This is the best time of year to write.
It’s also the worst time to try to be productive.
You wonder where that burst of energy went
That had you rolling up your sleeves
Just a few months ago.
You think, I should be working on my project.
You think, I should be more productive.
On the eve of the winter solstice,
You sense the slowing.
You intuitively know it’s time to be still.
And while you run around a little less this year
because of Covid,
It’s still hard to put on the breaks.
I’m not saying you should stop writing, by the way.
Just slow it down.
It’s a good time to get lost in a notebook.
I recommend a separate one,
Without any connection to a project.
A place where you have total permission
To accomplish nothing.
It’s the most simple, most basic act you know.
To pick up a pen, open to a clean page
And let go.
This is the gift you give yourself this season,
The gift of freedom on the page.
I’m still posting topics on social media, if that interests you.
It helps to have a topic to anchor your mind.
But it’s not necessary.
You can start where you are,
With the chair you are sitting on
And the pen you are holding
And see where your mind takes you.
