Thankful Thursday
1. Like so many others, I'm grateful Prop 8 has been defeated. From the Irish, to women, to blacks, to gays, to... this country has been about expanding civil rights. It's "liberty and justice for all," not liberty and justice for everyone like me. And I'm grateful that Judge Walker wrote the decision the way he did, as reported on Slate.com. It won't be over until the Supreme Court settles it, I bet, but it is now easier for the Supreme Court to do what it has done in the past and expand civil rights.
2. I continue to thank whatever alignment of the stars or synchronicity it is that continues to stream my Super-ooper-duper Secret Project X through my fingers and out the keyboard. Today I had the lovely experience of writing a paragraph describing a specific setting and then, a few hours later, looking at it and going, "Oh! If X is in this part of the setting, that implies Y in this other part of the setting, which means I can have Z happen, which will deepen the theme." Or, as I keep saying, where the two young aspiring writers in my household can hear it, "Thank you, universe!" Not all projects happen this way, so I am most profoundly, deeply, humbly appreciative that I have been so blessed this time around.
3. I am also gratified to have as my academic supervisor someone who believes in helping and guiding adjuncts as much as students. This sort of support and encouragement makes me work to continually improve my teaching.
4. Reading Eric Luper's most excellent Seth Baumgartner's Love Manifesto, I came across a passage that echos one from my completed upper middle grade novel SPIDER FINGERS. It was confidence-building to know that someone else came to the same conclusion about how a young person would respond to a given situation.
If you haven't read Seth Baumgartner yet, let me say it is A Good Read. I feel like I could run into Seth the next time I'm at the mall (only because you'll never find me on a golf course), and I also feel like being a good mother and pulling him in for a hug (that would embarrass him to no end) and telling him it will all work out.
5. halseanderson 's WFMAD is something I will try to participate in as long as it runs. Last year, because of The Great Sorting, I didn't. The first year, I did, and it helped me stay on track. This year, I'm in a very different place in my writing, but it is no less helpful to know that other people are out there, getting their 15 minutes in, and also to know that Laurie is there encouraging us all to give this writing gig our very best shot by making a regular commitment.
2,000 words for today, and as soon as I post this, I'll be back at it.
Tomorrow: Fearless Friday: Gender expression and social expectations.