march, writer's block and leprechauns

Maybe it’s a March thing.

Yes, I am sinking so low as to attribute my persistent writer’s block and lack of inspiration onto one of the 12 months. March. Immediately following that fleeting month of February, half of which being filled with chocolate hearts and sappy greeting cards, tiptoeing achingly slow on the heels of April’s glorious rain showers and spring. And for those of us who don’t savoir March Madness in all it’s college frenzy, we are left to celebrate our non-existent Irish heritage (ok, speaking for myself here) as we bob our heads to the great Irish ditties and the emphatic red-faced frat boys attempting to sing them. Kidding. But not about the ditties part. I do love the Irish ditties. And the bagpipes. Mustn’t forget the bagpipes.

Honestly, my point is that every year, I seem to grow tense and antsy during March. As in right now, this very second. I get tired of lugging around my heavy winter coat, not knowing whether the meteorologist predicts snow or sunshine. Things get stale, jobs get dull and the next school break isn’t until Easter week.

Now, I admit this March mess isn’t very becoming on me. In fact, recently a friend tried quite diligently to persuade me into actually liking March..accepting it for all its faults. He described it as a period of regeneration- quietly creeping out of its long winter hibernation and eagerly anticipating a fully blossoming spring. Yeh, I wasn’t really having any of it either.

But, something clicked last night. And being that it is still March, I am proud to say it most certaintly counts. It’s been a couple months now since I’ve started grad school. This being the third. And I cannot say it’s been overly easy. Entering the program in the spring semester, I noticed that most people already knew one another from the fall semester. And as for the campus, it may look small..but it often surprises me with its sneaky maze- like ability to trick me with new short cuts, confusing entrances and hidden stairwells. Harry potter style. Ha. Not quite.

I have been enjoying my classes but last night, I actually understood why I was there. I was listening, writing, participating, thinking. All good things. Maybe it was just a fleeting sensation, but for the first time since I have started the program, I felt like maybe this career is where I belong. It just so happens that during my ride home, I flipped to Q104 playing Guns & Roses “all we need is just a little patience. “ So, call me dramatic..but those words struck me. Patience. Just a little. Maybe that is why I always struggle with this month..I just need to have a little more patience.

In the meantime, I am going to milk my scapegoat for all its worth. Any problems, peeves, catastrophic disasters..I’ll just blame it on March or the color green or a funny little leprechaun in a top hat. Yeh, you have to agree. It’s definitely a March thing.