By Abe Villarreal

Sometimes writing the first sentence is the hardest. The experience is similar to waking up in the morning, or heading to the gym for the first time after a long break.

A few weeks ago, my grandfather passed away. I wasn't very close to him, but he was my mother's father, and he spent the last few months of his life in her care.

I travelled to Arizona to attend his funeral. My focus on writing drifted, and for the first time in 71 consecutive weeks, I missed my weekly commentary contribution to you.

My sense of disappointment was stronger than expected. I felt like I let you down. That was about three weeks ago, and I haven't written until now.

Writing a weekly commentary, sharing my thoughts, and finding out that there are others that feel the same about life's ordinary things, has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life.

On the way back from a road trip this week with a university professor, writing was the topic of conversation. He told me that there was a piece he had been meaning to get published for some time. I told him that the only way he would get it done is by getting it done.

Just like waking up in the morning, or going to the gym after a long break. It's funny how we trick ourselves into not doing something. Big things and small things. Important things, and not so important things. For many things, we find reasons to not get them done. Overtime, they become just things.

So I came to the realization on the morning of this writing that I just had to get it done. No matter how hard, or how empty the page looked. Staring at white paper can be frightening.

I'm sure there's a spring project that you keep pushing down the road. It doesn't have a hard deadline and you know you're going to get to it... tomorrow.

There are so many clich+¬s that come to mind. GÇ£Don't put off until tomorrow what you could get done today.GÇ¥ Easier said than done and sometimes, tomorrow never comes.

If you are reading this on a Friday, it means that you are about to have two days off of work. Days that should be longer, but are actually shorter. You might sleep in, take your time making breakfast or watch a movie. All good things.

This weekend make it a challenge to write that first sentence. Begin that project. Step foot inside a gym. If you stop and think about it, most of your fears and hesitations will disappear once you get started.

When you get done, your sense of accomplishment will be the best feeling you've had in a while. I know it, because I'm feeling it right now.

Abe Villarreal is the Director of Communications at Western New Mexico University. When not on campus,Abe enjoys writing about his observations on marketing, life, people and American traditions.