The First Step

"They say it is the first step that costs the effort. I do not find it so. I am sure I could write unlimited 'first chapters'. I have indeed written many." - J.R.R. Tolkien

No offense meant to Mr. Tolkien, but I find nothing more daunting than a blank page. A blank page is endless possibility. The moment it is marred by words the possibilities shrink to the reality those words convey. Do I have a reality awesome enough to justify the destruction of endless possibility? Do I dare disturb the universe?

Maybe not. 

But if I do not put pen to paper - or fingers to keys - the possibilities remain dreams unexplored. Maybe the reality I craft, though not as evocative as the dream of all those possibilities, is more permanent and more real. Maybe it is more valuable for its existence than an insubstantial dream could be.

With that sentiment comes my reason for disturbing the universe - a challenge. A resolution for the New Year, which like most things in my life, had to be postponed a bit. So here, only a month into 2015, it begins: a blog entry will appear on this blog every day for a year. Raven, my partner in lunacy, and I will take turns filling the empty space with... stuff. Writings, musings, stories, reflections, whatever. We will push ourselves to create something new every day.

In order to push ourselves (and each other) I'm going to appropriate some ideas from a pair of creators that I particularly admire: the vlogbrothers. Rule One: A post must appear every day on this blog before midnight. Rule Two: When one of us doesn't post there will be a punishment or challenged issued. Pretty simple. 

So - where to begin. For that I turn to another creator I admire: the spoken word poet, Sarah Kay. "It's not just the adage 'write what you know.' It's about gathering up all of the knowledge and experience you've collected up to now to help you dive into the things you don't know." It's a beautiful sentiment - write what you know and use it to explore what you are still trying to understand. She even has a suggestion on how to get started - write lists. Everyone can write a list. So to start this year of blogs going I'm going to write some lists... 

10 Things I Know to Be True (About Myself)

1. I procrastinate. A lot. I am a master in the art of putting things off until tomorrow.
2. This challenges terrifies me. It's a huge commitment to doing something that makes me nervous: putting myself on display.
3. I like owls - you probably already guessed that from the name of this blog. Can you guess what bird my counterpart fancies?
4. I have a collection of holiday socks that should put any adult to shame.
5. I love quotations (another thing you've probably already guessed from this post). I am partial to witty quotes that help to unmask the personality of the speaker. Oscar Wilde and Winston Churchill are particularly good at this.
6. I love to read aloud. Even when I read quietly I usually mutter the words. 
7. I am a nerd/geek and I don't see any reason to draw a big distinction between the two words.
8. I can't listen as well as I can talk, but I'm working on it.
9. The best way I know to fix a bad day is a good book, a good video game, or a good friend.
10. Raven is my best friend and partner and should take all of the credit for this brilliant challenge.

10 Superpowers I Wish I Had (in no particular Order)

1. Flight
2. Teleportation
3. Super Strength
4. Heightened Senses (especially hearing)
5. Shape-shifting
6. Super intelligence
7. Invisibility
8. Matter creation
9. Regeneration
10. Will based magic 

5 Things I Will Post on this Blog

1. Politics (sorry!) and world events (not sorry)
2. Books
3. Quotidian frustrations
4. Stories 
5. Questions and challenges for Raven (I hope Raven has some for me too)

Raven, I'll hear from you tomorrow. Feel free to share your lists on any of these subjects or add new lists. 

- Owl