A Resolution
I have promised myself that I would write something every day, even on those days when I thought I had nothing to say. If I make it a habit, a part of my daily routine, then maybe eventually I can sit down and the words will just flow out onto the paper (or screen) like they did in the old days. I've had a nasty case of writer's block since I was a teenager. I'm not sure what happened. I don't remember any traumatic event or scathing criticism, but for some reason I just stopped writing other than the occasional page or two in my journal.

I have a suspicion that it involves boys. When I was about 13 or so the males of my generation had finally decided that maybe girls weren't so "icky" after all and so I started hanging out with boys. By "hanging out" I mean just that; working on cars, exploring Barton Creek, munching on onion rings at the A&W, listening to Led Zeppelin, tromping around junk yards looking for a good set of rear end gears. There was the occasional romantic encounter, but mostly it was just friends, doing the things that friends do. None of these activities included writing poems, stories or one-act plays, three things I used to do all the time when I was in elementary school.

I didn't have to do much writing in high school, but I did have one creative writing class which is where I discovered that I could no longer just sit down and write with ease. The teacher told me not to worry, that I had "writer's block" and all I had to do was fill up a piece of paper with sentences and I would pass the class. I don't think she did me any favors with that attitude because I was completely unprepared for college English classes. I have the not-so-proud distinction of having failed to master the "Aims and Modes" three times now. Never mind that I passed the CLEP test and don't even have to take the class. I'd like to learn how to write, thank you very much.

Which brings me to the whole point of this resolution. One of my options as a member of the unemployed is to go back to school. Where I would find the money to do this remains a mystery, but I find the thought of taking that English class one more time or writing another History paper to be much more of an obstacle than money. Therefore, I resolve to write something every day until it becomes second nature again. And who knows, by that time, I might even have the money to pay for tuition!