Writing With Abandon

An airport at 5:30am is a sleepy place. Luckily, Miami isn’t seemingly experiencing the same TSA delays, and there certainly weren’t any ICE agents supporting with security. I don’t want to think about why that is right now.

There’s music playing low, a kind of soft pop. I can hear the sound of coffee grinding, the portafilter tap-tap-tapping against a metal bucket to get out the wet grounds. My mind wanders to when I worked at a coffee shop just after college. Tasting the espresso in three different spots of the shot — top, middle, bottom — to make sure the grind was the right size, packed perfectly. Not too sour, not too bitter. That taste test’ll wake you up in the morning!

It’s day 31 of this slice of life challenge, and I think this year is by far the best it’s ever been. Joined by so many friends and former colleagues, we built a community that I didn’t really see coming. Did you know you can get closer to someone you hardly had time to say more than a few words to during Tuesday PDs or passing quickly in the hallway? A slice of life gives you a glimpse into someone’s world, their mind, their hopes and dreams and worries and woes. I feel like I’ve hung out with so many of you this month, even if we haven’t seen each other in person! What a blessing! What a gift!

Writing got easier each day, too. I started by scheduling my slices ahead, methodical, organized, anxious and careful about what I wrote, and then I found myself just slicing each day as it came. Sometimes in the morning. Sometimes in the evening, after the day had gotten away from me. Both valid.

And reading! Oh! They don’t talk about how much reading you get to do during this challenge. I’m on my phone a lot more this month, but it’s because I’m reading all of these incredible slices. I barely touched my knitting project this month (sorry, Yukon, I guess Australia may have a better chance than you), because this Jetpack app took over. Instagram’s been off my phone for a while. Just Jetpack. I think I’m gonna feel a bit sad when I open my app tomorrow and there aren’t many new posts. I wonder how many slices will fill my reader on Tuesdays.

“I’m Still Standing” just started playing on the speakers. An apt song for this moment. We’re all still standing after the daily writing challenge!

Looking like a true survivor.

Feeling like a little kid.

Maybe that’s what it is. Something about this challenge brings with it a sense of childlike joy.

Congrats to everyone who rose to the challenge! I can’t wait to see you next year. And I promise, I’ll try to show up some Tuesdays ☺️