March 31, 2019

I was recently struck by this quote from Virginia Woolf:
The past is beautiful because one never realizes an emotion at the time.
It expands later, and thus we don’t have complete emotions about the present,
only about the past.

This year of the March writing challenge, I think this is my reason to write. To explore my emotions as I reflect on the past. Even if the past is a very recent small moment.

Ways this 2019 challenge made me happy-
One of my favorite pieces came on a night I was at a total loss about what to write.
I expanded my use of technology- just a bit- in my writing.
I thought hard about what a slice, or a small moment, really is, and how precious it can be to capture it.
I tried a few new things to vary my story-telling.
I grew in being able to zoom in and find a way to comment on other’s writing.
I felt communion with other teachers, all dedicated to doing their very best for the students they teach.
I was reminded (by Terje) to learn from others but not to judge myself by them- that I am my own writer and that is good.

And-
I saw growth in others I was following.
I saw friends capturing and interpreting memories they will be so glad to have written, to have in a form they can keep.
I saw writing that can be given to other’s loved ones as a rare gift. I hope more of us will do that- give a piece of your writing as a gift.

Over and over, I saw courage. As Kathleen’s blog title says, courage doesn’t always roar. But it is ever present, interlaced among all the writing you all have done this month.

A new writing friend I made this March, Dianelisa, shared this quote from Leonardo daVinci:
Art is never finished, only abandoned.
Abandoned is a strong word. But as we leave the page, click to publish, copy to share, we must abandon that day’s piece. However we do not abandon our writing selves, with each piece each day we have been adding to our writing ability. And we do not abandon our community, we have been adding to it. In ways both obvious and unseen. Thank you all!