Making the point to remember

I was recently reflecting on my monthly writing goal and where I was this time last year, this time two years ago, and so on. Before I became an “official” working writer about two and half years ago, I would not have believed my future self was hitting her monthly monetary goal. I’d like to add “with somewhat ease,” but I hesitate to in fear of jinxing myself. 

In the midst of my writing work, I’ve gone numb to it being my real life. There was a day less than three years ago when I was still learning how to pitch an article, feeling deflated when I got a “pass on this” reply, and doubting that I would ever get a yes. My first paid byline - that I nearly cried tears of joy in receiving - yielded the lowest payment amount I now accept for an article. 

I tacked that first contract up on a board next to my desk to inspire me to keep going. Now the amount I was paid for that first published piece is a threshold I refuse to go below. I say all of this in the vain of remembering. I am mostly focused on continuing to achieve the same milestones that I currently am, while still aiming for new ones, such as getting published on the physical page. (I’ve yet to only been published on the digital World Wide Web.)

The spirit of remembering goes beyond the writing work. I am six months into a back injury that has me questioning a lot, such as - am I going to get past this and move on to higher ground? Then I came across an image from Ryan Holiday that I had seen five years ago when he first posted it.

And I thought about myself then and myself now. And I remembered just how far I’ve come in so little time, in so many different areas of my life.

Taking stock and making a point to remember is an our own personal Dickens’ Christmas Carol. There is power in taking a look back, considering your where you are, and referencing both as you think about your future.

Something I wrote recently:

I worked with Insider to write a piece about the value of college beyond a degree. I’ve been thinking a lot about college in this political climate and wondering if college as I knew it is being dismantled. Will college… survive?

Reading/Watching/Listening:

Reading: I discovered Naked Came the Manatee after researching Carl Hiaasen after watching Bad Monkey on Apple. It’s a delightful Miami crime novel in which each chapter is written by a different South Florida author and was originally published in parts in The Miami Herald in the 90s. It’s both a blast from the past - no cellphones!! - as well as a comfort in reading about the locations I grew up in and around.

Watching: I’m finally binging the Gilmore Girls cousin Bunheads on Hulu. My favorite part is playing spot the Gilmore Girls’ cast member and listening to the Sam Phillips background music that makes me wish I was actually watching the Gilmore Girls for the first time.

Listening: I have my calendar marked Djo’s album release on 4/4. Not ashamed; we all need things to look forward to.

A paying opportunity that doubles as a writing prompt:

The Taco Bell Quarterly (independent from Taco Bell) is open for submissions on 4/20. (Shameless, and I love it.) They accept poems, short stories, and essays that discuss Taco Bell in some way. I’m not sure what this means about me… but I’d be thrilled to get published in the TBQ. Check out the submission info here.

Write on,

Ashley