A New Tune for the Fall

If you're new The Daily Ostrich, or you have a short memory, I've become a fan of the seasonal theme, which is sort of like a resolution, without the burden of resolving anything. A theme is a loop of string tied around the mind's little finger, to remind you and re-remind you of some chosen focus for your attention. Just now, I'm finishing up my Summer of Quantity, an experiment in quantitative measurement as a tool for personal growth. I'd say that my Summer of Quantity hasn't gone very well, except a theme can't go wrong. There's no right or wrong involved; a theme just is. In my Summer of Quantity I learned that I strongly resist quantitative measurement as a tool for personal growth, but more on that next week, when I publish my official stats.

I'm learning that a theme isn't likely to change my behavior in profound ways, especially in areas where fear, self-image, or compulsion are involved. A theme isn't going to push me up the gym stairs to the second floor where the meatheads and the weight benches are, nor force me to put down the kettle chips. Instead, a theme is good at bringing attention to something that excites me, but feels new or hasn't yet become a habit.

So I won't blame you for rolling your eyes when I say I'm planning an Autumn of Practice, to work on the skills where I'd like to gain more mastery. I'm well aware that I resist practice. Practice is hard and boring, where either one of those is enough to put me off. But lately I've been feeling excited about practice, looking forward to a half-hour here or there to play scales on the piano, figure out the guitar fingerboard, write super-short experimental stories, and improve my workday skills. I suppose it's because the world feels chaotic that the simple certainly of repetition sounds relieving, even luxurious. Also, I'm not actually promising to practice. I'm only setting a theme to remind me, in the moment just before I dive into the torpor of a phone screen, that practice is another option, equally calming and more beneficial.

The one part that's daunting, though also compelling, is the pre-practice part, the planning and research needed so I'll have something useful to practice when the moment presents itself, and some assurance that the practice time will actually lead to growth.

Autumn starts in the wee hours of Sunday, August 22nd, so I have a week to come up with a better idea, as I'm liable to do. If this is the right time for you to try out a seasonal theme, you have plenty of time to pick a good one. As always, if you want someone to witness your theme, send it my way!