Jumping the Ramp

Before I “jump” into my post today (you’ll get that little joke later on ☺), I’d like to take a moment to say THANK YOU to two of my sweet writer friends. First of all, I was thrilled to find out that I am the lucky recipient of Tabatha Yeatts’ St. George’s Reward for 2015! St. George's Day was celebrated in Geoffrey Chaucer's time as a day to reward people who worked at artistic endeavors, and Tabatha had the lovely idea to select one of her blog readers to be the recipient of her own "St. George's Reward" each month for the rest of 2015 (you can read more about this on Tabatha's blog here). Thank you so much, Tabatha! Also, I want to send a special cyber hug to my friend and “blog Yoda” Joan Edwards for nominating me for a Liebster Blog Award. I had great fun with this award in 2013 (you can read about this here), but I wanted to send Joan a big “thank you” for her ongoing support of my blog. I am so very lucky to have you in my corner, Joan!

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Over the past few weeks, the little boys on my street have been perfecting their daredevil bike tricks—it is amazing what kids can do with a bicycle, a wooden ramp, and a whole lot of energy! 

Before I set off this evening for a twilight bike ride, I stopped in our cul-de-sac to adjust my seat. One of the boys, who was lapping around for another go at the ramp, rode by and eagerly inquired, “Are you going to jump the ramp?”

“No,” I answered, smiling. “I’m not quite brave enough to try it. I’ll leave that to you guys!” (I probably should have said “crazy” instead of  “brave,” since I saw firsthand how a big bike handled the ramp when one of my 12-year-olds tackled it a few days ago—very differently from the little kid bikes!) Then I set off on my ride, contemplating our little exchange.  

I have jumped lots of figurative “ramps” in my life. The majority of those have not been easy or comfortable, but they have been rewarding and worth the effort involved. Moving to a new state (which my husband and I have done three times since we were married), embarking on my adventures in teaching, leaving teaching to become a stay-at-home mom to twins—each of these were jumping off points and hurtled me through life until I landed somehow on my feet, taking a running leap into a brand new phase of life. 

I’ve jumped some “ramps” in my writing life, as well; joining writers’ communities in Texas and South Carolina, signing with (and losing) an agent, querying publishers and agents, starting a blog, diving into the sea that is Twitter, writing stories and poems and books, and simply putting myself “out there” have all been leaps that propelled me forward and continue to be integral in motivating, challenging, and encouraging me to keep working toward my goals, despite the obstacles that (often!) pop up along the way. And I know this will continue as long as I keep on riding down this road. But that is all part of the adventure, right? ☺

What are the “ramps” you’ve jumped or are jumping in your writing career? If you have any great advice on handling writerly hurtles, please share in the comments below. Have a great week, and Happy Writing!

OK, so this has nothing whatsoever to do with writing, but I couldn't resist sharing this pic of the baby bunny I found hanging out in my front yard when I finished my bike ride tonight. Luckily, he hasn't found the garden in the back yard (yet)!