Sometimes we hit a wall. Fortunately, walls come in all sorts. Most start out small – a retaining wall that you may be tempted to step over, or a rickety wooden wall you can kick down. The problem is, you keep stepping and kicking and eventually that wall is going to get taller and stronger. Next thing you know you are banging your head against a concrete monstrosity with its top lost in the clouds.
Don’t turn small walls into big walls. Sit down on the retaining wall, lean against that wooden fence. Find a way to take a small break, and the wall will crumble on its own.
That’s where I ended up last week, with a low wall to stumble over. I expected it – I just started a new schedule, after all. So I sat down. I let a few things slide off my plate. Some I let go of entirely, others I postponed. It’s a new week. I’m refreshed. That wall? It was just a few rocks, after a rest they scattered on their own and I’m able to go on again.
Writing Updates:
I submitted a grand total of nothing last week, because I had to respect the wall and rest.
I didn’t hear back on any of the subs I have out, but glancing at my spreadsheet I can see that I probably won’t hear anything back for at least a week or two. That’s cool. Writing is a waiting game and there is little room for the impatient.
Two new non-fiction pieces hit:
Blooming Late Doesn’t Mean It’s Never Too Late.
~ and ~
Let me know what you think!
Reading Notes:
I’m working through a couple of books right now, but I only finished one:
“1000 Words” by Jami Attenberg Another great book on writing. This began as a project on Attenberg’s Craft Talk newsletter over on Substack (a great newsletter, I recommend subscribing). The book consists of essays, by Attenberg and a collection of other writers, that focus on the act of sitting down and getting the writing done. Not every essay hit home with me, but enough did that I would definitely recommend this.
Survive & Thrive:
I know, surviving, let alone thriving, feels problematic in the world we are living in right now. We are in a situation where the cost of housing takes over two-thirds of our income, and we have a killer deal that is well below the low-end average rental costs in our county.
Spring makes it easier, though. So do other people. There’s been an explosion this year of people throwing together simple, free events for themselves and strangers. Nothing crazy, nothing high energy. Things I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen since well before the pandemic:
- Stranger picnics – calls to anyone and everyone to come down to a park for pickup games of horseshoes, frisbee, basketball, etc. Bring your own picnic, along with something to share if you like.
- Silent <fill in the blank>. There have been silent discos where you come and dance in a public place with a bunch of other people that are listening to whatever is on their headphones. Another common one is the silent book club, where you simply show up somewhere and read whatever you want with other people. In both cases, you can stick around afterward to mingle and talk. What a wonderful way to foster community without the need for economic investment.
- Group walks, group rides, group runs – that aren’t part of some charity or corporate event that requires registration fees or other costs. Just show up and participate.
- Community sharers. I wasn’t sure what to call this. Generally, it’s people sharing their joy without trying to monetize it. There’s a guy that blows huge bubbles on the beach, and he invites young and old alike to try it out with his home built bubble wants. There’s a group of space enthusiasts (my son is one of them) who drag their telescopes to public places and invite all to look through the eye piece. Impromptu gatherings spring up around these people. Friends are made. Money never changes hands.
We are people, and we are also creatives. We need community to survive and to thrive. The corporatocracy has tried to convince us that there is no community without an entrance fee. They are wrong. Third places still exist, we just have to make them ourselves. We’ve spent too long depending on businesses to give us our third places, then complaining when we can’t afford it.
Make your own third space, or become a part of a third space someone else is building. All you need are flyers, or a social media post, or a community thread on something like Reddit.
Thrive. It will help you survive.
Go forth in hope, Friends!
Jenny Wren 