Write every day, Stephen King says. And I do, if grocery lists, lesson plans, and checks to my landlord count. Or the embarrassingly trite romances I write in my head as I run. (They will never, never, see the page. That is for me alone.)

I'm a storyteller. It falls out of my mouth, unbidden, especially in the classroom—it's an acquired taste for my students, but they eventually embrace it. Better than doing "real work". When I actually get one of these tales on paper...oooh the satisfaction! I wiggle in my seat and say out loud, "Now, that's good." I envision Pulitzers, a Nobel, and an interview with Terry Gross. Then I read it in the cold, harsh light of the next day. And, well, let’s just say it usually needs work. So that's what I do. Roll up my sleeves (I live in the tropics, so they are metaphorical sleeves) and get busy. It's the best part, and I love every, okay, most, minutes of it. I mean, writing is called CRAFT, not magic, after all.

It ain't easy to work full-time and write. Even harder if you have children, so hats off to you lot. Many days, it feels a Heraklean task, or a wasted effort. But it can be done, as King assures us, if you keep at it. The ancient Greeks believed in something called Arête. A life code which posits that every day is a new chance to strive for excellence in whatever it is you do. Are you a bricklayer, lawyer, politician, parent? Be the best version you can be. Yesterday, no matter how great you were or how badly you blew it, is only a lesson to be applied to today. Achieving excellence is not the goal; pursuing it is. Each day a clean slate, a clean sheet of paper. I love that.

Side bar: The ancient Greeks invented philosophy, drama, satire, many branches of science, gads of math, art, architecture, the Olympics, democracy, and pancakes. So, if they suggest a life code, I'm running with it. (They also invented the marathon)

Each day, I work at Arête and write the best I can, even if yesterday was drivel or only a to-do list. I get out of bed, stretch, and say "Yes! Today's the day for excellence!" Then I realize I forgot to set the coffee. Arête. I write the best I can, work the best I can, and love the best I can. It won't be perfect, but that's where the fun is, and as Scarlett O'Hara declared: "After all, tomorrow is another day!" (Who knew she was into ancient Greek philosophy?)