This morning, two
pictures danced around hazily in my awakening consciousness. As they came in
focus I smiled, and figured I’d share them with fellow slicers.
Picture this:
Scene One : Gasp, pant, gasp. You crawl on your hands and knees, chaffing
them on the asphalt. Your hair hangs in damp tendrils, clinging to the side of
your face. The finish line is but inches ahead.
Sweaty clothes stick to your underarms. You breathe heavily, your heart
pounding forcefully.
“I can do it,” you
tell yourself. “I’m almost there. Just a little further and I can rest a bit!
(At least until Tuesday rolls around) With your last ounce of willpower you
slowly drag your battered self past the line. Your body, still here, is your
trophy of success. Your experience along the way is your legacy.
Scene Two: “
Whoo hooo! This is it. I did it! I knew I could do it. I knew it!” Running the
last few steps, you feel the ticker tape break across your body and watch it
flail in the breeze. You raise your arms up in exaltation and throw your head
back. Your heart beats ecstatically and
you suck in the smell of success through your nose. As you do, your chest
swells, your body is light, and you, at least until next Tuesday, are done.
If you are like
me, you may have experienced bit of both these scenarios along this 31-day
slicer journey. Especially if it was your first time. Especially today! Each of us was in a race
with ourselves. Committing to this challenge, none of us knew what lay ahead in
our murky future. Birthdays, sickness, school concerts, trips to the hospital,
some events were planned; some were inevitable.
Everyday the devil
and my conscience had a shoulder conversation that went something like this.
Sometimes the devil seemed to be winning and sometimes my conscience.
Devil: (Always
first- Slyly) You know, no one’s going to give
two hoots if you finish this. Why don’t you just rest this morning? You worked
really hard and should be able to sleep in.
Conscience: (Huffily) Yes, well other people have worked really
hard, too, and they didn’t give up. Give it one more day.
OR:
Devil: (Shrewdly) There’s too much on your plate. Think of all
the things you’re going through right now. You shouldn’t feel obligated to do
this.
Conscience: (Standing firm) Stuff! If you just hang in there you can do
this. Go for it.
Devil: (Insidiously) You
only got one comment last night. No one cares. Why are you doing this?
Conscience: (Hanging Tough) It doesn’t matter. I am doing this as
much for myself as anyone else.
OR:
Devil: (Cunningly) Come on, what are you trying to prove?
You’ve never been a writer. Why start now?
Conscience: (Ideally) You are setting an example. Keep it up. How
can you expect your students to slice every day if you don’t?
So here we are at
the end of our 31-day journey. If you were like me, your conscience triumphed, and
you have a great sense of well-being. You might want, like me, to
edit and revise some of your slices, maybe changing them all together. Think of
the lessons you might model for your students through your own writing! Like
me, you probably learned a TON about yourself, others, and your writing.
You may not be
like me, and have finished anyway. If that’s the case, more power to you,
because diversity is what make the world a beautiful place.
All in all, slicing everyday was a great experience. However, I have to admit I
am glad Tuesday is still seven days away!