Writing is your true nature

Sometimes you forget that writing is your true nature.

Sometimes you feel so overwhelmed by the how and the how much, you can’t see that the path is simple and straightforward.

A few days ago, I was driving with my daughter through the gently rolling hills of eastern Iowa, past cornfields and silver silos. I flew out to visit her at college, because she was in some physical and psychological distress. Now that the medical appointments were behind us, now that I was clear what was the source of her physical ailments, I asked her the following:

What can you do to build some ground beneath you? What will help you manage the stress?

I was thinking hydration, more greens, a little exercise, maybe meditation. Her answer surprised and delighted me:

Spend more time making art and music.

BOOM.

Remember this: It’s not about a deadline or an external goal or some idea of who you think you are or what you think you should be producing.

Writing is first and foremost about getting some ground underneath you. It’s about coming back to yourself in whatever form feeds you. You put pen to paper and you are home again.

It’s that simple.