Some of it (a lot of it) is self-inflicted.
So in the freelance world of court reporting, we transcribe everything we write, unlike being an official in the courtroom, where only appealed cases are transcribed for the most part. Transcribing every single word of every job shapes one into a better reporter for so many reasons. We see steno that we need to write shorter (for speed) or a different way (for speed and accuracy). So every day becomes a game, sort of. What will my accuracy rate be today? How many steno strokes will be perectly written? More today than yesterday...than last week...than last month. And on it goes. And part of that insanity involves daily practice, over and above what we do on the job. So we commit (those who strive for excellence) to practice every single day, no exceptions, even when we're sick, or have company, or plans, whatever, we fit it in somehow. That accountability is the ticket. As a result, our writing gets better and better with each passing day. We compete against ourselves. And this is incredibly addictive, as boring as it sounds.Example: I recently began writing the "evalute" family a different way to lessen hesitation and ensure accuracy. So I use each of those words (evaluate, evaluated, evaluator, evaluation....) in a sentence -- which I get from this amazing online site, sentencedict.com, then record 10-15 sentences of each word into my iPhone, and that becomes my practice for the Daily Challenge that I belong to on this amazing court reporter website. We mean business. We don't play around. We keep track and we commit to this insanity daily. Over and above our work.
Next: I began a commitment last September to learn a foreign language (on my bucket list). I'm using Duo Lingo, and it is the coolest app for learning! It's effective and it's fun and it's addictive. I've learned SO MUCH in such a short amount of time. My Italian vocabulary is now in the 1,000's, but in reality, that's really not that much. Or maybe it is. But the point is: Ya gotta practice. Every day. And depending on how long it takes to get through your daily practice lesson, that can mean anywhere from 15 mins to 30 mins.
Check.
With my recent diagnosis of hip issues, and even before, I realize that I've gained weight -- both from feeling sorry for myself and overeating and from not exercising as much as I used to. My butt takes up a lot more room in my jeans. And it's not good. Not with MY thighs. And so I've commited to different forms of exercise most days of the week. That takes time. But I don't have a choice. This is my health. My sanity. A direct impact on my emotional health.
Check.
So whether I'm at a deposition taking down the record, sitting at home at my desk transcribing the record, practicing so that I can take an even better record; practicing Italian, or working out, all of those check boxes take up far more time than even I realize.
So little time to do so many other things that I crave. Reading. Journaling. Junking.
I do what I can when I can. And that is enough for now.
After I finished my job this morning, I was heading back to my parking meter and spied a cool new building (not sure how new actually because I haven't been to this town for a while) that was beckoning a visit from me. The Market. All right. I like that. Inside there were shops, ice cream, restaurants, a brewery with wine and craft beer, a paleo quick-bite place, and maybe a couple others I missed. The clothing store, called The Hip Eagle, had this yummy chunky charcoal cardigan oozing with texture and style -- half price! A perfect gift for my daughter-in-law's birthday March 4th. What fun! I found myself wandering, wandering, wandering .... looking at things I didn't even want. Just because it was fun. I liked this place. A lot. I finally had to drag myself back to the car and get my butt home so that I could begin checking off my daily boxes. (Note to self: Get back to this place some evening for a craft beer and music on the patio!)
Wow. What a boring life, right?
It is what it is for now. But it keeps me busy, focused, challenged, purposeful. And maybe that's a good thing as an empty nester. Filling up my life with things that demand my time and attention and help to keep me distracted from the reality that I miss my sons. I miss being at the lake more. I miss goofing off in the afternoons (like I used to when we had short days in court). This is my current chapter. Every day I go through my list, checking off MY daily boxes.
And it's really NOT so bad.
Rendi ogni giorno
il tuo capolavoro.
(Make each day your masterpiece.)
- John Wooden
1 comment:
You have such commitment! That is the good thing about you. So energizing and inspiring. You have command of your life and you do not let "things" get in the way. From my perspective! It's wonderful.
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