The challenge begins today . . . will I rise up to the challenge and be able to post a snippet of my life or thoughts every day? Will it be something worth reading? I have been pondering this question for the last month. I know I did it last year, but I was on a trip for the last half of the month. It was easy to find something interesting to post about last year. There is no trip this month.
This month seems to loom long as I study my calendar. Each of the orange dots are days I am working in schools, mostly out of town. This is too much, why did I do this to myself? How will I have time to read all the slices and leave comments? When will I have time to plan for the professional development? I am starting to get a sick feeling in my stomach as I look at the challenge of work ahead of me. There is one week that is open for planning, so I see long nights at my desk that week. When all is planned, I will rest easy. Then the challenge will be for me to find something to write each day.
A few days ago I mentioned to my husband that the challenge was about to start. There was a look of panic on his face. He knows all of his actions will be scrutinized as fodder for my writing. What will he do that will spark an idea? Hmmmmm?
Thanks to Ruth’s post (here) I have printed out her suggestions, they will be inspiration when the thinking well runs dry. I think I can, I think I can, no . . . I know I can, I know I can! Happy slicing this month, I’ll be here and I’ll be looking for you. Let the challenge begin!
elsie tries writing 
Ha I love your line about your husband. It’s so true.
I guess the trick is to think of our everyday lives as being on a trip; that the remarkable and interesting is around us all the time, but we just don’t notice it in the same way. Thanks for an honest and humorous (husband — ha!) slice! 🙂
Your husband’s response made me chuckle. Boy has my husband been giving me fodder lately! I am too nice to pick on him too much so publicly (he could use it against me with that kind of documentation).
You articulated many of my worries, especially, ‘will it be something worth reading.’ If nothing else, we are not alone!
O.K. – I’m going to say it too…I laughed OUT LOUD at the idea that “all of his actions will be scrutinizes as fodder.” Actually, my husband, sitting here on the couch with me, laughed out loud when I read it to him. I love the other post too. No one’s safe. You’ve reminded me of a story I’ll just have to tell. Thanks! I too look forward to this journey together. Can’t wait to read your next post!
I loved reading your slices last year and the line about your husband’s trepidation made me chuckle too. We can do it, we can do it – just one day at a time!
Elsie,
Your lines about your husband and his look of trepidation made me laugh! My boys have a similar feeling about my slicing– mostly I just don’t tell ’em!
Can sure sympathize about the busy month! Hope it goes ok!
Elsie, you are busy, but I believe in you. Isn’t the encouragement wonderful?! I cracked up when you shared your husband’s reaction. My kids had a similar reaction. Thanks for your comment today.
Your husband just cracks me up and tell him we all love him too! Looking forward to your slices about life and schools this month! I know you’ll have much knowledge and laughter to share!
Elsie, I couldn’t find you this am; & there are already 135 slices! Eek, I don’t think I’ll make the comments on them like I’m used to doing. I know you’ll do fine; I always love hearing what you have to say, and especially about your family, and that includes your husband. I promise I won’t tell! Looking forward to the month with you!
Ok, Elsie, I know and you know you can do it! You are a very creativity writer! I haven’t written about my husband but he is a great subject. I’ll have to include him in sose of my slices. Thanks for sharing! Happy Slicing!
My husband is also a newly retired teacher and is away on vaca…for some reason I feel like I can write about him when he is away…like he won’t know. I look forward to your amazing thoughts and hearing about some of your PD especially.
You can do it, Elsie! Of course what you write will be worth reading — I always love the tone and creativity of your Tuesday slices, and I’m sure everyone else does too! That is a LOT of orange dots though. Thanks for sharing the picture of your calendar to really make your busy-ness concrete! My favorite part of your post was definitely your husband’s apprehension at being “scrutinized” as a source of writing ideas! 🙂 At first I thought you just meant he was sad you were going to be busy with blogging every day… and then I read the rest of the paragraph and just laughed out loud!
You can do it. You can do it. You can do it. We can do it.
I haven’t told my husband yet that I plan to write. When I am behind my laptop I am “working.”
Happy slicing!
Terje
You can do it, Elsie! I have faith! Just so you know you’re not alone! I myself am thinking I might be a fool to have jumped into this (inviting 70 seventh graders along with me!).
And yet, as I sit here knowing I have to leave to pick up my children, writing material presents itself in the form of girls singing their way down the hallway during lunch!
Elsie, loved the part about your husband. Mine asked me the same thing when I told him I was doing the challenge – Are you going to write about me? I told him that he could be the subject of many posts. Looking forward to reading your posts – good luck at balancing your hectic life. Hope you can find time to share with us.
Elsie, I loved reading your posts last year…you will find plenty to write about. Lucky me…we have a snow day on the first slicing day of the year…lots of time to write, and read all the great posts
You will find the way, Elsie. You know how to look and turn those little things into very important things. I will let my family know of my new challenge, too. No one is safe!!! Good luck and thanks for the inspiration!!
I love that your husband is nervous that you’ll be writing and sharing stories about him! That is so funny! I love writing. It can be so reflective so I feel like, if anything, these slices can just be thinking back on your day and what happened. I love that it doesn’t have to be amazing, it just has to be written.