This was originally published here, at Examined Family, on November 9, 2022 Do you have a creative goal—write an op-ed, a poem, get back to drawing, singing, painting—that is endlessly pushed to the end of your to do list? First, you are not alone. So many people are with you—feeling mystified as to why they have such trouble realizing their dreams of self-expression.
Next week I'm starting a two-week break, which is great, right? But I couldn't allow myself to just *not* *publish* anything because that felt like presuming too much so I put out a call to my subscribers to submit something for publication and I would publish it on those two Fridays. I got two submissions. One was lovely, heartfelt, but way too short to function as a stand-alone. The other? A naked selfie of some dude named Roland. Womp-womp.
I've spent some time online dating and I have NEVER received a single unsolicited dick pic. I wasn't offended, really. More just... tired. Like, really dude?!? And then it occurred to me that maybe the real takeaway was that I need to just TAKE THE BREAK and let my readers know exactly what happened when I tried to scramble to not just rest.
I figure this is the kind of crap that women who put themselves out there eventually deal with at one point or another. And I'm about to embark on some bigger, more public projects, so maybe the Universe is giving me the nudge. Like, Ready? How about you rest up and make sure. So, that's what I'm going to do.
Everything about this piece speaks to my soul today. I finally launched the newsletter I've been dreaming up for months. But now I'm getting bogged down by this intense fear that I can't keep up with the breakneck speed of THE ENTIRE INTERNET!
"Be more accountable to your body, to your dreams, to your co-conspirators" — I'm absolutely going to try this, Thanks so much for the insight!
I have recently discovered the power of turning off the internet. Life-changing. And you’re so right-half of what I would have looked up doesn’t really end up mattering
Thanks so much for closing with the incomparable wisdom of the amazing Thomas Merton! We desperately need to adhere to his teachings on nonviolence! DD
I shared the Thomas Merton quote in my writer group meeting today. It rocked everyone's world and they loved it. It turned out to be exactly the thing everyone in the room said they needed to hear right now.
Naps and breaks, toggle away. Maximise life before paper reads and writes. Minimise screen time to say 24 hours weekly - allows me to study & create for 40+. Target is a years scheduled posts in nine months...... 69 years of unpublished notes to myself ready already. Peace, Maurice
Next week I'm starting a two-week break, which is great, right? But I couldn't allow myself to just *not* *publish* anything because that felt like presuming too much so I put out a call to my subscribers to submit something for publication and I would publish it on those two Fridays. I got two submissions. One was lovely, heartfelt, but way too short to function as a stand-alone. The other? A naked selfie of some dude named Roland. Womp-womp.
I've spent some time online dating and I have NEVER received a single unsolicited dick pic. I wasn't offended, really. More just... tired. Like, really dude?!? And then it occurred to me that maybe the real takeaway was that I need to just TAKE THE BREAK and let my readers know exactly what happened when I tried to scramble to not just rest.
I figure this is the kind of crap that women who put themselves out there eventually deal with at one point or another. And I'm about to embark on some bigger, more public projects, so maybe the Universe is giving me the nudge. Like, Ready? How about you rest up and make sure. So, that's what I'm going to do.
Courtney, thank you for gifting us with these words. This was spot-on, and I absolutely needed it.
I’ve read this a couple times now. Thank you.
Everything about this piece speaks to my soul today. I finally launched the newsletter I've been dreaming up for months. But now I'm getting bogged down by this intense fear that I can't keep up with the breakneck speed of THE ENTIRE INTERNET!
"Be more accountable to your body, to your dreams, to your co-conspirators" — I'm absolutely going to try this, Thanks so much for the insight!
I have recently discovered the power of turning off the internet. Life-changing. And you’re so right-half of what I would have looked up doesn’t really end up mattering
Wow I loved this. The quote on boundaries really hit me. I wondered, do I love myself enough?
Thanks so much for closing with the incomparable wisdom of the amazing Thomas Merton! We desperately need to adhere to his teachings on nonviolence! DD
Truth. PREACH IT!! Love and feel every bit of this. Thank you, Courtney.
A sentence a day. I love that.
Love the idea of writing down "google" questions!!
I shared the Thomas Merton quote in my writer group meeting today. It rocked everyone's world and they loved it. It turned out to be exactly the thing everyone in the room said they needed to hear right now.
Naps and breaks, toggle away. Maximise life before paper reads and writes. Minimise screen time to say 24 hours weekly - allows me to study & create for 40+. Target is a years scheduled posts in nine months...... 69 years of unpublished notes to myself ready already. Peace, Maurice