I'm so grateful for all of your posts, Kim, and this one is particularly apt. I am extremely lucky to have a secure job that I can do from home; extremely lucky to have a safe home to work in, for that matter. And I've been feeling just a little critical that I haven't been using my commuting time to work on my novel. You have just pointed out something that would be obvious to me any other time: even without a 25-km roundtrip bike ride, my energy is at a premium right now. Re-reading an old fave is not slacking off, it's creating a little harbour for me and my emotions. And the Billy Collins poem! Fabulous! Thank you so much.
Rachel, we're all so hard on ourselves! And this idea that we have to produce, produce, produce 18 hours a day (and tap into our dreams while we sleep to solve the problems we can't untwist during the day) is beyond ridiculous. We all need recovery time: you can't exercise a muscle non-stop--you have to have some resting time. Everyone keeps saying we need to be kind to one another right now, and we do--and we need to be kind to ourselves as well. Be well!
Ahhhhh....I love this. I'm sending it to my daughter-in-law who must be going crazy in a new job, "working" at home with two little ones. Plus....even though my gloomy thought pattern had been "sh-t, work is going to dry up. How can I afford to go to King's now?", you've reinvigorated me. What a great community. What an inspiring post. Thank you!
Midway through “Wind in the Willows” as I read this—on Audible, with my mom. We just finished “Alice in Wonderland” while she was in the hospital. We are re-enacting the reading she did to us as children.
I'm so grateful for all of your posts, Kim, and this one is particularly apt. I am extremely lucky to have a secure job that I can do from home; extremely lucky to have a safe home to work in, for that matter. And I've been feeling just a little critical that I haven't been using my commuting time to work on my novel. You have just pointed out something that would be obvious to me any other time: even without a 25-km roundtrip bike ride, my energy is at a premium right now. Re-reading an old fave is not slacking off, it's creating a little harbour for me and my emotions. And the Billy Collins poem! Fabulous! Thank you so much.
Rachel, we're all so hard on ourselves! And this idea that we have to produce, produce, produce 18 hours a day (and tap into our dreams while we sleep to solve the problems we can't untwist during the day) is beyond ridiculous. We all need recovery time: you can't exercise a muscle non-stop--you have to have some resting time. Everyone keeps saying we need to be kind to one another right now, and we do--and we need to be kind to ourselves as well. Be well!
Ahhhhh....I love this. I'm sending it to my daughter-in-law who must be going crazy in a new job, "working" at home with two little ones. Plus....even though my gloomy thought pattern had been "sh-t, work is going to dry up. How can I afford to go to King's now?", you've reinvigorated me. What a great community. What an inspiring post. Thank you!
Peggy, it is a great community, and I'm glad you're part of it. We need to lean on each other, and I'm happy this post helped! Be well.
Thanks, you too
Thank you for calling out the cruelty of loading “now fit in writing your masterpiece “ onto this moment. Who needs that!
You're welcome, Sarah! And I'm picturing you and your mom reading about Toad and Mole and Ratty together. Be well!
Midway through “Wind in the Willows” as I read this—on Audible, with my mom. We just finished “Alice in Wonderland” while she was in the hospital. We are re-enacting the reading she did to us as children.