Windy Thursday

It is still warm this morning (53 degrees), and it is also very windy.

I have been a little disorganized and unproductive lately. I think I will re-post my original goals to help me get back on track. This is what I posted last fall:

Officially, the sabbatical covers the period from late January until early May, but I plan to take advantage of the entire time from today until the following semester. That gives me 10 months to make significant progress on my writing projects. They include four books, all of which are under way, but none of which are published yet.

• I Just Want to Be Happy (a spiritual memoir)
• The Elements of Academic Writing (a brief textbook for English Composition I students)
• Whither the Revolution (a historical novel about the revolution of 1968 on three levels)
• Mindfulness of the Mass Media (a book about becoming media literate in a media-saturated world)

I also plan to do some other things on my sabbatical:

• Attend Writers Conferences
• Continue writing poetry
• Compile a notebook of previously published articles
• Read more frequently
• Renew my running practice
• Deepen my meditation practice
• Practice yoga
• Be happy

Warm Wednesday.

1:30 p.m.:
My thermometer says it is 59 degrees outside this afternoon--a far cry from the 19 degrees just two days ago. All the snow has melted. I plan to get outside for a run in about an hour.

This morning was taken up with more car problems. this is the dealer's third attempt to fix an ERG valve problem. I hope they get it right this time. At least they gave me a loaner.

I have been reading the magazine of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP), and there is wonderful information therein. They have an AWP Award series with cash prizes and publication of a book. I might as well enter. I wonderful if my spiritual memoir fits into their "creative nonfiction" category.

Good writing must be honest, authentic, and fun.

Opportunity

I am feeling lazy this morning; I don't want to get to work. I need to get moving. The tag on my Salada teabag this morning said:

"Most people don't recognize opportunity
because it comes disguised as hard work."

 

I have a wonderful opportunity on this sabbatical to finish several projects. Focus, James, focus! Top priorities:

1. Find agent to promote I Just Want to Be Happy (or maybe just Happy).
2. Find publisher for The Elements of Academic Writing.
3. Finish writing The Elements of Academic Writing.
4. Work on writing Mindfulness of the Mass Media.
5. Reorganize my desk-side bookcase.

Aside from writing, I also have to motivate myself to run. Ideally I would like to run five or six days a week. It has been very cold here lately, so I plan to go to the college gym this morning (or afternoon) and get it done.

One of my best former students, Samantha Levitan, is studying to become a teacher herself. She posted on her Facebook page the results of a classroom exercise in which she had to draw a picture and talk about a teacher who inspired her. I love her picture.I love the peace sign. I consider it a great honor!

 

 

If anything inspires me to keep writing (and teaching) it will be Sam's portrait. Thanks, Sam.

 

11 a.m. update: 

I have noticed I have a tendency to fall into a pattern of logging onto my computer and alternating among my blog, my e-mail, and my Facebook page. I think I keep looking for affirmation that I matter based on reactions form other people and interactions from other people. Of course a little bit of that is fine. Too much of that begins to distract me from focusing on what is really important: my writing, my running, my meditation, overall mindfulness, compassion, and happiness. I believe it would be skillful for me to find happiness without depending on getting e-mails, "likes," and page views from others.

 

11 p.m. update:

I did it! I went to the gym and ran on the treadmill. It was only about 1.5 miles, but at least I broke the cycle of inactivity. That feels good in itself. I also had a fun evening at the drumming circle.

 

 

Monday, Monday

OK, I have to admit to a decline in productivity lately. Saturday there was a long rehearsal for the drumming circle, and Sunday the drumming circle performed in church. That was a whole lot of fun, and it also took up a lot of time. Saturday evening I went with a friend to see Cheryl Wheeler in concert, which was also delightful. Here is one of my favorite Cheryl Wheeler songs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9_Fij0mW48

This morning I had to get my teeth cleaned and get a routine blood test, so that set me back, but I am working hard now. Life is good.

