Learning & Growing

Life has given me a lot of opportunities to learn. Growing up with two teachers, everything seemed to be an opportunity to learn. But my parents also gave me a lot of opportunities to grow. When I think of learning, I think of school. The lessons, homework, tests and presentations…. you learn from all of these assignments. But when I think of growing… I think of trying something new - failing - growing - trying again….(Not always a success the second time - but getting better - growing.)

In April I joined an Immersion Group through The Art School. (I still giggle thinking about a math nerd joining an Art School). I warned Leah, the Master Coach and amazing leader of The Art School, that the right side of my brain was dead and I flunked kindergarten coloring, so I was not sure I was the right fit for The Art School. But she knew I have always said I wanted to write a book someday - so I decided that this little group would be the kick start I needed. During the 4 week Immersion I learned a lot. On April 16, 2020, during one of the 90 minute group calls, I talked to Leah about how I always wanted to start writing - but I did not know how. So Leah gave me an assignment to get off the call (we were about 20 minutes in) and write something and post it online in the next 70 minutes. (And the entire Immersion group would hold me accountable) WHAT?!?!? Well - I love a challenge, so I did it and on that day Third Down Punt was launched.

I wrote a few blog entries, but I always seemed to say “I would write as soon as I got X,Y,Z done” - well… they never got done…. so the blog entries never got done. After participating in the Immersion Group, I new I needed more “Art” - so I joined a 6 month Mastermind Group through The Art School that started in August. Again, I wanted to write - but I was stuck. The 10 wonderful ladies in this Mastermind Group helped me chip away at the boulder that was blocking the stories that wanted to come out. Last week, I said I felt like a pebble was chiseled away from this boulder and on October 1st, I told them I was going to blog every day during the month of October. NO EXCUSES! I explained to them I wanted to rewrite “Pink October” so on October 1st - I started. And I was excited to practice writing, and see what happened in the next 31 days…. then day 3 hit…. and my husband, who had been to the doctor maybe 5 times since we got married 17 years ago, was admitted into the hospital. UGH - How in the world was I going to blog through this.

But I did - the 10 women in the Mastermind class knew I said I was going to rewrite October. (Little did we know… it was going to rewrite itself on the 3rd day) …. but I knew I had to write. So I blogged on the 3rd and then again on the 4th…. and now we are closing in on the 5th day. I have to write. Not because I will fail if I don’t - but because it is part of chipping away at the boulder that is stopping my story. I have a lot of stories that I want to tell…. and October 2020 is when I plan to try something knew - fail - grow and try again until I learn how to make the words of my story flow like a river.