Lovely day
Some days are just simply nice.
I've needed a nice day for awhile now, in retrospect. Life this summer has been rough. Not horrible or anything, just constantly full of turmoil and change and really hard work. A huge part of me feels like I've been put through a meat grinder. Which is sort of a gross description, I know, but it's apt. And while I'm okay, I've been just....sore from it all, and prone to wallowing in that instead of trying to shake it off.
And then days like today come along and help.
Not that anything super fantastic happened. But it was just a string of such nice things. A sleepy morning cuddling with my cat. An outing and lunch with my sister and father. Coming home and hanging out with the sister for awhile in an apartment that is at least passably clean. Going out with a friend for dinner and a movie and unexpectedly running into other friends, who had some wonderful news. (they're pregnant. Have been trying for awhile and were starting to get worried, but they finally are and are so excited.) Seeing a charming movie. (Julie and Julia. I mean, not life changing or anything, but thoroughly charming.) Coming home to a welcoming kitty and clean pajamas and good music. Just...a lovely day.
The movie also has me thinking even more about a project I've been considering for awhile. Everyone who's spoken with me knows I want to be a writer, and some days I feel like I'm just another person randomly saying that. Lately though, I've been wondering if I should write down my experiences with Americorps. I don't know if it's a good idea or self indulgent. Or both, seeing as they aren't mutually exclusive. But the idea appeals to me. I don't really expect anything to come of it, but I can't help but feel it might be sort of...cathartic. In the last year, I've gone through a lot and changed a lot. I can only imagine what another year (starting in just a few weeks!) will bring.
And there's something to be said for writing down the stories of some of these kids. The girl who had been in six different schools in four years but still read three grade levels above where she should. The single Iraqi mother of three boys who was abandoned by her husband for a younger woman, knowing that she didn't know how to even drive. The little girl who loved being in our program until the second her drunk mother got them both kicked out. The boy who told me one Monday that he was "a little sad" because his grandmother had been stabbed to death over the weekend. The single father raising two girls who did everything right and still ended up in the shelter, but got himself back out again.
Those and so many more, I'm not sure where to start.
So anyway, I might start doing that - just keeping a work journal. Names changed or just initials used or something, obviously.
I've also been writing fic again, thanks to the painstaking effort of anirtakenigma, plus doing freelance stuff for money for my cousin, which is nice. It doesn't pay the bills, but it certainly is a nice nest egg I've started. Oh! And I keep forgetting to mention that I was nominated for a NCIS Fanfic Award for "Look After You", which was so sweet of someone. I didn't even know they had awards, so it was a lovely surprise. I'm against some amazing pieces, so I don't expect anything to come of it, but if you like NCIS fic, you should check out the awards and vote for your favorites!
I've needed a nice day for awhile now, in retrospect. Life this summer has been rough. Not horrible or anything, just constantly full of turmoil and change and really hard work. A huge part of me feels like I've been put through a meat grinder. Which is sort of a gross description, I know, but it's apt. And while I'm okay, I've been just....sore from it all, and prone to wallowing in that instead of trying to shake it off.
And then days like today come along and help.
Not that anything super fantastic happened. But it was just a string of such nice things. A sleepy morning cuddling with my cat. An outing and lunch with my sister and father. Coming home and hanging out with the sister for awhile in an apartment that is at least passably clean. Going out with a friend for dinner and a movie and unexpectedly running into other friends, who had some wonderful news. (they're pregnant. Have been trying for awhile and were starting to get worried, but they finally are and are so excited.) Seeing a charming movie. (Julie and Julia. I mean, not life changing or anything, but thoroughly charming.) Coming home to a welcoming kitty and clean pajamas and good music. Just...a lovely day.
The movie also has me thinking even more about a project I've been considering for awhile. Everyone who's spoken with me knows I want to be a writer, and some days I feel like I'm just another person randomly saying that. Lately though, I've been wondering if I should write down my experiences with Americorps. I don't know if it's a good idea or self indulgent. Or both, seeing as they aren't mutually exclusive. But the idea appeals to me. I don't really expect anything to come of it, but I can't help but feel it might be sort of...cathartic. In the last year, I've gone through a lot and changed a lot. I can only imagine what another year (starting in just a few weeks!) will bring.
And there's something to be said for writing down the stories of some of these kids. The girl who had been in six different schools in four years but still read three grade levels above where she should. The single Iraqi mother of three boys who was abandoned by her husband for a younger woman, knowing that she didn't know how to even drive. The little girl who loved being in our program until the second her drunk mother got them both kicked out. The boy who told me one Monday that he was "a little sad" because his grandmother had been stabbed to death over the weekend. The single father raising two girls who did everything right and still ended up in the shelter, but got himself back out again.
Those and so many more, I'm not sure where to start.
So anyway, I might start doing that - just keeping a work journal. Names changed or just initials used or something, obviously.
I've also been writing fic again, thanks to the painstaking effort of anirtakenigma, plus doing freelance stuff for money for my cousin, which is nice. It doesn't pay the bills, but it certainly is a nice nest egg I've started. Oh! And I keep forgetting to mention that I was nominated for a NCIS Fanfic Award for "Look After You", which was so sweet of someone. I didn't even know they had awards, so it was a lovely surprise. I'm against some amazing pieces, so I don't expect anything to come of it, but if you like NCIS fic, you should check out the awards and vote for your favorites!