6 p.m. update: Well, it ended up being a poetry day. I worked on some poems, and then I submitted two poems to Sanctuary magazine of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, and three poems to the poetry competition run by the Cultural Center of Cape Cod, and then I submitted four poems to the Salamander magazine, the Suffolk University literary magazine. That feels constructive.

Frigid Friday

It has warmed up to a balmy 14 degrees this morning! Yikes! This is cold. I don't understand why my lake is not frozen. Perhaps it is because the wind keeps it stirred up.

I have not been doing much writing. I didn't write in this blog yesterday, nor did I work on any of my books. I have gotten discouraged and distracted. But that is OK. I plan to relax this weekend and get rejuvenated. Then I will work hard all next week, Monday through Friday. Part of the problem is a lack of physical energy. Fortunately I have an appointment with my doctor this afternoon, and I can talk to her about that.

I am not going to be too critical of myself for not writing yesterday; I did plan and execute a two-hour class on advanced reporting for my Suffolk students. I think it was a good class. That is probably productive enough for one day. I also had a nice lunch with my old friend Ann at her new shop--or factory store--at Summer House Natural Soaps. What a great place! Her blog is at: http://summerhousesoaps.wordpress.com/



Thich Nhat Hanh

Last night I visited the First Light Sangha in Orleans, which is sort of a spin-off of the Cape Sangha. It was a beautiful, calm and peaceful experience. I was pleased to see there were a total of nine people, which is a good number for a new sangha. I hope to go back there often. I went right after teaching my class.

I learned today that Thich Nhat Hanh will be offering a retreat in Thailand April 4 to 8. I really wish I could go. My friend S.T. even invited me to visit him in Singapore before or after. But I simply cannot afford it. I need to save my money to attend the retreat in New York State in August. Then, the following June, I hope to return to Plum Village for another three-week retreat.

Frigid Wednesday

7:30 a.m.: It was 11 degrees outside when I woke up at 6 this morning. Now that the sun is up, it has soared to 12 degrees.

A writer must keep writing, no matter what. I can't let setbacks discourage me. I am called to write, so that is what I must do.

Yesterday, 20 people viewed my blog. Who are these people? I wish someone would leave a comment, so I could see who it is.

After the long weekend

The World Music Ensemble

It was a very busy weekend for me.

Yesterday, Martin Luther King Day, I drove out to Wellfleet to lead the annual walking meditation through town. I think there were about 100 of us walking down the middle of Main Street to honor Dr King's memory. I was sorry that it conflicted with the inauguration address by Barack Obama. Wouldn't Dr. King have been proud?

After the walk, we watched a film of the "I Have A Dream" speech, and heard an inspiring speech by Byllye Avery of Provincetown, who talked about meeting Dr. King when she was in college. She addressed the children in the audience and told them we all have power, and we must decide how to use our power. Then we heard wonderful music by some talented musicians from Nauset Regional High School's World Music Ensemble. It was a great afternoon.

The day before that, on Sunday, we had World religion Day at the Unity Church. a wonderful group of spiritual leaders, including Rabbi David Freelund, Deacon David Aiken, Hindu Larry Brown, Baha'i Judith Partelow, Rev. Marylou Palmer, and myself, presented brief talks about our dreams for peace. After that, many of us joined a march through Hyannis to the Federated Church on Main Street, where there was another interfaith service. I have to leave that service early to start my own Buddhist Sangha. It was a very powerful Sangha, in part because we learned of the death of a young man who had attended our meetings several times. His girlfriend came to tell us.

And the day before that, Saturday, I had the Mashpee Poetry Group--or the Steeple Street Poets--followed by an awards Ceremony for the Prime time Magazine Writing Contest. I was attending as a judge. We did the judging in November, and Saturday was when the awards were handed out.

10 a.m. update: Ouch! I just got a major setback. I had been supremely confident that Pearson would publish my English Composition textbook, but i got a rejection note today. After getting an encouraging note form the editor-in-chief, I thought it was settled, but the editor of the English section turned me down. He said it looks compelling, but they are not accepting any short English texts at this time. OK, just a setback. I will simply find a different publisher.

