Goodness Overload

I’m diving in. I miss the spontaneity of pre-COVID life. Going into a store or my job (yes, my job is still in person) requires a whole new skill set. So, I am taking some leaps this year. They’re not spur of the moment concerts or trips to visit friends. Neither my husband nor I can leave the state without quarantine and tests due to our jobs. We have vaccine appts, but with the shortage, who knows if there will be any vaccine those days. Even in the center of all this limitation and restriction, I’m excited by some newness.

I applied to grad school earlier this month with the idea that I’d start in the fall, but the committee expedited my application, and I begin at UAlbany on February 1^st. I’m taking two classes on top of working full-time. I’m nervous. My diploma is old enough to drink. It’s got me feeling a bit like the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz, all rusty. I’d let go of the idea of grad school, but in the middle of this pandemic and in the face of some losses over the past few years, I know it’s the right place for me and my nerdy heart. Between my letter writers and the committee meeting over the vacation to approve my application, I can’t express how much I appreciate what everyone has done. I know my nerves are just my body’s way of telling me how important this is.

I was also to be a reader for a literary magazine. This is my first week. Reading other people’s work and offering feedback is such an honor. Giving people feedback on their work gives me so much joy. Well, to be honest, sometimes not so much. It’s hard to find the words if you think someone has missed the mark, but you can see what they were aiming for, or you’re not sure how they will take your feedback. It’s something I’m working on and will probably take a lifetime to master that fine art.

I’m also jumping back into a pool that closed last year. Figuratively, not literally. The literal pool I swim in is still closed due to COVID. Can’t wait to jump back into that pool. But last year, I was supposed to attend the Elk River Writing Workshop in Montana, but it was canceled. They asked if I was still interested in attending, and I jumped at the chance. Fingers crossed for those vaccine doses to get here soon.

These next few months will be about finding balance. My grandmother used to tell me she’d never met anyone who liked balance more than me. I do crave it. I have some other cool projects in the works and am being greedy and going for all of it. So yup, balance. Time to write, time to draw, time with the hubby, time to take care of myself in the middle of all this goodness overload. One way or another, it’ll work itself out. If you get a chance, dive into the goodness pool with me, just not in the shallow end. Safety first.