Writing, Writing, Writing

Posted: September 8, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Diet- comedy | Tags: , , , | 2 Comments

 

 

All of a sudden all my writing assignments are upon me.  Well I am sure they were upon me long ago, but the deadlines are all hitting and I am guilty of poorly managing my workload once again.

 

I agreed to go back to work at Durham Magazine and do a monthly column on people who are making a difference in Durham.  I heard rumor today at church that my first issue back at work is out.  I did a story on Kenzie Brannon, a man who could show us all how to have a happy and successful retirement where you just don’t stop moving.  Pick up the magazine and read it.

 

Well that assignment was written a month ago and today I had to write the next installment.  It is a story about Pat Nathan who started Dress for Success in the triangle and she is a powerhouse with one hell of a story.  You will have to wait for the October Issue of Durham Magazine to read all about her.

 

I am looking for other inspirational people in Durham so if you know of any or just have heard of any please let me know.  The crazier and wilder the better.  Color, color, color, that’s what I like, well color with some heart.  It never hurts to make people cry too.

 

So today I wrote my article and now this blog.  I have a speech for 700 people at the Food Bank Sort-a-Rama for Wednesday and I am the Master of ceremonies.  Someone else has written it, but I have to make it my own.  I have to introduce the Governor of NC at this event, while wearing an orange “hunger action month” t-shirt, my worst color, so I better not mess this up because I am already not going to be looking my best.

 

I have the horticulture report for Garden club Tuesday, six thank you notes for the various nice parties and football games wonderful people have invited us to and a ghost writing assignment for someone else.  That’s a secret, so not only do I have to write it, but also I have to make it sound like someone else and not like me.  Why in the world did I think I could sound like someone else — that will make it take twice as long?

 

All this being said and I still don’t feel like I am a writer.  This will be my 489 blog posting in 489 days.  I have not missed a day and I guess I really should celebrate at 500 days like any normal person would, but something else big might happen that day that I want to write.

 

I don’t know what it is about saying I am a writer that does not jive with me.  I had no problem in my life saying I was something else before I ever learned how to be it.  Like I said I was a caterer and even got business cards that said I was before anyone would actually have considered me a caterer.  Same was true when I became a sales and marketing consultant. I was hired as an Editor and they gave me cards so then I was an editor.  No actual experience required.  So what is it about saying I am a writer?  Maybe I just need the business cards.  Not that I would ever have to give them to anyone, but if in my wallet in the back slot where I keep my Belk Bra and Panty Club card I had a little card that just said, Dana – Writer, then maybe I would feel comfortable saying, “Hi, I’m Dana.  I’m a writer.”

Inspiring Circles

Posted: August 30, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Diet- comedy | Tags: , , , , | 2 Comments

 

 

Today a friend and colleague reached a big weight loss milestone.  Andrea Griffith Cash the Editor of Chapel Hill and Durham Magazines set out to lose thirty pounds before her thirtieth birthday.  First I have to step back and say, gosh, she’s only 30, and is a great editor.  Now back to the story.  In the spring I was having lunch with Andrea and she told me that she was inspired by my weight loss challenge and wanted to do something for herself.

 

Being a busy editor, especially of two magazines that cover a lot of food stories is not the easiest life to keep weight off, let alone lose it.  I told her that the one big thing that helped me was making my challenge to lose weight public.  It is much harder to break your diet if everyone you know is watching you.  It also is much harder for people to sabotage you if everyone else is watching them try and push food on you.

 

Andrea went full on public with her goal by blogging about it in the Chapel Hill Magazine website- www.chapelhillmagazine.com/blogs/.  Thanks to her hard work and vigilance she reached her goal before her September 5 birthday- Right On baby.  It wasn’t all easy.  In August we met for lunch and Andrea told me she was stuck on a plateau.  Having visited many flat places myself I encouraged her to try a few tricks to kick her butt back into losing mode and she did it.

 

Today I went for a walk with a new friend who also was interested in how I lost weight.  I told her a little about my plan, but I was mostly thankful that she would walk with me because I need to move more to get myself off my current plateau.

 

Both Andrea and my new friend are helping to inspire me to push harder.  I may have motivated them at one point and now their work is coming back around to help me.  I am sure from reading the comments about Andrea’s success that she is encouraging others to their own success and so the circles of inspiration continue.

 

Whatever you may want to try and accomplish there is probably someone out in the world who has succeeded at it.  Look for their story.  Learn from them.  Take that spark to energize you.  You don’t actually have to meet them or know them.  When you have some success help someone else and in that passing of the encouragement torch you will help yourself.