Three Howlers In One Day

One of the signs of right livelihood is that progress seems to get easier. Successes come, when they come, with the ease of a perfect dumpling sliding down one's throat. Today validated that for me not once, but three times.

First, I finally managed to get up early - 6 a.m. - and get down to writing at Lakota (my favorite spot so far) well before 7. The short story I started a couple of days ago demanded to be continued. I wrote for maybe an hour, but something was wrong. I couldn't see what happened to my character past a certain point, and it was turning into yet another internal monologue, another pseudo-journal entry. So I stopped. Slightly hungry by now, I pondered buying a small breakfast at Lakota, but it just looked too much, too early. So I put on my jacket and went out the door.

It was raining. Lightly, off and on, but enough that partway down the street I had to haul out my cheap umbrella. The wind immediately caught it and whipped it inside out, exactly like a cartoon umbrella. This had never happened to me before. So, cool, wet, and windy, I made my way to the local library. My goal: find out where Columbia's social security office is located.

Along the way, I pondered the situation of my story's character. I kept getting distracted though. Finally, at the library, I had a bagel for breakfast and got the address and phone number of the Social Security Administration office.

It seemed like the morning was going to be a bust. The story wouldn't move, the SS office was in a part of town I was not about to go to, even on my scooter, especially in the rain, and I really wanted to get my application for social security retirement benefits going. So I started walking back to the Holy Road House, umbrella held in front of me like some protective shield. Along the way, I started talking out the story plot to myself, out loud. It was like a conversation - I'd explain one part, then reply to that with another perspective, and then yet another. All the while I'm thinking, "Okay, I'm now a geezer with wet pants walking the city with a broken umbrella shouting out loud to no one. I'm now the people I used to stare at from my car when driving back from the mall."

But the self-talk worked. I found the ideas I needed to reshape the story and to carry it to a conclusion. I was able to visualize the ending (as Asimov suggests writers do), and then to shape the story to get to that point. I had an outline in my mind. This was my first great Howl of the day.

I then did some role-playing with Lizzie in the kitchen as she fine tuned the script for the Tumbleweed Cabaret.

The second success was finally getting a clue and going to the social security web site, where I was able to submit my application online. I was done in less than an hour, when I had earlier been convinced that I would have to go to some stuffy office and sit around until called, etc. etc. Howl number two for the day!

Then FD came over and after crashing and banging on drums and percussion toys with Lizzie and Tony, we went to the basement of the House and proceeded to clear and clean and organize close to half the space. Major Howl number three!

Then dinner and fine conversation with FD, to celebrate and thank her for her great help, and it's home to this blog and to bed. A good day, my friends, and a fine glow. I feel more blessed than I can say.