By Gordon Palmer

My dad kept an immaculate yard. He loved being outside working the lawn, draping the hoses, weeding, fertilizing, the whole nine yards.

Well, one yard. It just felt like nine when I had to help.

Yard work was also one of my dad’s favorite ways of relaxing, up there with golf and watching UNC basketball. He could spend hours out there, and it showed. The work he put in produced a beautiful lawn, gorgeous azaleas, and the envy of neighbors.

Me, not so much. I do the bare minimum to keep my yard appearing nice to anyone passing by at a distance. I mow, and if a weed gets over four feet tall (there’s a height requirement sign), I’ll pull it. Maybe.

It’s not that I don’t care (maybe…), I just prefer spending my time on other endeavors. My yard looks fine, and year after year I manage to get it a little better. That’s my goal, and I’m meeting it. Like my dad, I’m getting exactly what I put into it.

The same is true with writing. We get what we put in.

I have a full-time job, which I’m not quitting per the advice of Blue Ridge faculty members much wiser than me. But the Lord called me to write, so I’m working toward that goal when I can. I may not be moving forward as fast as I would like, but I’m meeting my goals and hopefully, like my yard, getting better year after year.

As writers, we don’t all share the same goals, but we do share the same calling. Are you putting the work into meeting your goals?

Gordon Palmer works for the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and has been published in the Carolina Alumni Review and Daily Tar Heel. He lives in North Carolina with his beautiful wife, loves playing golf with his older son and going to comic book conventions with his younger, and is proud of his stepson in college.