Live, learn and hope

And so it is March 31, the end of the Slice of Life Challenge for this year. I remember at the end of last year, my first Slice of Life, I had a great feeling of exhilaration and relief.

Although I didn't write every day, I felt proud of my participation.

This year was different.  I truly believed that I could indeed write every single day, a bold and challenging yet thrilling prospect.  And I was proud of my progress and confident. Until March 20.  I am not even sure what happened that day.

It was spring break and I had worked every day, and so since it was Friday afternoon I longed for some relaxation and recreation.  I drove to Easton, a local shopping district, entered Brio's and watched some NCAA March Madness.  I thought to myself as I walked around-- Is this what people who are not high school principals do on a Friday? Sit in a bar and drink wine and beer?  What a strange paradigm.

After walking to Nordstrom's, Coach, Clark's Shoes, Crate and Barrel and a few other favorite window shopping stores, I returned home and relaxed prior to going out for a rare Friday night dinner with my husband since I work most Friday nights.

Ahh-- our favorite restaurant, great lobster, chopped salad and potatoes au gratin and back home.

Relaxing on the couch, we watched a few of the TV shows we record, especially Hawaii Five-O and slept soundly. It was just a beautiful evening.

And then when I woke up, it hit me.  I had not written on Friday.  As I became more alert, I reviewed it in my head.  I mentally re-wound Friday and yes, realized again, that after 19 straight days I had missed my first day, ruining my perfectionistic goal of writing every day.

I was simultaneously angry and disappointed in myself.  How could I let this happen?

I had written when I was overly tired, I had written with a high fever from the flu, and yet, in one day, without even thinking about it, I had just forgotten to write.

I actually thought about just ending the challenge there, but I found a way to write again.  And enjoy it again.

Did I write every day the rest of the month? No-- it does seem that once you miss one day it is easier to miss another.  And so on a trip to Indiana and spending four days with the best educational leaders, researchers, authors and educational practitioners in the United States, I then missed four days of writing.  And I was OK with it, whatever that shows.

Graphic from Page-A-Day Calendar.

But tonight, I just could not skip writing on the last day.

Why?  Because the Slice of Life Challenge is just that. A challenge.  And I love a challenge!

Perfect last year?  No. Perfect this year?  No.  Back next year?  Absolutely.

Why?  Because I have discovered that I can enjoy something and be imperfect.

And that is a great thing to learn about yourself.  I learned that on some days, you just have to live. And I learned that there is always hope for tomorrow.  Or for next year's Slice?

 Isn't that the real reason for the challenge?