Going Inkless

It was just about a week ago that I woke to snow falling soft and steady. It wasn't bitter cold, but it was the type of winter day that promised a slow, patient rise in the snowdrifts and the inescapable erasure of footprints and sidewalks. The path my husband had shoveled to free his car that morning was all but invisible by the time I peeked out at the driveway. Somewhere out in the haze of snowflakes, snow day magic whispered. There's beauty and comfort in an unstoppable snowfall when there's nowhere you have to go. As luck would have it, I had scheduled a vacation day, so I was in no rush, but there was a slate of errands I needed to accomplish in the precious free time. After a few chores around the house, I peeked again and noted that the carapace was still thickening on my car with no sign of slowing. Wait too much longer, and I might not be able to escape the driveway. Running those errands certainly wasn't going to get any easier. So I dug out and star...

Think back to when you started learning to drive a car. You haven't learned that skill? Or maybe you're looking forward to that day, but are too young to start? It's no matter. I, myself, didn't learn to drive until my late 20s, much later than usual for those in my area. I only picked this metaphor because it's a common experience for most Americans. And, yes, of course it's a metaphor. Did you think this would be any different? There's a lot to learn about life by looking at how we approach other skills. What I say here can apply to nearly any skill; so if you can't relate to learning to drive, you can think of the early days of a skill you practice and read on. As eager as you may be at first, you are also nervous. You find there's so much more to driving than you previously thought, and you worry over every little thing. You struggle to remember all the steps. Discouragement follows every mistake, and there is a dark cloud of possib...