I’ve started at least 4 blog posts in the past 2 weeks with subjects ranging from charitable events to friends to gym etiquette, but I haven’t yet been able to string enough words, or substantial thoughts, together to create a moving post. I’ve been asked a number of times when the next entry is coming and I’m starting to freak out a little. The last thing I want to do is to not post something that others might identify with, or worse, something that has zero heart and integrity in it. So…I just haven’t posted. Even as I type this, having reread the entries I began but struggled to finish, I am really starting to wonder if my blog well has run dry. Have I run out of topics to write about that I’m passionate about or that I feel I can contribute a unique and heart felt opinion about? No, not likely…but what I fear is that I’m finding other things to fill my time with rather than having to use brain power to create my next post.
Can a person just run out of words to say? Can you feel passionately about a subject but just not have the energy to form cohesive thoughts about it? How much time should one allow themselves to sit idle without pushing themselves to action? And if we push ourselves to action, is the result the heartfelt and meaningful post people have become used to reading and have actually enjoyed? I voiced these questions to my brother the other day and even though I’m older and am supposed to be wiser (questionable at best) he always provides me with advice and guidance I hadn’t previously thought of. This time his advice was the same that I’ve given to others many, many times over; sometimes you just have to show up and, well, fake it til you make it. This isn’t to say that I should be faking my feelings on subjects that I write about or that I should be making up events to write about. It simply means that I put the pen to paper (yes, I know I’m using a computer) a couple of times a week and just write…even if I’m not feeling especially inspired to do so.
So…here we are. I’ve got a number of subjects that I’m passionate about, things that I can talk about for hours and hours, however, none is screaming to be written about at this moment. Instead, I’m doing what I know to do, write, and to do so without pretention and with whatever is heartfelt. In a sense, I’m showing up….putting one foot in front of the other and respecting a commitment I made to create these blogs, even if no one reads them. And in the bigger picture that’s really what most of our lives are about, isn’t it? It would be wonderful to be able to live every single day with a passion that sets your hair on fire and drive and determination that never needs rest…but that’s not realistic. Yes, we can live very passion filled, driven lives, but even the most passionate and zealous need some down time…time when they simply put one foot in front of the other.
It’s almost ironic that I’m writing about this because I just spent a week at a conference that made me think, gave me a little boost in the inspirational department and allowed me to see the passion resurge in the eyes of those around me. But, how realistic is it to think that we’re all going to be walking around filled with fire and spewing motivational quotes all day, every day? It’s not…and much of our lives are filled with the uninspiring and mundane. I don’t know that many people that would find washing the dishes, taking out the trash or sweeping the floor to be what sets their soul on fire (in fact, I can think of approximately zero people) but they are all things that as human beings and adults, have to get done. As unglamorous as it is, it’s real and in my opinion, it’s what makes those moments of inspiration and passion all the more intense and heartfelt. If not for days where doing the laundry is the highlight of our day, would the days when our creative juices really flow seem all that exceptional? Probably not….and if we always performed at a level of high intensity and motivation, when would we recharge? Even athletes of the highest level of performance need down time to recover and rejuvenate. Surely we mere mortals do as well…
As I head home from an incredible week, super charged and energized for the weeks coming I’m going to take the next 36 hours to enjoy the mundane tasks of doing my laundry, seeing people that make me smile, moving my body to stay healthy (and burn the excess craft brewers conference calories, thank you DC for the extra 5 pounds) and allowing my brain to rest. And the same is true for this blog…maybe I’ll come back tomorrow with something that has my heart and brain on fire and feel the need to share it with everyone…maybe I won’t. But, I’m here, I’m putting one foot in front of the other, I’m showing up…and some days, that’s all we really need to do.
I Rise ~ Andrea