I’m back working at the regular day job as of Tuesday, and I should have taken a picture of how my last day of summer vacation began: a pile of laundry the size of Texas; a to-do list dressed up with a post-it marked up with more to-do’s; and a couple of wheezing kids (mean ol’e late-summer allergies).
But really, this whole day-before-work-begins-again-how-will-I-get-it-all-done (!) frenzy/panic didn’t come out of nowhere. I’d been grooming myself into such a state for weeks. Every time I opened my notebook and wrote for a page or two, I fed the beast.
Monday. Busy. Work, Drs. appts, gymnastics, people for dinner.
Wednesday. Gymnastics. B-U-S-Y. Want a nap.
So much to do, hardly have any time.
Hurried
Rushed
anxious about money
distracted
too busy
feel like I’m procrastinating
Saturday. Focus. I need some.
The gymnastics class was my daughter’s but the angst? All mine, and you can be certain that underneath all that journal-speak was the invariable complaint, “I never have time to write.”
This time of year (and any time of year), I could give you a thousand reasons why I can’t write, most have to do with time or energy or level of confidence. This week, though, I read an email from Notes from the Universe that redirected my thinking a bit:
What happens when someone worries?
Basically, they think of 100 reasons why something might go wrong.[or might not happen]
And all of those thoughts then struggle to become things, sometimes overriding their more constructive thoughts. . . .
Have you sat down yet and listed 100 reasons why it…
[like writing that novel]
…might come to you easily, fast, and harmoniously?
I think you should.
So, okay. I won’t flood you with 1oo reasons why I–or let’s say YOU–can write, but I’ll get the conversation rolling.
Because you want to.
Because that story idea hasn’t died off yet.
Because you’ve come too far in that draft to turn back now.
Because the other day you wrote for two hours and maybe finished two paragraphs, but they were really good paragraphs.
Because your kids believe you can.
Because your dad believes you can.
Because your kids are old enough to stay home alone for an hour or two.
And there’s a coffee shop nearby.
And you like coffee.
… Let’s hear your reasons why the writing is possible.
Need more pep talks? Check out Lisa Rivero’s “Get Serious About Writing: The Blog Series!”
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I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.
~ Duke Ellington