Feelin' Hopeful

I was bitchy to a pregnant woman today. We had the opportunity to select themes for our team competition baskets at a meeting of team leaders. I spoke up immediately and picked sports. Turns out the team who is currently in the lead also wanted sports. I refused to compromise. My attitude was "I called it first...sorry about your luck." Real mature, huh? Especially since the person I was speaking to is eight or nine months pregnant. I told Linda about it, and she laughed uproariously. We are a team of bitches. Nevertheless, I'm feeling hopeful that we will pull ahead with this competition.

I'm feeling hopeful about a lot of things. I'm 50,000 words into Crimson Crimes which is about halfway. I'm still struggling with the turn I'm making in the plot, but I have a clear vision of where to go once I make the turn. My goal is to finish the first draft by summer break.

I watched President Obama's address to the nation, and he makes me feel hopeful. Much has been made, both positive and negative, about the president's speaking ability. I preach to my students about being critical thinkers and viewers of media, so I know that a good speaker can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, or put lipstick on a pig or a pitbull or something like that. But for me, Obama captures the spirit of who we are as a nation and articulates it. Putting abstract ideas into words is hard, and he does it eloquently. (Which is why the guy being interviewed on The Daily Show is calling him the anti-Christ??? WTF) Anyway...as a writer I appreciate that skill. Whether he can lead us to solutions remains to be seen, but I am hopeful.

There are lots of reasons to feel pessimistic. The economy is still crappy. College employees are being forced to take time off without pay, so we have that to look forward to. I have close friends who have taken second jobs because of pay cuts. School budgets are shrinking, and hard choices will have to be made. And I'm still shopping Sapphire Sins.

But I choose to be hopeful. It's not blind hope. It's hope born of knowledge. Like the president said, as a country, we've worked our way out of tight spots before. My husband and I are both educated, and our education gives us options. And my book is good. I believe in it. Eventually, it will find a home. Until then, I'll keep writing and teaching the next generation to write.

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all
~~Emily Dickinson