2016 did not play nicely. It took away my mama and my beloved precious kitten Ruby. Several friends have lost a parent this year, including two very recently. And I'm not even going to talk about the election.
But the worst part is I have lost some of my motivation to write. And I hate it.
I WANT to write. An idea will flash through my brain, but before I can grab it, it slips through my fingers, like trying to catch smoke with my hands.
It's not just blogging, either. I feel as though my brain is like an old electrical outlet that I remember from my childhood. Too many cords, all of them cloth-covered and some of them frayed, plugged into my brain, which then overheats and shuts down. So far, I haven't completely blown a fuse or caused a fire, but it could happen.
With the beginning of a new year (okay, beginning plus a month and a half), I'm going to do my best to rewire all those cords, maybe even plug them into a fancy surge protector instead of an extension cord. A few of those cords might not even be needed anymore. I think I'll unplug them one at a time and see what happens (lights flicker ominously...).
My first step in the rewiring process is that I have stepped down as host of Ten Things of Thankful. I've been a lousy host for months now, not writing OR reading posts, but by officially unplugging that cord, I will no longer feel a little shock when I brush past it.
2017 is going to bring plenty of things to write about. I have one kid graduating from high school and one from college. I'm going to participate in the A to Z Challenge again this year. I'm planning to go on some adventures. And there's Nora. Oh, that Nora!
Soon, I will write.
Linking up with Ten Things of Thankful
One of the things I've come to adore about you, Dyanne, is that you present yourself so honestly, and manage to do that with a bit of humor even in the hard times and the frustrating times, and the very sad times. And Lord knows you've had to deal with all of those in the past year and more. It seems that many of us fade in and out on writing. The desire is always there, but we can't always make it work. I loved your imagery of frayed cords coming from your brain, and I concur that it's definitely time to do some removal and some rewiring until your feeling the surge of word power again! No worries about being a TToT co-host, I'm not going to ask anyone to continue with that responsibility, I think as it grew so large it became a daunting task for anyone to make the rounds, and that defeats the purpose of fun and sharing. I want you to feel that you can join in with your own thankfuls, as many as you care to share, at any time, and all I ask is that you visit a few others if/as you are able. I will see that everyone gets at least one visit/comment, and hopefully everyone's personal blog friends will be reading and commenting on their posts too. You do have some wonderful good things coming up, including the graduations; adventures are always wonderful, and you know that the antics of little Nora are the best free entertainment on Facebook for many of us! Now that I can finally comment on your blog, I am looking forward to your A-Z this year and am contemplating what I will do for mine. Thank you so much for dropping by the new TToT blog to share with us, it means a lot to me! <3
ReplyDeleteWelcome back ...
ReplyDelete2016 had many changes for me too
My kids are teens now and wow... it'll be ok I have good kids
The company I work for the last 5 years as of 2016 sold to a huge corporation
Good news I still have a job; but many changes; conferences, training, late nights, more training and more conferences - I also think a trip to St.Louis sometime this year is being planned.
Oh and yes the elections; yes that happened too, and boy oh boy am I concerned
Good for you rewiring the cords - I look forward to your A to Z challenge.
I am right behind you gearing up to writing again - hopefully I will find the time.
Looking forward to reading your blog again...I am certain Nora has given you many things to write about. :)
Welcome back! I've missed you. You always have such entertaining A to Z posts; I can't wait to see what you come up with this year! I haven't figured out yet if I'm participating this time.
ReplyDeleteI often get behind with blog world. I have the best of intentions but life does at times have other plans. Just gotta do what you can and what you can't well, tomorrow is another day and another chance to do what you can.
ReplyDeleteOh, Dyanne. I can relate to the meme of the frayed and unplugged cords. I think sometimes, by unplugging and escaping, you come back with more to give. I'll look forward to your A-Z. Are you still going to do Pinterest projects? I so enjoy that. Still using that Magic Oil from the first year. And who can forget Bagel Head?
ReplyDeleteYou have a cat named Nora??? All this time I thought her name was Dammit and Nora was a surname!!???
ReplyDeletehey! where the hell have you been! (I was tempted to use a Jack Nicholson video clip from Five Easy Pieces but even I'm not that weird)
ReplyDeletegood to 'see' you back on the hustings
"I WANT to write. An idea will flash through my brain."
ReplyDeleteI feel like that too. A lot of times I get pulled in different directions that my laptop gets out of reach and I face this many piles of things to do that are important too. But writing takes my mind to a much needed mental "break." So I push myself to do it, and so I can connect with fellow like-minded bloggers.
Have a good weekend.
I am so glad to see you here in this space, Dyanne. I've really missed reading you here, but I'm glad to be able to keep up with you on Facebook in the meantime.
ReplyDeleteI think several of us were feeling the same about the TTOT co-hosting. One thing in life is always certain -things change. Maybe we need this shift to breathe new life into what is already a great thing. I'm so glad Lizzi was willing to pass the torch or organizing to Josie and that Josie was able to offer. I think this will be good.
As for writing, I think we all have an ebb and flow and that's OK. I know I have (see my Fallow Period post) and I know others have as well. Take it for what it is and respect your words...they'll come when it's time.
Love you!
It is nice to see you back. That cord looks like some old things I saw on our farm when I was a kid. Of course it was in among junk and never actually in use. I certainly can relate to the comparisons you made to the brain. Usually my moments like that come when I am feeling stressed.
ReplyDeleteI definitely go through periods where it's super hard to motivate. It's always a challenge. I'm so glad you will be doing the A to Z Challenge again this year. I loved your posts last year and am looking forward to this year's challenge. I think writing challenges like the challenge are often a good way to help get "unstuck" too.
ReplyDeleteWeekendsInMaine