tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23771210.post2731172254273981396..comments2023-07-11T08:27:49.027-04:00Comments on Hannah R. Goodman: Time, Space, and CommitmentHannah R. Goodmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844839035830038677noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23771210.post-84706060982027078542009-05-05T10:53:00.000-04:002009-05-05T10:53:00.000-04:00As one of the no-shows I was already feeling a loa...As one of the no-shows I was already feeling a load of guilt over the way my day turned out when an earlier event ran far longer than I expected causing me to miss class. I hadn't really thought of it as "my excuse" but simply what happened.<br /><br />Sometimes it's a challenge to complete everything and go to class (evidenced by my frequent lateness) but I show up late and suffer the embarrassment because I would miss much more than those few minutes if I elected not to go just because it was hard. Hence, missing class bothered me so much that I had to remind myself that normally I have near-perfect attendance, that the special event in my granddaughter's life will not happen every week, and that I'll soon be back in class again and working on catching up.<br /><br />Obviously, all my efforts to stop beating myself up have flown out the window now that I've read this. Is it just a case of my bad luck for missing class on a day when so many others also missed? Or, would I still have read this had I been the only one (as I had assumed)? My former guilt seems to be morphing into paranoia. I think there's a lesson here for both of us. :)<br /><br />Like you, I overthink stuff. Maybe I deserve to feel guilty over missing a class - although probably not as much as I heap on myself, but you definitely don't - not even a little. You share your talents and make writing accessible and possible for lots of others. When someone doesn't take advantage of that, it has more to do with their own stuff and very little or nothing to do with you.<br /><br />Remember, too, that some students only sign up because they have the wrong idea, then quit when they realize there is no magic bullet that will make them instantly into best-selling authors. They don't actually want to do the work that writing requires. That's not your fault.<br /><br />For people with that mindset it matters not how good you are or how much knowledge and enthusiasm you have to share, but only what they can take as easily as possible. They are the same ones who stop going to the gym when the results fail to show in a week or two. All you can do for them is be there if they overhaul their thinking and want to start again in the future.<br /><br />Blah, blah, blah . . . Like the Led Zeppelin song - I ramble on. Does any of this make sense? Does it speak to the issue? Is it helpful - at all?Joanne Carnevalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14773494642346624996noreply@blogger.com