Before beginning to compose this birthday post each year, I review entries contained in a few of my writing buckets including my regular & book journals and any blog posts that uncover the word "learning" in a keyword search. I do this to help ensure more recent lessons don't end up carrying more weight because of their proximity. What have been your key learnings over the past year? As you consider that, pay attention to your thoughts. Do the more recent learnings loom larger? How far back is the oldest?
* I learned this year how hard it is making the transition from short form to long form writing. Beginning in early 2014 with my 2000 word submission for a magazine contest and continuing through the rest of this year as I slowly chipped away at something much longer, this was a humbling learning experience. And it fortified my resolve not to publicly bash books I don't like. I haven't yet earned the right to do so.
* From many of the adult students who took courses I taught at some local community colleges, I learned to trust my sense of humor more.
* And most recently, I learned a profound lesson from a good friend's comment on my blog post marking the day my Mother died. He said "...many good and loving people never make headlines but ...they do make a difference."
Your turn.
About Me
- Pat Barton
- My most recent single release - "My True North" - is now available on Bandcamp. Open my profile and click on "audio clip".
I've been watching you do your key learnings for years, and this year I plan to do it myself. This year, one of the things I learned was that I can allow myself to be cared for by others. During three months of being confined to a walker or crutches, I was forced to let go of some of my fierce determination to not be dependent on anyone else and to allow others (mostly my husband) to take care of many of my needs. It was an important experience that opened the door to deeper, more open relationships with family and friends. And I learned a lot about what a simple phone call or visit means to someone who is confined due to illness or accident. Thanks, everyone!
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