The little engine that just keeps chugging!

THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT JUST KEEPS CHUGGING!: (Note: This blog post was originally written on March 24, 2022 when I was just beginning The Unquick Quill blog. It is just as relevant now as it was then as I learn how to navigate WordPress. Funny how life repeats itself!)

Have you ever seen a dog with a bone? He’ll just keep gnawing and gnawing at it. Or use a knotted rag to play with a dog? She’ll just get it in her mouth and hang on, and sometimes you can even pick the dog up by the teeth, because she just won’t let it go (I’m not recommending you try this!). Well, I am doggedly trying to master this website and, yes, I bit off more than I can chew.

Has that ever happened to you? You have an idea and want to implement it, but things aren’t going as you planned? Or you think you want to master a new skill, or language, or instrument, etc., and then you wonder if it is worth the effort? I’ve done that. I’ve tried the guitar — oh, geez, my fingers hurt something awful! About 18 years ago, I took piano lessons. But, I’m not good at reading music. The only fun part about it was when my then future-son-in-law asked me what made me want to take piano lessons, and I answered, “So I can play at your wedding.” His face paled, but he said, “Oh, that would be nice.” I think he held his breath until I told him that I was only kidding.

I took French in high school and aced it, but the truth be told that I really only learned how to sing French drinking songs and read French love poetry. I took German in college and could actually read Kafka in his native language, but that was a long time ago, and now I only remember a few phrases.

So, here’s what I realized: At least for me, I give up on ideas that don’t suit me or hold my interest or are things I don’t really want to do — and that’s okay. All of us who ever started a new job have experienced being the first-day fool. I remember being the first-day fool for a whole week at one job! And now, I’m the first-day fool again–and it feels great!

I hope you get to be the first-day fool in some area that interests and excites you. It’ll make you feel alive again, challenged again, eager again.

Thanks dear friends for following my blog. Wishing you all the best!