Persistence

Well, after a month of silence I am ready to begin posting again. What happened? Patrick and I went to South Dakota in the third week of September. This was for five days only, but it's a ten-twelve out drive hour to the Black Hills, then an equal drive back. It was a good, if hectic trip. We saw bison and pronthorns, wild turkeys, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, the Badlands, Spearfish Canyon, the Needles Road, the open pit gold mine in Lead, which is no longer in use, but remains a very large hole... Anyway, that kept me busy for a week or so. Then I got a serious cold, and then the hard drive on my desk top went all weird. In addition, my day job has been demanding lately.

The reason I bring this up is a study I saw recently. It turns out (according to this study) that genius (high achievement is a less loaded word) is made rather than born. What makes it? Support from other people, good mentors and a lot of practice. I have had a fair amount of support in my life -- from relatives and friends, mostly. I don't remember having any real mentors for my writing in the sense of teachers, but I've had plenty of examples of people doing hard work and good work. My problem is persistance. I will use any excuse to avoid writing: a trip, a cold, a dying computer.

Let this be a lesson! Keep writing! Always remember the way to get to Carnagie Hall!