I’ve been beating myself up about the blog the last few weeks. I missed a deadline two weeks ago – my first this year – and have been dreading writing the next few posts.
By coincidence, I came across a post I wrote in 2023, which contained a timely message: It’s ok to take a break.
Take five. Take ten if you need it. Treat yourself well, whatever that means for you. Sit in meditation, take a hot shower, watch the sunset, or whatever feels good for you. Take a break from chores, goals, and expectations, and let yourself simply be. Maybe that’s a few minutes or a half hour in your day or maybe it’s a whole weekend. Perhaps you need to let one thing slide so that you can get put order to something else that’s also important.
Don’t forget to be kind to yourself. You won’t realize the full benefits of taking a break if you spend the spare time beating yourself up over it. If you feel a negative urge coming on, take a moment and turn it around. Reflect on what you’ve accomplished and remind yourself you’ve earned a break. Be good to yourself.
I wasn’t completely slothful this weekend. I finished two books: True Crime Story by Joseph Knox, a twisty murder mystery presented as true-crime interviews with the family members and friends of a missing college student; and Black Kiss, Howard Chaykin’s profane vampire porn meets heist film meets spree killer graphic novel.
I also started drafting out my writing and community goals for next year. They are ambitious, as usual, and I will certainly pare them back over the next few weeks as I reflect on what’s really important to me and what I can realistically accomplish. If I were retired, I could easily spend 40-45 hours a week writing, blogging, networking, and engaging in other creative fun, but alas, I must eat and for now that requires a day job. My creative writing comes first, blogging second, and then the chips must fall where they will.
And that’s ok. I don’t need to do everything, every day, all the time.
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