Rambling thoughts about being inspired by my daughter

I really cannot wait to see what my daughter chooses to do with her life.

As I type, she's watching PBS kids, finishing her cereal, and cutting strips of decorative duct tape to make bookmarks. The plan is to sell them with her friend, G, this summer out in our neighborhood.

She's an encourager. There's no doubt about that. She encouraged me to get started on my page a day this morning. The luxury of time (this is her last day of spring break, so I took the day off) is hurting my ability to focus and come up with something to write. She's watched me fold laundry as a time filler.

She just asked me, "Is your page done?" When I admitted that no, it isn't done, I haven't started and don't have one clue what to write, this is what she said: "Well, where is Astrid now?" She's a second grade expert on personal narrative. Next week they'll begin a unit on historical fiction. She knows a few things about writing herself. She continued, "Astrid and her best friend could have a girls' night out. They could go get their nails done. Do things to get her mind off being sad about her husband."

Readers, my daughter will be eight in a few weeks. She takes my breath away. She is so earnest in her attempts to help me.

Then she asked me if writing this book is on my 4040 list. I told her no. "Then you don't HAVE to do it." I smiled. "Oh, yes, I must. I've set a goal, and must achieve it."

I am grateful for her buy-in to this project, which in a short few months has fed my soul deeply. There are so many lessons we can learn together in this process: perseverance, goal-setting, how to face setbacks, disappointments, and rejection, having vision, dreaming BIG, to name a few.

Now that I've warmed up my fingers at the keyboard, it's time to dig in and get that page written.

PS: I LOVE that she wants my character to get her nails done. My daughter is a "get her nails done" kind of girl. Art imitating life, right there.