A Paragraph A Day

As their ice cream comas began to set in, and a few of the children took advantage of the group setting to sneak a second or third helping, the conversation turned to privilege and the less fortunate. John spoke up, his nearly-empty paper bowl resting comfortably between his hand and his rotund belly. "Something I think about a lot and often take for granted is that I've never missed a meal in my life." "But Dad," piped up a confident young voice that could only belong to nine-year-old Ashley. "You skip breakfast all the time!" John, both amused and impressed by his daughter's intuition, replied, his smile audible in his words: "Yes, that's true. What I mean to say is, whether I eat them or not, I have always had access to three meals a day. There are so many without that luxury."

Your dreams are smothered by your circumstances. Curtis Martin said these words in an NFL documentary about his life; the Hall of Fame running back rose above his specific circumstances - living in a violent Pittsburgh neighborhood - to become the fourth-leading rusher in league history. Certainly, we all have dreams. Some are grander than others, but they exist nonetheless. Circumstances can definitely smother some of those dreams, too. Circumstances, like dreams, vary from person to person. In Curtis Martin's case, his circumstances could have easily resulted in his early death. Not all circumstances are that dire or dramatic. Some dream-smothering circumstances could be mental, emotional, or physical blocks. A man in a wheelchair with a full-leg cast on, for instance, would have to forestall his dreams of becoming a world-class runner. Some dreams are smothered so much by depression that those dreams no longer exist. In those cases, the circumstances could become so smothering...

I wrote an actual blog post tonight. Here's the proof . It's seven or eight paragraphs, so it definitely meets the quota.

This is a new project I'm beginning. I've recently been trying some self-improvement exercises and techniques; recently I've been thinking about how I can write rather well, and at times I enjoy writing. I've been told "writers need to write," and it was suggested to me that a good way to reinvigorate those writing ways is by writing, at minimum, one paragraph per day. That's the inspiration for this site. There's no telling where or when I might end up with this little project. Mostly, I'll just be writing a few words from wherever my brain is at a given moment. I'm not publicizing these posts; they're mostly for my own use. However, I think I will publish (I haven't yet, so that decision could change before I finish these thoughts) as the concept of a hypothetical someone keeping track of my words might provide the motivation needed to actually do this every day. Of course, having studied journalism, I know a paragraph can also just...