She loves me, she loves me not.
I so remember picking the petals off a daisy as a little girl, siting in a circle with friends in front of the Hobensack's house on 8th Street.
A similar refrain has been going through my head the past few weeks. First I received the email from the Slice of Life Challenge inviting me again to participate, and then my daughter, the best author in the family, also invited me.
Last year I was in, all in.
This year? I'm out. I'm in. I'm out . . .
And so I decided this year I was definitely not going to participate. And I had a multitude of reasons-- or excuses?
One of the main reasons/excuses was last year's SOL.
I was determined to write all 31 days. And I was on a roll.
Day after day I wrote. I was going to make it!
And then one busy day somewhere around Day 22 or 23, I woke up one Saturday morning thinking about the busy day to come as a high school principal and it hit me.
I had not written a post the day before.
How did I forget? Yes, it was a busy day. Fridays are always a blur in high schools, especially for principals.
And so my best opportunity to write every day ended just like that. My perfectionism hit me as a train barreling around a mountain curve. Failure.
And so, that is most likely the reason that I woke up this morning with my decision set. I hate to fail again, and I most assuredly will never make 31 days of writing. I was out. Definitely out.
And then tonight. What just popped up on my email and Facebook? My daughter's #SOL16 post. And she delineated her dilemma-- how hard it is for her to participate. She is a ELL high school teacher with a new baby, Time is extremely limited.
And then her post also detailed all the steps she has taken to inspire her own students to participate-- to motivate them, as she always does. She is a special teacher and her students' world stories are also special. I read it. And then I read it again.
And that is that. My daughter inspires and motivates me. And so does #SOL16.
I am in. . . .
This sounds familiar! The same failure happened to me last year! I wrote while on vacation, while sick, and then one day I just forgot. This year, I'm not promising to write every day... I hope I will, but I will not quit if I have a day of failure. It's awesome for you that you and your daughter have one another as motivation and inspiration. Glad you're here!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Robyn. I have also altered my expectations. I will write when I can. Good luck in your SOL journey this year!
DeleteThis sounds familiar! The same failure happened to me last year! I wrote while on vacation, while sick, and then one day I just forgot. This year, I'm not promising to write every day... I hope I will, but I will not quit if I have a day of failure. It's awesome for you that you and your daughter have one another as motivation and inspiration. Glad you're here!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad your in, all in, and if you miss a day we will look the other way. Dare Greatly like Berenée Brown tells us, "Risk aversion kills innovation." Off to read your daughters post!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad your in, all in, and if you miss a day we will look the other way. Dare Greatly like Berenée Brown tells us, "Risk aversion kills innovation." Off to read your daughters post!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Deb, for your encouragement. Love the quote! Good luck!
DeleteThank-you for sharing your struggle with such honesty. I look forward to reading your views and perspectives, as I am a grade 2 teacher. Looking forward to the month together.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kiki! I appreciate your response-- it is always great to read and hear from other educators!
DeleteSo glad you decided you're in. I remember reading some of your posts last year. One day missed does not make a failure. Love that your daughter motivates you. I have one of those daughters (she doesn't slice, but she's my best cheerleader).
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Ramona! It is great that you remember last year's posts. Daughters and Moms have special relationships. Glad you share that also!
DeleteGosh, I love this. I could so relate to this indecisive stance. Yet, you got just what you needed through your daughter's message. So glad you are in!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny I still feel indecisive, though less so. I will do my best. Good luck on your journey!
DeleteI can relate. I went back to work full-time this year and the work load has left me without a lot of energy to write, so I didn't know how I could possibly commit to writing every day for an entire month. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? Good luck to you!
ReplyDeleteI can relate. I went back to work full-time this year and the work load has left me without a lot of energy to write, so I didn't know how I could possibly commit to writing every day for an entire month. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? Good luck to you!
ReplyDeleteWe can all just do what we can do-- I love the month starting with great anticipation! Good luck on your journey!
DeleteHey, nobody expects perfection. We just write to write. Enjoy the journey and if the journey includes a missing day or two because life happens, that's okay. Love that Jennifer's post nudged you to jump all in! Such a special daughter you have! I'm lucky enough to have my mom join in the writing challenge too. :) Happy writing!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Michelle! So great there are other Mom-Daughter teams out there! Good luck!
DeleteJennifer is amazing! She not only inspires her students, but also mom. So glad you are in.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much. Great to hear from you. Yes-- I think she is amazing also! :)
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