I know I should push myself to set some kind of measurable goals again… But it’s another one of those days where the road ahead of us invites that insidious depression that says there’s too much to do and finding our way to the end of this road is an intolerably long prospect.
In the past week, then, I found the Zen to Zany page on Facebook, and the quote to the right. I also found the tragedy of another author who has been bullied into silence. I don’t know Sarah even peripherally, and I’ve been lucky enough so far to have avoided having bullying or stalking or any of the other trollish activities I see online directed my way (knock on wood that I continue without that burden). I do know, though, that each of us has a story. And we all suffer in our stories. I’m just an optimist enough to feel deep in my bones that there’s a silver lining in every cloud.
So I’m scaling back again. For this round, I know I have more classwork–I’ve been scheduled for two classes one session. We also have a major project deliverable coming up in May at work. If I manage fiction writing this round, it will be a big bonus. I’d like to take at least two 2-mile walks per week to mitigate for all the sitting I’ve been doing for work and school. And we have tasks to accomplish related to moving even though I’m still mostly in Virginia while the rest of my family is in Wisconsin.
There’s more than enough to do… I’m just trying to cut back on the sense of being overwhelmed by it all. And reading the wrap-up post by one of the ROW80 moderators from last round about burn-out shows me there’s good sense in backing off and taking a wait and see approach. May the next 80 tomorrows help me find peace in that approach.