Coach – Mary Robison

Mary Robison January 14, 1949

I found it interesting that as I read about Robison, I discovered that she had a severe case of writers block during the 1990s.

I’m not a writer – well, I guess I am in a sort of way – but it’s not my profession, and I have trouble with my writing from time to time.

One good thing about this project is that it almost forces me to get something down on “paper”. I do have a handwritten journal –I’ve been struggling through several physical journals that could be grouped together and read as one document, for about 7 years now. I find time to write in it about once a week.

I’ll have short bursts of writing that can last a few days and then...nothing, pretty much the pattern that I have here on this blog.

There are so many things going on in my life right now. Some of which I wish to commit to paper and others that I’m not comfortable with sharing just yet. I have a marathon on Sunday, and my morning reading and writing time has been taken over by my training for that. I’ll take an extended break after the race (about a week) and I’ll be able to finish off this volume and hopefully finish my posting.

Currently, my step-father is pretty sick and my head has been distracted with everything surrounding his illness. Well, illness and the fact that he is just really old and things aren’t going too well for him right now. My mother is having difficulties adjusting to her new life with him, and we (the rest of the family) are attempting to help her along this journey.

That’s about all I wish to share as far as my excuses go for my inability to focus on this project.

It’s funny, because as soon as I opened this document and started to get words down on the screen, things started to flow.

So, “Coach”.

I enjoyed this story. Robison’s skill as a writer has spanned the years since she wrote this and Gardner recognized her talent early.

There were so many ways to look at the different situations that arose in this story that it’s a bit difficult to decide on just one to see as a lesson.

I suppose the one lesson that I would take away is the one that reinforces my nature of being cautious.

I have developed over the years the habit of not taking someone’s word for anything. I have to see physical proof or hear something directly form someone (rather than secondhand) in order to believe it.

I don’t think that I developed this through being turned down or being denied a position that I was seeking, I just think that I am cautious by nature. Perhaps I have seen others burned before and vowed to myself that I would suffer their pain.

Does this hinder me in my pursuits in life?

I don’t think so.

I think that I have a pretty good measure of what I think is realistic and I know when to jump and when to hold back.

Right now, in my life, I’m half-way through a jump...I’m suspended in midair - I can see where I’m going to land, and it looks wonderful.