(added Wednesday) Later in the afternoon I met with colleagues to plan a program to help faculty and staff learn about mindfulness in education. Then I had a nice chat with another colleague about poetry. and in the evening I attended the rehearsal of the Unity Drumming Circle. What a rich and fulfilling life!

Surprise! Snow!

7 a.m.: I was surprised this morning to see a thin layer of snow of the deck and railing of my little balcony. Just before dawn it took on a bluish glow and completely changed the appearance of the view form my sliding glass door. Now, half an hour later, the sun is up, and everything has returned to a more expected palette of colors.

Being a writer requires looking at the world through the eyes of a writer. I think that means noticing the little details that--taken together and observed mindfully--make up the larger truth of our world.

I feel very fortunate to be able to wake up to such a lovely view every morning--at least for now. Knowing that everything is impermanent helps me appreciate it even more.

I will not have time to start my day with meditation and writing because I have to drop of my car at the Mazda dealer in Yarmouth at 8 a.m. Fortunately, Joe and his wonderful colleagues at Cape Cod Mazda ( www.capecodmazda.com )  are letting me drive a loaner, so I will come back and do my writing then. I am tossing in an unsolicited and unpaid plug for them, simply because they have treated me very well for the last five years. Good businesses deserve our support.

Productive Thursday

7:30 a.m.: To be a writer, one has to write. Simply sitting down at the keyboard and letting it flow is the key.

Today the sun is shining and I am up and ready to write. Last night's talk to the Cape Cod Writers Center went well, and I feel inspired to put my ideas into action and do some writing. I am a writer, and that is the most important thing I can do. Today I will work on The Elements of Academic Writing.

After writing from 7:30 to 12:30 I also plan to go for a run and do some yoga and meditation and reading. This is going to be a good day.

12:15 p.m.: Yes! I had to take care of some other business, like sending out the weekly reminder for the Cape Sangha (www.capesangha.org ) in the early morning, but then I got to work. I wrote about half of Chapter 1 of The Elements of Academic Writing. My favorite part is the admonition that a lot and all right should always be written as two-word phrases. The biggest progress is that I now see how it is all going to come together. I have the raw material and the method; now I just need to chip away at it a little every day. I am off to a good start.

I had forgotten that I am teaching my Advanced Reporting class for Suffolk University this afternoon. Fortunately I am all prepared. I still have time to go for a run at 12:30, to shower at 1:30, to leave for the college at 2, and to teach my class at 3:30.

I'm going to try the same three-mile route, and try to improve on my 40-minute time from Tuesday.

9 p.m.: Yes, I did improve my time a little bit, but it wasn't very comfortable. Then I showered, did some laundry and got into campus in time for my 3:30 class. There were only six students, and they are all old friends who have taken many of my classes before.

I feel good about today: I wrote, ran, taught and even had a nice dinner with a friend in the evening. Life is good.

Rainy Wednesday

It has been a dreary day. I started out by taking my car to the dealer for repair, only to find the part they needed had not arrived. So that was a wasted trip. I should have called first. I did, however go to the bank and post office while I was out, which was good. I did a little work writing -- most on a poem I am trying to revise before our poetry group meeting Saturday.

This evening I am speaking to the Cape Cod Writers Center Writers Night Out. I hope that goes well.

(Added later): The Wednesday night talk at the Writers Night Out went well. I received some compliments afterwards, so I feel good about it.

Sleepy Tuesday

9 a.m.: Although I am determined to get up at 6 and write form 7:30 to 12:30 every weekday, I am imperfect in my execution of this plan. Somehow I managed to oversleep and roll out of bed around 8 a.m. this morning. Oh well. I'll just start now.

Tomorrow (Wednesday, Jan. 16) I am giving a brief after-dinner talk to the Cape Cod Writers Center "Writers Night Out" gathering at Uno's restaurant in Hyannis. I suppose it is within the scope of my sabbatical to spend my writing time planning that talk.

