The Art & Poetry of Mary Coleman

I wrote a little bit today but nothing worth sharing. Goal achieved though. I did a bit and that’s all I’m aiming for. Doesn’t matter if it’s the worst poetry ever written or my very best work. What matters is I do the thing every day. I learn from failures, so it’s okay to write a dud. Even a bunch of duds in a row is okay. Eventually I will create something I want to share again. Just have to be patient with myself and just foster a creative routine. The more I create, the more likely I am to create something I like. If I just give up when I don’t do something I like, then I will never get any better. Failure is absolutely necessary to improvement.

On days I write poetry I feel is worth sharing, I work from a line that comes to me the day before. Usually around mid-day, words will float into my head, the beginning of a stanza, and I will write them down in my day planner. When I don’t have words to work from ready in the morning, I struggle with writing. I need that little boost to get me inspired. But inspiration is like motivation and it is fickle and not always there. So some days I just need to put down some crap and call it a wrap. That was today.

I ran 3 miles today and I went out with a friend so I had some accountability in doing it. Last week I was terrible about exercise so I’m looking to improve that this week. The half marathon is in less than 2 weeks so I’d better get my act together. We are doing a 10 mile long run this weekend so that should prepare me enough. If I can run 10 miles, I can run 13.

My anxiety was better last week, but then I also ate a lot better and followed a routine more closely. That always helps. Exercise will help even more if I can get back into it 6 days a week. It does more than anything else to alleviate general anxiety and prevent panic attacks, of which I had three last week.

I would like to be Elizabeth Bennett because she seems to have a really full and happy life before and after finding love. Really I’d be any character from a Jane Austen book except for maybe Anne Elliot. Her characters always have a happy ending. That isn’t to say I only read books with happy endings and pleasant characters, but if I had to choose a character to be, I’m not going to choose one who is miserable or one who struggles with basic survival.