mixed feelings about my novel at the moment. It seems like I wrote a huge amount last year with my coach. I submitted the first chapter as a stand alone short story to the Nebraska Writers Guild Anthology for this year. It was accepted to be published. I’m over the moon about it! Where I get concerned is probably by my own thinking that is timid at the moment. Much as I know I can do this, and I will do it, I’m looking at eating the elephant with one huge bite to gag on. That won’t happen. Not all 50K the first day. (Would that even be humanly possible?)
Of course not! I’ve now got some experience behind me, some coaching, the NWG printing Chapter One in December, and the excitement of a new undertaking. Now I know a few things I didn’t two years ago. I have better skills. I have the support of the Babe and all my friends. It’s going to be fun.
This will probably be it for today, I’m writing a day ahead and will have more to talk about tomorrow, after my writing session. We will have great fun this month, after getting the first day nerves out of the way. Thank you for reading today, I appreciate it so much! See you tomorrow!
Kathy Raabe 