I also hope to go for a three-mile run this afternoon.

1 p.m. update: Well, I worked hard for a few hours on the plan for tomorrow evening's talk for the Cape Cod Writers Center. My basic theme is Jon Kabat-Zinn's definition of mindfulness: paying attention, on purpose, without judgment, in the present moment, as if your life depended on it." (and I add: Because it does!)

4 p.m. update: I had a good run. I ran down to the Quashnet River and back, which is a total of four miles. I did a very slow jog, so it took about 40 minutes, but at least I got out there. Next step is to make it part of my daily routine. I also joined something called dailymile, which seems to be a social network for runners that has a lot of bells and whistles and allows you to post your miles and times. I'll give it a try.

Back on track

It's Monday morning at 7:30, and I am back on track for my morning writing routine. Actually I have to leave right away for a car-repair appointment, but I will take my computer with me and work in the waiting room. I am determined to keep to my writing schedule.

Friday night I saw Vaclav Havel's play "The Memorandum," which was very good. It was a satirical look at language in business, so it was relevant to my sabbatical.

Now I am at the auto dealer--Cape Cod Mazda, and there is a TV going in the waiting room. They are reviewing what the movie stars wore at last night's Golden Globes awards show. It is all about glamour, style and sex. Then the rest of the show, "Good Morning America" is filled with trivial fluff.

As for writing. I want to say that good writing is simple. Just say it simply. I need to work on just writing. Today, however I do need to get prepared for my advanced reporting class that starts Thursday. Although I am on sabbatical from my CCCC class, I am still going to teach one class for Suffolk University.

3 p.m. update: I did finish planning my Advanced Reporting class, and also went for a run. It is a balmy 56 degrees today, so I ran in my shorts. It felt great. I only did about 2.5 miles, but I liked it. Maybe I can do 3 miles tomorrow.

One of the things I wrote for my class was the following list:

 

Ten things about public affairs reporting

1.    Give people information they need to participate in their society.
2.    Tell the truth in details, in meaning, and in perspective.
3.    Answer the “So what?” question.
4.    Ask yourself, “Are you sure?”
5.    Keep it interesting.
6.    Provide new information not available anywhere else.
7.    Interview people and listen carefully to what they say.
8.    Do the best job you can in the time you have and then hand it in on time.
9.    “Omit needless words” and, “Kill the adjectives.”
10.  Think like an editor.

More lazy days

Somehow Thursday and Friday slipped away from me without much writing or any blogging at all--until now. It's noontime Friday and all is well in the present moment, as we Buddhists like to say.

Thursday I had planned to write in the morning, and that didn't happen. First my friend Allison called with a request for an endorsement of her abilities as a yoga teacher. I was happy to do that. It was Allison who rekindled my interest in yoga and meditation back in 1990 when I first got clean and sober. Her meditation class made a big difference in my life. She was so concerned that we understand the spiritual nature of yoga that we occasionally forgot to even get around to the physical assanas. I have been meditating ever since (and doing yoga occasionally).

Later my friend Jeff called and asked if we could meet for lunch. He is facing several personal challenges, and I was happy to be able to listen and witness, although there is nothing else I can do to help.

Then I headed up to the Boston area to attend an evening workshop by my friend Brenda about "Mindful Self-Compassion." It was a wonderful session with some mindful discussion and some guided meditation.

This morning I slept late and spent my designated writing time in the morning merely clearing out my e-mail in box. I plan to relax this weekend and then get back on track with my sabbatical writing Monday morning at 7:30 a.m. sharp.

One more thought. Perhaps I should add my Potomac Profile to my list of writing projects.

The Morning After

8 a.m.:
Yesterday was so wonderful that I feel a little post-holiday letdown this morning. It wasn't a real holiday, but it wsa one of the best days I can recall. I enjoyed yesterday (Tuesday, January 8) because I worked hard on my writing, sent off a proposal to a publisher, got an encouraging response within the hour, went for a run, had dinner with my buddy Len, and had a great evening session with the Unity Drumming Circle. All the healthy things that give me joy were present. I was so happy that I had a hard time falling asleep last night and a hard time waking up this morning. Now I am a little slow getting started, but it is all OK.

