Tuesday, July 18, 2017

My Nix



I finished a book over the weekend titled The Nix by Nathan Hill. It gets its title from a Norweigan folk legend, and the gist is that whatever you love the most...will hurt you the most. Yikes!


The novel, which is one of the absolute best I have read in a very long time and will suggest to people who ask me for grown-up-type novel suggestions not in any way associated with required or non-required reading for school-type situations, made me think. A lot. And I have come to the conclusion that I do not have a Nix. Lucky me! Just kidding. I have lots of Nixes. Please do not say Nix's, because then I will have to harbor ill will towards you for making a noun plural by using an apostrophe.

Did I mention Meryl Streep is attached to the rights and that this book is about to blow up huge?



In this post, which is almost TWO YEARS since my last, I will attempt to encounter my Nix. In the novel, the person introducing the tale of the Nix says that in order to defeat it, you must bring it home. This is what this post will attempt to do.

I love creating. I love learning. I love instilling the love of learning and creating in others. And as I get caught up in the craziness of life, I have realized that too much of anything can be overwhelming. I recommit. I recommit to this: this senseless, senseful (not a word), sentient piece of writing.

Once a week. Like it or not, tens of readers, that is my goal. It's in my bullet journal and everything. Have you started a bullet journal? Maybe you should. I have a Google Calendar and Google Keep and all, but the bullet journal is cool - mine probably isn't as pretty as some people I know, but the effort is there. Here's the article that made me think it could work for me.

Okay, here's the point (although you maybe wondered if there even was one). Things in this crazy world make me think. They take me on tangents. They likely involve some self-deprecating stories and/or pop culture references. These posts will be more of the same, and they will likely involve me, my students (protected as they are because I am a rule-follower), and possibly (okay, probably), my cats.

Learning is important. Creating is important. This blog will exist as my attempt to bring the thing I love the most home in order to defeat my Norweigan folk ghost. Take that, Nix!