It has been several days now; Rover, my little red pickup wakes up in his garage now instead of a strange driveway or parking lot and I am back into that mode as well. My GPS remembers every address I program in and saves it to a (Recents) list with the most recent at the top. Since I have no reason to save the recent destinations across Kansas and Colorado I took the time to scroll down and select all of my frequent, local destinations which moves them back to the top. I keep thinking I will drive over to the Garmin store to see if there’s a way to delete those (once & done) locations but haven’t yet. When I punch in a new address the GPS is conveniently mounted where it’s easy to see but typing in the destination calls for left hand dexterity or stretching over the steering wheel. Having frequent local destinations on a list saves both time and the cumbersome corrections for so many spoiled key strikes.
Changing the subject; I like to think of my age in terms of experience rather than some linear expression. That would make me extremely experienced in many ways but not yet unbelievably experienced. I would have to grow that sensibility in a wider, deeper story than my present condition allows. Still, some reach that wider, deeper milestone in less time than others and who am I to say just where I fit in the moment.
I read a self-help book in the early 1980’s about achieving your goals. It used becoming a writer as an example. I had been keeping a journal for nearly 20 years at the time but I never identified as a writer. The book simply stated that all one needs to be a writer is a pencil and paper. That’s where you begin. Then you need to grow your skills in little steps; attract readers, improve language skills, get a typewriter, learn more about the world around you. The very last thing to do is think about hiring an agent.
I had already identified with Nobel Laureate Ellie Wiesel who wrote; “I write to understand as much as to be understood.” So I knew from the start that my goal was not to be published but to process my own ideas and feelings as I move along. But I did start with a pencil and a notebook. I learned my language by reading good writing. A computer with spellcheck accelerated my learning curve with spelling and grew my vocabulary. I have always been a storyteller, it ran in the family and it came easy. When fellow writers in my writer’s group encouraged me to publish I didn’t have to ponder anything. My writing has always been about process and making meaning, never for profit.
I am much better writing than trying to keep up in a challenging conversation. I am the classic introvert; the fundamental difference between extroverts and introverts is how they gain energy and connect the dots. The one is energized by outgoing social interaction and the external environment while the other draws from reflecting inward on their own experience and internal environment. So in spite of popular opinion, outgoing vs. reserved is not a choice but rather a natural predisposition. With writing I have all the time I need to reflect before I frame or reframe an idea and I need it. In conversation my family and friends have learned that an untimely, mid sentence pause is not unusual from me. Strangers may try to help me find the word I’m looking for as if I need their help but that never ends well.
This whole piece is a reflection and reframing of recent history as well as some rationale as to why I do like I do. It can be read as quickly as one’s eye can scan the page but it came together at my convenience, after several edits and rewrites. We can talk and I like that; so much more personal but don’t be put off by am unscheduled pause or me answering your question with a question of my own.
Changing the subject; I like to think of my age in terms of experience rather than some linear expression. That would make me extremely experienced in many ways but not yet unbelievably experienced. I would have to grow that sensibility in a wider, deeper story than my present condition allows. Still, some reach that wider, deeper milestone in less time than others and who am I to say just where I fit in the moment.
I read a self-help book in the early 1980’s about achieving your goals. It used becoming a writer as an example. I had been keeping a journal for nearly 20 years at the time but I never identified as a writer. The book simply stated that all one needs to be a writer is a pencil and paper. That’s where you begin. Then you need to grow your skills in little steps; attract readers, improve language skills, get a typewriter, learn more about the world around you. The very last thing to do is think about hiring an agent.
I had already identified with Nobel Laureate Ellie Wiesel who wrote; “I write to understand as much as to be understood.” So I knew from the start that my goal was not to be published but to process my own ideas and feelings as I move along. But I did start with a pencil and a notebook. I learned my language by reading good writing. A computer with spellcheck accelerated my learning curve with spelling and grew my vocabulary. I have always been a storyteller, it ran in the family and it came easy. When fellow writers in my writer’s group encouraged me to publish I didn’t have to ponder anything. My writing has always been about process and making meaning, never for profit.
I am much better writing than trying to keep up in a challenging conversation. I am the classic introvert; the fundamental difference between extroverts and introverts is how they gain energy and connect the dots. The one is energized by outgoing social interaction and the external environment while the other draws from reflecting inward on their own experience and internal environment. So in spite of popular opinion, outgoing vs. reserved is not a choice but rather a natural predisposition. With writing I have all the time I need to reflect before I frame or reframe an idea and I need it. In conversation my family and friends have learned that an untimely, mid sentence pause is not unusual from me. Strangers may try to help me find the word I’m looking for as if I need their help but that never ends well.
This whole piece is a reflection and reframing of recent history as well as some rationale as to why I do like I do. It can be read as quickly as one’s eye can scan the page but it came together at my convenience, after several edits and rewrites. We can talk and I like that; so much more personal but don’t be put off by am unscheduled pause or me answering your question with a question of my own.
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