Today I could work on The Elements of News Writing or I Just Want to Be Happy. I think I would like to finish my project of shortening Happy.

Just In Time

7:30 a.m.
I am writing at 7:30--but just in time. In the future, I hope to go back to getting up at 6 a.m. so that I can be wide awake and ready to write at 7:30. I'll work on that. I also aspire to do much more running. Today is a very good day to do that; I hear it will be above 50 degrees in the afternoon.
12:15 p.m.
I accomplished a lot today. I completed the prospectus I started yesterday and sent it of to my textbook publisher, Pearson, Allyn & Bacon. All in all, in the first two weeks of my sabbatical, I have done quite a bit:

• Wrote faculty application to Wildacres 12/27
• Wrote faculty application to Chesapeake 12/27
• Wrote faculty application to Tinker Mountain 12/27
• Applied for Wildacres residency 12/27. (Winners announced March 15.)
• Registered for AWP Conference and Book fair ($220) March 6-9
• Applied for residency at MacDowell Colony 12/28
• Sent off pitch letter to agent Sarah Jane Freymann 1/2/13 (response “within one month”)
• Began shortening I Just Want To Be Happy. Ch. 1-8 on 1/2/13.
• Wrote “And When I Die” 1/3/13
• Continued shortening I Just Want To be Happy Chapters 9-15 on 1/4/13
• Wrote and sent off prospectus to Pearson, Allyn & Bacon publishers 1/8/13

(added the next day)
Yes, I did go for a run, just as I had hoped. It was only a couple of miles, but it broke my habit of inactivity. I feel very good about that!

Monday, Monday

7:30 a.m.:
It sure was hard to get up this morning.

Nevertheless, here I am at 7:30 (or so) writing. My aspiration is to get up at 6 and have breakfast before starting to write at 7:30. Last night I fell asleep in my clothes (even my coat) and slept from 7 to 9, and then could not get back to sleep until after midnight. then it was very hard to wake up this morning. I'm up now and all is well.

Main project today: prospectus for The Elements of Academic Writing. And maybe some other things will emerge as well.

Writing is hard work. I find it much easier to distract myself with familiar, routine chores. Writing by definition requires creating something new, something unfamiliar. That can be intimidating.

Update from Tuesday morning:
I did work hard on the prospectus and basically finished the whole thing. Now I just need to polish it up and send it in.

I also took care of several errands in Hyannis, so I felt good about myself last night. Now if I could just manage to feel good about myself without tying it to having accomplished a bunch of stuff.

And as for writing being hard work, which I mentioned three paragraphs above: When I finally stopped distracting myself with household chores, it all fell into place rather easily. And the feeling of accomplishment when I was done made it all worthwhile.

Snowy morning

Sunday morning arrived with a light snowfall. The lake outside my door is mostly frozen, and a white dusting of snow is collecting on the ice. It looks very fragile--a reminder of the impermanence of everything.

This morning I am the guest speaker at Unity on Cape Cod. I'll speak about mindfulness, compassion and love. I will also mention gratitude. I am surely grateful for this opportunity. I am also grateful for the snow on the ice on the lake.

Very odd: I wanted to upload a photograph I just took, but I cannot find an option to upload a photo from my computer. Oh well. Imagination works too.

OK, solution found. I looked on line and found a suggestion that I try another browser, and--yes--using Google Chrome instead of Internet Explorer enabled me to upload this photo of snow on Johns Pond. By now (I am updating this Sunday entry on Monday morning), the snow is all gone, and sunshine is reflecting off the clear surface of the pond.

Impermanence: Nothing lasts forever. Everything is constantly changing.

