October 18, 2010

I Never Thought I Would Be Jealous of ...

I recently had a conversation with a former student and friend on a paper that he was doing for a class at Bethel College. It was kind of fun to just sit and talk about something that he was going to get to write for like 15 minutes. I left the conversation with oddly mixed feelings about the conversation. It made me think of how happy I was not to be in the midst of college and all the busy work. But, on the other hand, I was feeling something that I never thought I would ever be jealous of... I was envious of the time that he would have to be able to just write.

Near the end of my undergraduate career, I recognized a weird passion rising up in my veins as I was commissioned to write essay after essay. Depending on the class, I was unusually drawn to researching, developing and executing arguments and comparisons of different topics. It was pretty startling at first, but in the end made me recognize that I enjoy writing. I enjoy simply trying to make a case for whatever topic I'm working through. It invigorates me.

Since leaving the college world and entering a world of schedules, meetings and much less downtime, I have tried to get into a rhythm of writing and publishing, with very little consistency. It's not that my job requires me to do it or that I want to write for the benefit of anyone save for myself, but it has been a discipline that I would love to have more time to do.

So what do you do that invigorates you?
What do you wish you had more time for?

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