Wonderful piece to start my day. I do believe our world is worth saving, but lately my mind and heart ask "how?". Many of us gave up decades ago for a kinder, gentler place that supports an even greater state: Peace ☮️. The human condition, however, seems to prefer violence and aggression while we love our babies, our kitties and puppies and celebrities.
Thank you, Grimalkin! As for saving the world, well, I guess it will always be a vale of tears to some extent (realizing this and relinquishing the idea of control is important), but we all have a role to play. Everyone can change the world even if only a little bit (but sometimes a lot) for the people and animals (and plants!) close to them. And of course, I believe in the power of art.
I couldn't finish reading this before coming to comment but I will go back and read (and re-read probably) this again. I know you didn't, but I feel like you wrote this post for me and I would love to have a real life conversation with you about it sometime. I get beaten down sometimes because all I seem to write about is "sad girls" and sadness and I realize that's partly because Mary Sue Sunshine with a perfect life isn't all that fun to read about, but sometimes I want to write funny but I put pen to page and nothing but sad seems to come out. And I think that's part of my frustration with my writing lately. I think it was Anne Lamott who said that you have to come to terms with the writer that you are and for a while I thought I had, but lately I feel like I'm struggling against it. I dunno. Anyway, really though provoking post.
We should definitely chat about this sometime. And some writers do change a fair bit over the course of a career, so maybe you are actually on the cusp of a change, or maybe you just need some time away. Or maybe there is a mix of sad AND funny waiting to come out. I think you will figure it out eventually!
Thank you. Will come back to this one again and again, I think. I got sucked into the bullshit you describe so well for a long spell but am slowly climbing free. Building community, trying to move forward, looking around at the actual humans in the flesh in my actual life and leaning into that (and them) all help.
Wonderful piece to start my day. I do believe our world is worth saving, but lately my mind and heart ask "how?". Many of us gave up decades ago for a kinder, gentler place that supports an even greater state: Peace ☮️. The human condition, however, seems to prefer violence and aggression while we love our babies, our kitties and puppies and celebrities.
Thank you, Grimalkin! As for saving the world, well, I guess it will always be a vale of tears to some extent (realizing this and relinquishing the idea of control is important), but we all have a role to play. Everyone can change the world even if only a little bit (but sometimes a lot) for the people and animals (and plants!) close to them. And of course, I believe in the power of art.
I couldn't finish reading this before coming to comment but I will go back and read (and re-read probably) this again. I know you didn't, but I feel like you wrote this post for me and I would love to have a real life conversation with you about it sometime. I get beaten down sometimes because all I seem to write about is "sad girls" and sadness and I realize that's partly because Mary Sue Sunshine with a perfect life isn't all that fun to read about, but sometimes I want to write funny but I put pen to page and nothing but sad seems to come out. And I think that's part of my frustration with my writing lately. I think it was Anne Lamott who said that you have to come to terms with the writer that you are and for a while I thought I had, but lately I feel like I'm struggling against it. I dunno. Anyway, really though provoking post.
We should definitely chat about this sometime. And some writers do change a fair bit over the course of a career, so maybe you are actually on the cusp of a change, or maybe you just need some time away. Or maybe there is a mix of sad AND funny waiting to come out. I think you will figure it out eventually!
Now that I've read the whole thing again, I want to give you a standing ovation.
Thank you!
Thank you. Will come back to this one again and again, I think. I got sucked into the bullshit you describe so well for a long spell but am slowly climbing free. Building community, trying to move forward, looking around at the actual humans in the flesh in my actual life and leaning into that (and them) all help.
Yes, all of these things matter!
I dunno, Lynda... feel like you nicked most of this from me... ;) What an excellent essay.
😆thank you
CAN ( or KeGarne) I ADD THE CLICHE, DON’t LET THE BASTURDS GRIND YA DOWN.🖖🏻♾️