Lazy Saturday

Last June I attended a 21-day retreat at a Buddhist monastery in France (www.plumvillage.org). Most days were filled with meditation, dharma talks and working, but once a week we had what was called a "lazy day.' Our teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, challenged us to be as lazy as we could. We discovered it is sometimes difficult to be really lazy.

All of which is to say that today is a lazy day for me. I will try. Of course, I am already making up lists of things to do. That is my nature. I will try to resist it.

Speaking of laziness, I have fallen out of my routine of running regularly. So I vow to resume running Monday. My ideas schedule (which is hanging beside my desk) calls for me to run between 3 and 4 every afternoon. I will try to get back into that Monday afternoon.

On Sunday, I have been asked to give the lesson at the service at Unity on Cape Cod, because the regular minister is under the weather. I plan to focus on love, compassion, and mindfulness. I found a lovely video by Louis Schwartzberg that demonstrates mindfulness beautifully. I plan to show it in church.  Here is a link to it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj2ofrX7jAk

Warming up

Today is warmer than yesterday. I think it has even gotten above freezing, and the sun is shining brightly.

I did get up at 6 and started my writing around 7:30. I stopped a little early to drive into my office at the college because there were a few documents only available on my college computer. I think I still got my five hours of sabbatical work taken care of in a variety of forms. I spent a few hours editing down I Just Want To Be Happy. I'm up to Chapter 15 by now. Maybe I should just call it Happy.

The interim minister at the Unity Church is under the weather and asked me to fill in this Sunday. so I also spent some time preparing for that.  Mostly I have been coordinating with the music director and administrative assistant. I have a few ideas. I'll talk about love, compassion and mindfulness. We can increase our happiness by feeling love for ourselves and others, by feeling compassion for ourselves and others, and by living mindfully, appreciating what is happening here and now.

Sleepy Thursday

It's 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013. I overslept this morning, which is to say I ignored my 6 a.m. alarm and just woke up a few minutes ago. Nevertheless, I can still keep my vow to write from 7:30 to 12:30 if I just get right to work.

Writing is hard work, and I need to show up and do my job every day. I am confident that if I put in the work, I will succeed.

Afternoon update: It was a slow start, but once I got rolling I couldn't stop. First I wrote a little essay that was on my list. It's called "And When I Die." It's been on my mind for a while, and I'm glad to get it written. Then I began writing my prospectus or proposal to Pearson for The Elements of Academic Writing. I located their guidelines and started composing the proposal. I was so wrapped up in it that I worked until 2:30--long after my scheduled time to quit.

A running buddy suggested gong for a run this afternoon, but since it was 17 degrees at noon, I said, "No way!" I see it has warmed up to a balmy 26 degrees this afternoon, but I still don't feel like running outdoors today. Perhaps tomorrow.

2013

Happy new year!
I took a few days off from writing to celebrate the new year.

Brenda and I went to a wonderful concert New Year's Eve featuring my friend Jim Shaw (at far right) and his roots music group Three Cats and a Dog. They performed an eclectic mix of bluegrass, folk, Celtic and popular music on guitar, bass, fiddle, banjo and Irish accordion. They played at the Cataumet Center for the Arts, a wonderful little place I had never visited before. It was a great way to end the old year.

Then we got up early and watched the sunrise over the Atlantic from the top of Fort Hill in Eastham in the Cape Cod National Seashore. About 20 or 25 friends joined us there, and 13 of us rang in 2013 with breakfast at the Hearth and Kettle in Orleans.

Now on with my writing. Today I plan to work on my letter to an agent and also begin a new, shorter draft of I Just Want To Be Happy. Now even the title sounds too long. Also, I would like to devote some time each morning to new writing on my new projects, Wither the Revolution and Mindfulness of the Mass Media.

Afternoon update:
 I did send off a pitch to an agent. I got an automatic response saying that if I do not hear back in one month, I should assume my book does not fit their needs. Then I worked on trimming down I Just Want to Be Happy. I went through the first seven chapters (our of 23). The length dropped from 31,474 words to 31,186. That's small, but at least moving in the right direction.