A Week's Worth By Thursday

I am having one of those weird weeks where everything is beautiful to me. 

And I am pretty sure this is not normal.

Monday brought another week of writing class, which in all honesty makes every Monday more bearable. I am a total writing geek and I don't know how to explain this group to you any better than to say that they are an eclectic mix of crazy geniuses. One woman finished her novel this week and when we heard the ending, we shot her down. It wasn't in a critical way, but rather a, "Nope, you can't end it that way" way. This is what we do to people. We tell them how to be better. A better writer, a better editor, and eventually a better author. 

In that same class, another guy said he was leaving the class to go onto the "book writing" class on Thursday night. While I'll miss his time travel science fiction, I applaud that he is taking his work to the next level.  He is one of those writers you just know will make it someday. His writing is precise and engaging. Good for him.

Tuesday was just okay.

Wednesday was Purple Door Ice Cream's employee holiday party. It is the anti-corporate party in that they get pizza and beer and rent out a few lanes at the Landmark Lanes which is the coolest bowling venue in Milwaukee. I love bowling even though I'm not very good. It goes back to my days of going out after working as a busboy/dishwasher in high school. There was a .99 cent bowling deal we used to hit until the wee hours of the morning. 

Anyway, the best part of this night is just talking to and laughing with people, some of whom I only see once a year. The owners of Purple Door are such a cool couple, so we all have a great time. As it tuns out, one of Donna's co workers went to Visitation High School in St. Paul. Vis as we called it was the sister school of St. Thomas, the competing military high school to my own, Cretin. Anyhow it was fun to talk old days in St. Paul with her. 

And today started with the boys and our coffee and philosophy hour at 6:45 AM. Like the writing group on Mondays, this group is often times the best part of my Thursdays. Deep and sometimes superficial discussions zig and zag and you know what? I'm just glad to be there soaking it all in. (Like I said this whole "everything is beautiful" thing is getting out of control.)

Through each day of the week, I've been pressed to come up with a poem to meet my Tupelo Press 30/30 challenge which has put me into contact with some beautifully gifted writers. These people lift one another up, encourage and laugh when it is called for.

Finally, tonight ended with watching my son in another swim meet. He was assigned to do the 100 yard backstroke and I could tell he was nervous and dreading it a bit. But you know what? He nailed it. A way better performance than a month ago. I was so proud because it was, well, beautiful.

Now tomorrow night we're making sandwiches at our house for the guys at the Guest House (beautiful again) and then on Saturday I get to serve those same guys breakfast, deliver the sandwiches and then have coffee with my wife (more beauty.)

I should likely see a doctor about the condition, because it's January and I'm supposed to be in a deep winter funk right now. It seems I'm in the opposite.

So at the risk of looking like Roberto Benigni, I'd better just ask if you're looking for the beauty in each day? And then I'd better be...

Blogging off...