Losing It--Sort of . . .

By Keith N Fisher

Do you ever type words with the letters in the wrong order? Like typing eithK, if you were typing my first name? I’ve caught myself doing that a lot lately. When I get into the zone, and rush to get the words down, as they come, before they’re gone, I go back and edit, discovering many misspelled words. It’s embarrassing. Spelling was always my best subject in elementary school.

I’ve also caught my mind misplacing numbers on the job, as I work at a cash register, and call out the total of a purchase. The cost could be $9.78 and I will say $8.79 or $7.98. There’s no rhyme, reason, or pattern to it, My mind just gets tired and takes over.
  
I think this annoyance, answers a question that came up years ago, though. As a kid, I had trouble in school. It was never diagnosed, (probably because it hadn’t been discovered yet), but I think I had dyslexia. I don’t actually remember anything specific, but I was in a reading comprehension project. Yeah, it was the dark ages.

As time went by and my brain compensated, I managed to overcome those problems. Later in life, and in college, I proved I had abilities, by getting high grades. I managed a 3.8 average, which was quite an accomplishment, considering the outlook of my teachers in high school. I did the GED in the 98 percentile.

So, why am I telling you all this personal stuff? Because, I reminisce a lot as I get older. Actually, I’m making a point, and who better to expose than me?

I don’t know if my mind is reverting, I suspect its just fatigue and laziness, but it reminds me of the many quirks we all overcome in our lives. In our day to day interaction, we get exposed to many joys and sorrows, especially on social media. In my own realm, I feel sorry for people who let a problem or quirk defeat them.

Like in a motocross race, our path is littered with the remains of the wrecks of individuals who tried, but failed to finish. It’s true that sometimes your machine just will not continue, but what happens next? Well in the aforementioned race, many riders prepare for every contingency. There is a reason they travel to events with huge trailers to carry one little machine. Spare parts and even spare machines help them to finish the race, even if they don’t win.

What kind of spare parts could you carry, in order to finish the writing race? If I can overcome whatever learning disability I had as a kid, you can certainly overcome writer’s block. To some of us, success seems to come easy. The rest of us must work harder. Sorry. It’s the way things are, but remember how it felt? That first time you worked to get that toy, instead having your parents get it for you? Achieving goals through hardship is like that, too.

Good luck with your writing—see you next week.