It's been a year or so since I started blogging on the topic of "Growing Old." My goal: write a post-a-day of personal observations, until reaching the magic number 1,001. This would've taken 3 years at the Scheherazade rate of "1 story per day." I aimed to "Inform, Enlighten, and Cheer" about the road to ageing.
Time to review Goals. I still want to I, E and C. But writing regularly, as any writer knows, brings its own personality into the mix. The writing itself arranges some things, and I try not to stand in the way.
First Goal Review: although I see a definite advantage in disciplining myself to write every day, it's easiest to write when the muse moves me. This decision quashed the post-a-day thing, but preserved the joy-in-writing thing. It will take longer than 3 years, but I'm still shooting for all 1001. I'll never make professional writing status with such a lack-a-daisical attitude, but maybe I'll manage daily writing (a.k.a. chairbound) for when I can't move around much anymore. Something to look forward to, provided I can still keyboard.
An unanticipated bonus Goal is, obviously, honing my writing skills. Writing, like anything else, can be constantly analyzed and improved. My writing goals now include: trying to move beyond my trademark heavy-philosophical-sociological-Latinate-Madeline L'Engle/ Carl Sagan-worldview to Simple Statements. Whittling down Great Thoughts to manageable proportions. Alternating sentence sizes. Short is Good. Edit, edit, edit. And all those goals slide from the belly of the Beast of Practice, Practice, Practice.
Also, because I love to write and it makes me happy, the Goal of joining a writing community manifested itself. I recently joined a local writers group. Feedback is good. I anticipate benefits on ideas and publishing, as well as a new community to enrich my life. Relatives come and go, but communities hang around.
Finally, the blog has invested in me as I have in it. It's given back the interest I've put into it, like a reflecting mirror. An essence of ageing well is embodied, for me just by the act of writing this blog: doing things you love keeps you on your toes, involved, and most of all it keeps you happy to be you. That is the best advice I can possibly give myself about ageing, or living.
Time to review Goals. I still want to I, E and C. But writing regularly, as any writer knows, brings its own personality into the mix. The writing itself arranges some things, and I try not to stand in the way.
First Goal Review: although I see a definite advantage in disciplining myself to write every day, it's easiest to write when the muse moves me. This decision quashed the post-a-day thing, but preserved the joy-in-writing thing. It will take longer than 3 years, but I'm still shooting for all 1001. I'll never make professional writing status with such a lack-a-daisical attitude, but maybe I'll manage daily writing (a.k.a. chairbound) for when I can't move around much anymore. Something to look forward to, provided I can still keyboard.
An unanticipated bonus Goal is, obviously, honing my writing skills. Writing, like anything else, can be constantly analyzed and improved. My writing goals now include: trying to move beyond my trademark heavy-philosophical-sociological-Latinate-Madeline L'Engle/ Carl Sagan-worldview to Simple Statements. Whittling down Great Thoughts to manageable proportions. Alternating sentence sizes. Short is Good. Edit, edit, edit. And all those goals slide from the belly of the Beast of Practice, Practice, Practice.
Also, because I love to write and it makes me happy, the Goal of joining a writing community manifested itself. I recently joined a local writers group. Feedback is good. I anticipate benefits on ideas and publishing, as well as a new community to enrich my life. Relatives come and go, but communities hang around.
Finally, the blog has invested in me as I have in it. It's given back the interest I've put into it, like a reflecting mirror. An essence of ageing well is embodied, for me just by the act of writing this blog: doing things you love keeps you on your toes, involved, and most of all it keeps you happy to be you. That is the best advice I can possibly give myself about ageing, or living.
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