I did all these things yesterday, listed in order of occurrence, not importance.
- Success: Kettlebell workout, respecting and protecting my injured adductor.
- Success: 3rd day posting in a row.
Failure: Too much time spent focused on finding / creating graphic: unsuccessful, and cut into writing time. Writing quality not what I’m after.
Success: Raw and shameless quality of posting achieved. - Success: Online writing workshop helped 3 women think about how to write about themselves. Edited 2 About pages. Clarity with 3rd regarding possibility of barter (low).
- Success: Daily nap within an hour of target time.
- Success: Found passwords necessary to get broken iPad replaced 2 weeks before AppleCare expiration.
Failure: Sidetracked by discovery of “Refund for In-App Purchases made by a minor” available; got sucked into vortex of Apple’s customer-service website and stressed out. - Failure: Intense irritability toward husband because he designated me “Apple expert” and therefore required to search for passwords that why-does-she-have-such-expensive-equipment-that-also-breaks daughter can’t seem to keep track of.
Success: Texted husband to apologize for irritability during his multiple visits to Apple store, when he deserved only praise for bringing daughter back her life-support equipment (i.e., brand-new iPad). We love each other. - Success: Made it to theater to see “The Flick” with niece in time to buy tickets. Connected with half a dozen friends and colleagues. Niece & I enjoyed play. Talking man and jiggling woman in front row left at intermission (not my success, just worthy of celebration).
Failure: What looked like a space when I parked was clearly not when I got back; $47 ticket.
Success: Oh well, I got a parking ticket. No stress. Used occasional of imperfection to reflect upon the impossible pressure I put on myself to be perfect. Even using words like “success” and “failure” seem wrong somehow. Even evaluating in abbreviated language in bullet lists seems to miss the point of openness. Hiding behind sentences without pronouns — chickenhearted or human? Lack of conclusion to blog post — irritatingly incomplete or simply self-awarely acceptable in light of the fact that I’M the one who decided to do this thing and I take it all on MY shoulders, not because I am the source of all but simply because it’s my name on the masthead. Missing question mark on last sentence? Celebration of all fections, whether per or imper.
Good enough.
Bravo Pearl for making it through another day. I’m exhausted reading your account of detours and online time sucks when I want to celebrate workshopping with other entrepreneurs. Here’s to the sweetness along with the bitter as a modern woman.
Barbara, one of the things I’m learning (slowly, repeatedly, over a lifetime) is to choose more carefully what I focus on and when to let go. The whole password thing was far more painful than it needed to be — which is, not at all. I’m inspired by your exhaustion to create more energizing celebrations in my life so I can write about them and energize you instead.
If you haven’t already paid the ticket, try contesting it. Check the box that says you want a hearing; what you’ll actually get is an option to have it “heard” via an online form. Then you can say that you’re sorry, that you’re usually very careful about where you park, and you will be in the future. It takes a little time but doesn’t cost you anything. I’ve done this twice, and it worked for me, in part because I usually am very careful and get very few parking tickets.
Thanks for the suggestion, Louise. I’ve already paid it; I can see contesting a ticket in an ambiguity but not when the signage was so clear. And I was so proud of myself for my response, it seemed worth it.