Don't give up on good things just because they're hard
On fish tanks, marriage, and creative pursuits
It’s a busy Monday today, with a doctor’s appointment and lots of errands in the morning. Because of that, I decided I’d try to draft my newsletter on my phone in bed last night. But that was difficult because I’ve been having trouble with my left thumb, so I’ve been trying to avoid “typing” on my phone. And with hubby sleeping next to me, I couldn’t very well dictate my thoughts into a note. So I typed with one hand, starting by working on an idea for a poem. It was slow going, as poetry writing often is, and I dozed off after writing two lines. So I gave up and went to sleep.
So here I am, twenty minutes before I have to leave for my appointment, jotting down a few thoughts that were running through my head after I put my phone away, and that somehow miraculously remained in my head overnight. Lucky you!
The other day I was watching a video about the salt water aquarium hobby. In this video the speaker—an expert in the topic—compared keeping a reef aquarium to marriage. If you give up when it gets hard rather than pushing through, you’re going to miss out on a lot of good. It’s basically a life-long learning process, and pressing on through challenges will be rewarding. One thing that 31 years of marriage (as of April 8) has taught me is that he’s right!
The same is true with writing, art, and so many other pursuits. There have been many times during my years as an author, before I was published and in the years since, that I’ve felt like walking away. It was so exciting when I first started pursuing publication. All I saw before me was possibility! But when a year turned into two, then five, then almost ten before I got a book deal, it was a little disheartening. EXCEPT! Except that there were more and more happy moments during those years when I had small successes—essays, puzzles, poems, and little stories published in various publications. In those early years my work appeared in online magazines like Wee Ones and Guideposts for Kids, little devotional booklets, Sunday School take-home papers, the Fun for Kidz magazines, and even Highlights for Children!
At one point during those up-and-down early years, I read an article in some online magazine for writers that gave this advice: If you have the necessary writing skills and you don’t give up, you will eventually be published.
I chose to believe that. It probably helps that I’m very stubborn and don’t give up on things easily. Still, I wish I could give credit to whoever wrote that article all those years ago, because those words were so encouraging to me at a time when I was worried I was spinning my wheels and not getting anywhere.
Whether it’s my marriage, the new salt water aquarium, writing and illustrating, or finishing that Christmas quilt I started a few years ago, I’m not going to give up on something good just because it gets hard. And you shouldn’t either.
I’m trying to keep up with writing one new poem a day for National Poetry Month, but I’m not quite on track. But here is a haiku I wrote as part of the Read, Discuss, Do Weekly Poetry Challenge:
Tender green shoots push through soil still chilled from winter springtime is sprouting!
Are you doing anything to observe National Poetry Month?
Other fun stuff
My doctor says her nephews love Hensel and Gretel: Ninja Chicks.
It’s National Poetry Month, which is a great time to read Mari in the Margins, my middle grade novel in verse (and doodles) or buy it for a young person in your life.
We are celebrating odes at
this week! If you want a fun poetry to try with kids or on your own this week as part of National Poetry Month, check it out!We are on day 43 of the 100 Day Project, and I’m mostly on track, having missed only two days so far. I’m spending 100 days drawing various characters. It’s been great practice!
I finished another block print for my book dummy project! Here is a close up of my unhappy snowman. This is the original block print, which will be painted in Procreate on my iPad.
I needed this today, Rebecca. Thank you.
Really appreciate this wisdom!