Posted on | February 17, 2010 | 6 Comments
Last Friday, we awoke to 3 to 4 inches of snow on the ground. I really don’t think I’ve ever seen Sage so happy, as he’s only seen snow one other time. He got a new bike the day before, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him as happy as that, either. He’s been pretty blissed out.
Wile E. was a blur, and not just in the picture.
Salsa was also having a bliss moment.
Sage build a snowman. Later on, the park across the street was full of kids and they build a fort and had a snowball fight.
He was outside ALL day. Greg and I had fun, too.
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I read an awesome book entitled A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. It’s autobiographical, and is about how he and two other screenwriters write a screenplay of his life. He begins to look at his life as a story, and realizes that he’s not living a very good one. So the whole idea is to live a good story.
There was one thing in particular that was really striking. This guy was having problems with his teenage daughter–drugs, horrible boyfriend, typical stuff. Miller tries to give him advice. He starts talking about the “your life is a story” stuff. He doesn’t think he makes any sense. Later, he gets together with the guy again and asks him how his daughter is doing. It turns out that the guy decided that his family needed to live a different story. They start building an orphanage in Mexico. The daughter gets all into it, and dumps the boyfriend and drugs. He dad says, “No girl who plays the role of a hero dates a guy who uses her.”
This really hit me like a ton of bricks. What story was I living when Sky was being raised? It was a very disjointed one with a plot that essentially went nowhere. Of course, every kid would benefit by growing up in a good story. So I started to think about how I could make my life a better story now, for Sage and Greg. I know I’m headed in the right direction. I’ve quit a job that I don’t think was the best thing for me, and I’m homeschooling Sage and spending a lot of time with him. We go on little adventures.
I want to do more things that create a good story though. One of the quotes from the book that I really liked was, “…if we want a Roomba vacuum cleaner, we are living stupid stories.” So true, so true. Life is so much more than what brand of television you are going to buy next and how you are going to find the money to pay for it.
One of the things about my story is that no one in my story can be addicted to drugs. The day after I finished this book I started cutting down on the Ativan again. This time, my goal is to cut down on my dosage. I’m not going to worry about how long it takes me to quit. When I feel okay at a lower dosage, then I’ll go down a bit more. I’m not going to follow a timetable and fry my nervous system like I did before.
Of course, no one in my story is going to be agoraphobic. It is amazing how much walking and riding my bike have helped me with the agor. I used to be afraid to ride down a three mile dirt road outside of town. (I know, unbelievably irrational and nuts.) Not anymore. I realized that I can walk three miles with no problem. The distance doesn’t seem like a big deal at all. I also don’t find myself dreading trips, and I’m contemplating going camping with my guys. We just need to plan the trip.
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Today, I had lunch with a writer friend. We ate at a “ladies that lunch” kind of place because I had a gift certificate that my in-laws gave me. It was delicious, and of course the conversation was great. I don’t think writers are ever boring. 
Sage is really rockin’ the Spanish. He made a 100 on his Rosetta Stone Lesson 4 exam. There is not a children’s version of Rosetta Stone. This is the same stuff the adults use. I’m really impressed. Immersion is important, so we are going to look for those opportunities. He has really pulled ahead in math.
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Oh yeah. A really strange thing has happened. Wile E. has turned into a GOOD dog. 
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February 19th, 2010 @ 1:14 am
The snow looks like FUN; we’re not getting any this year(I predict) and I won’t miss it. One or two snow days would be nice though…I like the sound of living one’s life like a story and making a good plot for it. It’s a shame that knowing what we know, we can’t live life backwards. There would be some things I would go back and change.
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February 19th, 2010 @ 6:19 pm
Bravo on finding the way toward a story that works for you and your family. And kudos to the boy-o on his Spanish flair! BW is using Rosetta too, and we love it!!
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February 19th, 2010 @ 10:43 pm
love this post—living a good story. GREAT way to think about things. In fact, you’ve definitely got me thinking about my story and the story of my family. Gonna need to read this book and contemplate some more. And you are right…writer’s are never boring! loving the life you are living now…so happy for you and yours.
February 21st, 2010 @ 11:57 am
That’s a really good idea on how to think about life!
And I have to comment on that snowman. He has such long arm that he looks like he’s ready for a big hug!
Kelvin Kao’s last blog post..Why I am No Longer a Gentleman
February 22nd, 2010 @ 1:32 am
Love the snowman! I remember those “Texas” snowmen well. All the leaves and stuff in them…ours were usually much more black/brown than white. Ha!
It sounds like you are really doing fantastic. I am so happy for you! Keep it up and you will have written your new story before you know it!
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February 22nd, 2010 @ 9:04 pm
Can I be the one writing your story for a bit? (Hint: watch out for robot cowboys.)
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