Grant Writing -- Change of Pace

While working on a grant application this past weekend for a museum, I was struck by the fact that my shift from the magical realism of my novel Garden of Heaven to the real-world logic and precision of a request for state funds is a very large change of pace.

I really do have to shift gears. It's almost like culture shock. I need a few days to avoid doing the grant work before I begin; afterwards, I need a few more days to become grounded again. I told Nancy (whose book Unplugged: How to Disconnect from the Rat Race, Have an Existential Crisis, and Find Meaning and Fulfillment is coming out in May) that I had a very plugged in weekend in the world of government regulations, criteria, budgets and forms.

Odd thing, though, I had a lot of fun working on the application. For one thing, I strongly support historic preservation and this grant focused on that. Also, I am very detail oriented and once the ideas begin to gel, grant writing is exciting for me when the pieces in the puzzle clearly show the big picture, i.e., the purpose of the project for which we're seeking funding.

While the novel and the application are night-and-day different in style and intent, once I'm fully in tune with the subject, the writing flows along almost on its own accord.

Even so, I feel like I changed operating systems inside my head and now have to unplug and re-load my usual operating system. Who do I call for tech support?!

A few snow flakes so far

On Wednesday, my wife and I drove down to see the exhibits at the Atlanta History Center for the first time in years, then met a friend for dinner.

Sitting upstairs in a Cuban restaurant on Peachtree Street, we saw a relatively rare sight for Atlanta: snow flakes.

Typically, most comments about snow in Atlanta run along the lines of, "OMG, a snow flake, run" or "quick, warm up the car and head for home before we get trapped at the office."

These flakes were celestial and inviting, the kind sort that would never think of leading to the massive traffic jams we saw once in the 1980s and once again with an actual blizzard in the 1990s. Folks have a long memory though, and rush hour--observed while we enjoyed our chicken and rice--was more snarled than usual.

By the time we headed NE up I-85 for home, there was only a little sleet turning to rain. Most evidence of the snow was gone by noon on Thursday. Kind of disappointing.

Now, there's another winter storm warning in place for Saturday. Since I don't have to drive any where, I wouldn't mind seeing a light dusting of white throughout the yard and the woods behind the house. If there is, I don't expect a traffic jam in my driveway.

Good Morning, Freya

I don't feel old enough or wise enough to be a grandfather, but I am--as of yesterday.

My daughter and her husband gave birth to an 8 pound, 5 ounce baby girl whom they have named Freya. Using e-mail and jpg files along with a photo-hosting site, they've shown those of us who don't live in Indiana a lot of great photographs of the baby.

Cute kid. Angelic, a goddess, I'm guessing.

I'm buying a lot of back issues of Reader's Digest so I'll have plenty of wisdom at my fingertips when the need arises.

Congrats J&K.

Dad and Grandpa

The Twelfth Day of Christmas

The holiday was wonderful and tonight, as the lights glow for the last day of the season, life begins moving toward spring and the wonders of our rebirth in the new year.

In her post this morning, Silken writes about a personal inventory project she put together for her family, one that focuses on each person considering who and where they are, taking stock of themselves and their goals, and then looking into the future with the support of the rest of the family. This is a wonderful project whether you use her somewhat formal approach or whether you ponder and meditate on where your life is at the moment.

My friend Nancy Whitney-Reiter is coming out in May with a book called Unplugged: How to Disconnect from the Rat Race, Have an Existential Crisis, and Find Meaning and Fulfillment. Without realizing it, many of us become addicted to the rat race of the world rather than focusing on the now of each moment of our lives.

The concepts in her book will help a lot of people follow up on the kind of personal inventory Silken wrote about. Once that inventory is completed, it will be easier to keep it in mind if one is attuned to ones own heart rather than on the hustle and bustle going on around them.

I told Nancy that my on-going resolution each year is focusing on the moment; living in the now, as folks often say. As I start sending the manuscript for Garden of Heaven out to prospective printers this month, I will keep my mind on the current moment rather than worrying about what one publisher or another may or may not say about the manuscript.

It's simpler this way, looking at where one is and just being there. I believe in synchronicity, being in the right place at the right time, meeting people when I'm ready to meet them, following the advice of my inner voice.

So, as Christmas ends and Epiphany approaches, here's to taking stock, getting unplugged, and being ever mindful.