So, I’m feeling better than I was. It’s still a bit touch and go, but overall, I’m encouraged.
Laughing definitely helps.
To that end, here’s another of my favorite videos. Ladies and gents, I give you Nathan Fillion in a kilt on Craig Ferguson. (You’re welcome.)
“I’m just a little unwell.”
– Matchbox Twenty, Unwell
I’m having a very hard time of it this week. Some of it is certainly post-vacation letdown, which can be particularly fierce when your vacation consists of a week on a mountaintop hanging out with other writers. (Other attendees have written about this phenomenon, so it’s not just me.) There’s also the not-so-small matter that, since I suffer from depression, I’m vulnerable to gloomy weather, and it rained EVERY DAY I was at Wildacres, starting about ten minutes after I arrived and continuing through my drive home. (In fairness, we had about two hours of sunshine Friday afternoon, but that’s it. Even when it wasn’t actively raining, it was still overcast and too dim.) Add the fact that I didn’t watch my diet and consumed too little fruit & veg and too many evil sugars and it’s a miracle that I haven’t totally dissolved into a weeping mess and just refused to get out of bed.
(For the record, that’s never happened to me yet. I may be a weeping mess now and then, but I still get up and get dressed first.)
Anyhow, I spent way, way too much time on Pinterest today and luckily saw a video that both made me laugh and brought me back from the point of tears. So, in the interest of possibly helping another despondent soul, here it is. Trust me, the story is funny, and the way Gerard Butler tells it is truly delightful. Enjoy!
UPDATE: The above video has been supplanted by one that’s even better. I give you Pine Nuts versus Cumberbitches:
“I’ve been sleeping a thousand years it seems / Got to open my eyes to everythingâ€
Evanescence, “Bring Me To Life
I spent the past week at a creative writing retreat, one I’ve been to many times. In some ways, it felt like I was spending more time alone; at home, I’ve always got my parents flitting in and out, but somehow, being at Wildacres is different. Even though I was staying in a building that slept 50 other people, when all the doors are closed and everyone is hard at work (or possibly napping), it’s easy to feel isolated.
Of course, then you go to a meal with fifty friends old and new. You’re surrounded by conversation whether you want to be or not. (For the record, I rarely mind, because the conversations tend to be unique and are often pretty fascinating.)
After a few days there, I honestly feel more awake, more present, more alive. I can’t decide precisely why, although I suspect it’s a range of factors: a sense of renewal that comes with a break from news, TV, and internet; the sense of connection with a writing community; even a simple change of scenery, the escape from the ever-present demands of work (a huge disadvantage of working from home — it’s always a few steps away). I feel more confident when I’m there, like I’m a better version of myself.
Unfortunately, the feeling starts to wear off pretty quickly once I get home. Maybe it’s the exhaustion talking, but by mid-afternoon today, I was already starting to feel impossibly cranky and more than a little depressed. I miss my writing people, and I have zero interest in working tomorrow (or possibly ever again). Severe gloom on re-entry is commonly reported by members of our group, but that doesn’t make it any easier to handle. I’m hoping another good night’s sleep will help. If not, I guess I’ll figure out a new strategy tomorrow.
Over and out.
Recently, I applied to become a contributor at a new site called Medium that lets you publish things — articles, essays, fiction, or whatever. I was accepted, and since then, I’ve been trying to decide what I wanted to write, what I might want to share on Medium rather than here. Tonight, in the shower, I thought of something; the words started flowing in my head, and despite being seriously tired, I muddled through how to make a “collection” on the site and put my words on the glowing screen. It’s probably the most honest work I’ve ever written, so I haven’t hit publish just yet. I sent a preview link to a couple of wonderful ladies and already got a very positive response back from one. So I’m probably going to put my essay out there in a few days. After all, what’s the point in being writer if you don’t write about what really matters now and then?
Further bulletins as events warrant. For now, over & out.
UPDATE: I did publish the piece; you can read it on Medium.
