Category: Challenges

Today’s Bloganuary prompt is: What do I like most about my writing?

One reason that I chose to participate in Bloganuary is that I feel somewhat out of practice in writing. I have been reading a fair amount. I enjoy poetic language in fiction, but more straightforward prose in non-fiction. I like reading things that reveal layer after layer. Poetic language takes more effort to come up with than I have to give sometimes. And while reality can be implausible and improbable, fiction should not be. So creating fictional layers also counts as too much work.

I like that writing helps me organize and crystallize my ideas. It gives structure to my thoughts. But I like my writing best when it reaches someone. Either my present or future self, a present or future friend or colleague, or a present or future fellow human.

So tell me, what reaches you?

Today’s Bloganuary prompt is: What makes you laugh?

Laughter is a sign that something violates your expectations and surprises you in a delightful way. I laugh at silly science puns and clever turns of phrase. I laugh at my kid’s antics and sometimes the surreal. I laugh less than I used to, which I understand is common with age. I would have made a goal to laugh more this year, but I couldn’t figure out how to measure it. A real sign of whimsy.

Today’s Bloganuary prompt is: What is something you wish you knew how to do?

There are so many things to wish for, it can be hard to narrow it down. Ideally, I’d like to know how to control matter and energy and live free from consequences, but those are genie-in-a-bottle-type wishes. In the real world, I am more interested in wishes I can work toward. One particular wish I am working on is knowing how to communicate more effectively with those around me.

Moving to a country where I do not speak the language as an adult has been a challenge on a number of levels. Even as a young person, learning languages was not among my strengths. As an adult, practicing a new language is like having a foreign invader in my mind and mouth. I don’t hear all the relevant sounds. Never the less, I continue to practice and learn because every step at getting better makes my daily life smoother.

Blogging is another opportunity for me to practice my communication skills. This a place to record, clarify and crystallize my thoughts. This is one factor that motivated me to take part in this Bloganuary challenge. Without work, wishes wither and wane.

Today for Bloganuary we are supposed to write about the last time we left our comfort zone.

I laughed at reading that prompt because I feel like I need to work harder to remember the last time I was truly in my comfort zone. I have been living in Germany with my family for the last 3.5 years. There are many advantages and opportunities, but I struggle with the language and the culture. Then we visit the US and life and culture there has moved on without us. So I try to appreciate the best of where I am while I’m there and defend whatever hard won comfort zone I can find.

On the other hand, the problem with comfort zones is that it is possible to get stuck there. It’s just so comfortable that it can seem better to never leave. If living through a plague has taught me anything, its that simple human interactions can be great, but people need to stay in practice with social norms or we forget and drift apart. I have also learned that without the support of a steady, secure comfort zone it is difficult to be in a state to venture out and learn.

A recent trip out of my comfort zone includes participating in the TechLabs Aachen Digital Shaper program in Data Science. It is an optimal mix between practicing skills I already have and learning new skills because the program has an online learning platform part that is completed independently and a group project. This is a nice balance between independent learning and working together to do or make something.