That portent

 

March 1 means a wordy challenge just looming over the horizon. I’ll never forget a recent conversation of mine, when it was pointed out to me that I had already been working six months at a job. I realized I don’t think I had missed the passage of time as much in other jobs, especially a vocational job where we were given only 12 months to learn a set amount of skills. I remember visually marking time by filling a binder with projects, notes, and lessons — a visual aid in marking intangible commodities like knowledge and time. Not every job is like that. I remember being thankful to my teacher, who needed to administer a certification exam and who passed us regardless. It might not look like much of a challenge to others, but one never truly knows the value of experience unless it actually happens to you.

The wordy challenge I mentioned is National Poetry Writing Month, starting April 1! I can’t wait. Last year’s participants were among the friendliest I had ever encountered. I look forward to this year’s challenge — which I had waited for 12 months.