Prompt Hodgepodge
So here are the three prompts I've missed this week:
Sunday: "Wave your magic wand – whoosh – what would you transform, create, or make disappear in 2015? Don't be afraid to change the world, or merely alter the mundane. Just be prepared to defend your decision with reason, or irrational emotion!
Monday: "Get on your soapbox. What issue, idea, or stance were you vocal about this year? Or did you let it internally build up? Was there an event, person, or time that triggered your strong reaction? Or was it a slow-burn? Why do you feel so strongly – is it personal? Emotional? Strictly reasonable?"
Today: "The calendar still says 2014, but let's push forward. What are you looking forward to in 2015? Is there an event, special occasion, or reunion that you're counting down the days until? Planning a trip? A life change? A move? Or maybe it's the simple pleasures – the release of a movie, something or someone hitting a stage near you."
I'm not sure why I lost enthusiasm so quickly, but it's pretty pathetic. Things have been busy, but that's not a good excuse. I think part of it is that I'm not feeling very reflective -- I've spent a lot of time thinking this year and trying to figure out my life, so right now I feel just kinda tired of thinking. I feel tired of almost everything, now that I think about it. Tired of having to figure out what to wear. Tired of taking a shower. Tired of answering emails. Tired of letting Clyde in and out. Tired of having to fill my car up with gas. Tired tired tired. I want to just be a lump for awhile.
(Don't take this too seriously -- it's 11:03 at night and I'm actually physically tired.)
There's also that for the Sunday and Monday prompts I feel like I should say something socially or culturally meaningful, and that just takes so much energy. The fact of the matter is that I'm already making a lot of changes for 2015 -- changing my job, changing my income, changing what makes up my day-to-day, changing what takes up my energy. That's incredibly exciting, but it also scares the shit out of me. I can defend my decision with both reason AND irrational emotion, but regardless, not knowing the outcome and being afraid I'll fail is freakin' scary. It's one of those decisions where you know it's the best thing to do, but you still want to run screaming back to the status quo. I just keep mentally quoting my favorite line from Lean In: "What would you do if you weren't afraid?"
As far as a soapbox, I think this post on creativity and business is a common topic I get fired up about. I've also gotten pretty fired up this year about leadership and the right way to build a team, but I think I want to leave that topic for another day. That's another thing that seems like too much energy right now.
I think maybe I can muster up something for today's prompt, though. Maybe.
Obviously there's a big life change coming with me leaving my job and doing my own thing. But let's talk about something a little less complex: VACATION. It looks like we might end up going to GREECE this year. I'm really, seriously excited. We're talking about renting a boat with friends and sailing around the islands, which sounds like something fancy people do. It's a very writerly thing to do, too, so I'm planning on sitting on the deck with my notebook, pretending I'm Hemingway.
Trips like that -- trips that are out of the country, that take a lot of planning, that involve expensive plane tickets -- are, let's be honest, overwhelming. Am I sure we should be going to Greece right now, with so many other changes going on? It'd be easier, safer, to stay home. But then I think, "When else are you going to have an opportunity to do this?" Michael and I probably wouldn't go to Greece on our own. At some point, this group of friends is going to start having kids, and people won't suggest crazy things like, "Let's rent a boat and sail around Greece." Yolo, guys.
So, I think we're going to Greece :)
Sunday: "Wave your magic wand – whoosh – what would you transform, create, or make disappear in 2015? Don't be afraid to change the world, or merely alter the mundane. Just be prepared to defend your decision with reason, or irrational emotion!
Monday: "Get on your soapbox. What issue, idea, or stance were you vocal about this year? Or did you let it internally build up? Was there an event, person, or time that triggered your strong reaction? Or was it a slow-burn? Why do you feel so strongly – is it personal? Emotional? Strictly reasonable?"
Today: "The calendar still says 2014, but let's push forward. What are you looking forward to in 2015? Is there an event, special occasion, or reunion that you're counting down the days until? Planning a trip? A life change? A move? Or maybe it's the simple pleasures – the release of a movie, something or someone hitting a stage near you."
I'm not sure why I lost enthusiasm so quickly, but it's pretty pathetic. Things have been busy, but that's not a good excuse. I think part of it is that I'm not feeling very reflective -- I've spent a lot of time thinking this year and trying to figure out my life, so right now I feel just kinda tired of thinking. I feel tired of almost everything, now that I think about it. Tired of having to figure out what to wear. Tired of taking a shower. Tired of answering emails. Tired of letting Clyde in and out. Tired of having to fill my car up with gas. Tired tired tired. I want to just be a lump for awhile.
(Don't take this too seriously -- it's 11:03 at night and I'm actually physically tired.)
There's also that for the Sunday and Monday prompts I feel like I should say something socially or culturally meaningful, and that just takes so much energy. The fact of the matter is that I'm already making a lot of changes for 2015 -- changing my job, changing my income, changing what makes up my day-to-day, changing what takes up my energy. That's incredibly exciting, but it also scares the shit out of me. I can defend my decision with both reason AND irrational emotion, but regardless, not knowing the outcome and being afraid I'll fail is freakin' scary. It's one of those decisions where you know it's the best thing to do, but you still want to run screaming back to the status quo. I just keep mentally quoting my favorite line from Lean In: "What would you do if you weren't afraid?"
As far as a soapbox, I think this post on creativity and business is a common topic I get fired up about. I've also gotten pretty fired up this year about leadership and the right way to build a team, but I think I want to leave that topic for another day. That's another thing that seems like too much energy right now.
I think maybe I can muster up something for today's prompt, though. Maybe.
Obviously there's a big life change coming with me leaving my job and doing my own thing. But let's talk about something a little less complex: VACATION. It looks like we might end up going to GREECE this year. I'm really, seriously excited. We're talking about renting a boat with friends and sailing around the islands, which sounds like something fancy people do. It's a very writerly thing to do, too, so I'm planning on sitting on the deck with my notebook, pretending I'm Hemingway.
Trips like that -- trips that are out of the country, that take a lot of planning, that involve expensive plane tickets -- are, let's be honest, overwhelming. Am I sure we should be going to Greece right now, with so many other changes going on? It'd be easier, safer, to stay home. But then I think, "When else are you going to have an opportunity to do this?" Michael and I probably wouldn't go to Greece on our own. At some point, this group of friends is going to start having kids, and people won't suggest crazy things like, "Let's rent a boat and sail around Greece." Yolo, guys.
So, I think we're going to Greece :)