𝑨 𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑺𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒑

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

I figured something out. I’ve been in a writing slump for the last few days, to the point where one day I didn’t have anything I’d written that day. To me, that seems unimaginable because I write at least something every day.

So, I started to think back on what’s been going on in my life that's different. I haven’t been feeling all that well, but nothing to write home about. I’ve been taking long naps, which isn’t unusual, but every day? Staying up late watching Netflix? Well, that could be contributing to some of the creative struggles. So, those two things might be involved.

I hardly ever get into social media stuff except to post on Facebook occasionally. Maybe two or three times a month. So, there is no deep dive into stuff like that. That’s when it hit me. I’ve been reading the news. And we all know who shoots off his mouth every day. There isn’t one day when he can keep his mouth shut.

It is upsetting to me how he attacks everybody left and right, whether they are Americans or not. I’m a senior citizen. For the first time since I got old, I found somebody who hates the elderly. I am afraid that the next social security payment I get will be the last. What will we do then? It’s scary and I’m frightened.

I tried to find a news source that didn’t discuss him, or at least one that I could trust to report unbiased news. I thought it was the Associated Press. That’s where my husband gets his news. He is a newspaper reporter. He said that’s who he trusts.

So, I don’t want to talk about it anymore. It’s an addiction, and today? I’m not going to watch the news, but maybe I'll get something interesting written.

I wonder if turning over a new leaf is something that you need to do on a regular basis. I suppose it’s like any other habit. You have to work at it until it becomes an ingrained behavior.

So, the goal is to write. I see now how certain things can get in the way of that. Eliminate them, or, at least, neutralize them, and perhaps the writing will be easier.

Tell me, do you have a writing practice? Something that you do on a regular basis and not just once every month or so? Writing helps me to calm down, to sort through issues that grate on my nerves. The writing doesn’t necessarily solve them; it just makes it easier to handle. In the long run, I think writing helps me to be a better person.

Thanks for reading.

Love,

𝑷𝒂𝒖𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝑬𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒔𝒌𝒚