Buggin' out of the comfort zone.Well, actually I do. And, of late I have been having a great time with a number of things that lie way out of my comfort zone. Way out...
For example, I agreed to be a literature judge for Round Rock ISD's annual Reflections Program, an annual district-wide arts competition. Last night I read enlightening poems and essays about the topic "Beauty Is..." written by K-5 students attending Old Town Elementary. It was great! I'm glad I agreed to do it.
Saturday I stepped way, way, way, way out of my comfort zone and agreed to be a speaker at Cafe Caffeine's Comedy Night produced by the very talented writer and performer Mary Jo Pehl. You see, I once took a humor writing workshop presented by Mary Jo. I suppose once you're in her circle of trust she'll nab ya'! She told me the topic of the show (Yes...a real show...lights, a stage and even a microphone! Gulp.) was People Saying Things Live and to work up a narrative, something personal, maybe a little funny. Well, I did it. People actually laughed at my story. I enjoyed myself. I'm glad I said, "Yes."
Lastly, I have taken on the NaNoWriMo challenge, an annual international event in which writers commit to writing 50,000 words be the end of November. We are encouraged to show that snarky, judgmental, demeaning self-editor the door and write, write, write. Don't worry about syntax or plot points or this or that. Get the derned story out. Spill it all over the page. Have fun! That's the goal. Just have fun writing.
And, I have to say, I am so very glad that I have agreed to participate in these three events. Predictabilty and accountabilty have been replaced by joyful abandon. All this because I stepped out of my C Zone and said, "Yes!" Join me, why don't you? You might be glad you did!
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