Jumpstart

My friends, it's the strangest things sometimes that can jumpstart us into action.

This week I was proctoring a state exam, and a colleague was quite rude to me. There was something about the interaction, though it was so brief, that was a bit like an electric shock to my brain. I was sort of steaming mad about it for a few minutes, and then this thought came to me that was something like, “I’m using all this energy to be so upset about someone who I don’t even really know, whose opinion I definitely don’t value. This energy has to go somewhere else, and fast.”

And my summer writing plan was born.

I set myself some very ambitious goals given the fact that I didn’t contribute to any of my writing projects for the entire month of April. But I’m taking the summer off to be with the baby, and I’ve chosen a specific-ish time to devote to writing each day: Honor’s third nap, which varies greatly—anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours. I was afraid when I started making this plan that I would abandon it as quickly as I started it, so I used a bunch of my favorite stickers that I’ve been saving for the perfect paper occasion in the hope that that will motivate me to keep returning to this page. The things we do to trick ourselves in to achieving goals…it’s the Upholder in me, I suppose.

You may have noticed the paper itself laid out behind my writing plan is a little unusual. This notebook came from Words Matter, a small bookstore in my hometown that at one point sold these journals made out of upcycled library books. This book in particular, as you can see here on the copyright page, was published in 1949, which I didn’t notice until I started looking for a blank space to map out my plan. I took that as a sign that I’m on the right track with my big plans because I’ve been spending a lot of time in 1949 lately: I’m teaching my favorite play, Death of a Salesman, for the third time, and I’m reading 1984, both published in 1949.

So my point is, inspiration can come from anywhere. My colleague having a nasty attitude ended up being the best thing that happened to me that day, and who knows how much more can come from that moment, if I can stay determined?