This was the first week I was expected back in-person at the office since the pandemic. It was also the week where Senate control would be determined by my state, where we found out the lame-duck President pressured election officials to undermine the vote. Casual. And this was all before the coup.
I knew going in to have grace for myself. This goes against my Virgo perfectionism, which typically operates at a fever pitch. But I’ve gotten better about managing my desire for flawlessly smooth systems, for ultimate efficiency with no wasted effort, thanks to new parenthood during a pandemic.
When I’m can’t be productive or my plans otherwise don’t live up to my (exceedingly high) expectations, I practice self-compassion. What do I need in that moment? A lot of times, it’s to simplify. You quickly realize a lot of stuff doesn’t HAVE to get done right now.
Watching my daughter grow reminds me that childhood is not a race. Neither is our creative process. It’s often better to slow down and savor where we’re at right now. There are seasons for everything.
Thank you so much for sharing all of this. (Georgia! Come through!)
"Watching my daughter grow reminds me that childhood is not a race. Neither is our creative process. It’s often better to slow down and savor where we’re at right now. There are seasons for everything." The wisdom here! <3
I took almost a year off of writing my queer romance novels due to finally confronting painful trauma I'd been avoiding. I'd been blocked for quite some time, and at the end of 2020 my creative energy started filtering in, so I eased back into a writing schedule. I kept with it for a week and felt absolutely incredible.
And then Wednesday happened.
I'm still wearing a thin, baby fresh skin--it hasn't toughened up to handle the world being on fire, and I knew if I tried to push, I'd end up back where I was through most of 2020. So I took Wednesday and Thursday off, then woke up today hungry to create again. At least if the world was burning, I'd be building something new.
It's tough. I'm high risk, so I'm not able to work outside the home, and I don't have a career that lends itself to working from home either. All of our income is tied up in freelance work right now, and that means the pressure is heavy. But I can't let myself break again. I can't risk saying goodbye to my writing forever.
Since my current draft is essentially a polyamorous and trans romance inspired by Stardew Valley, I let myself sink into a new game so I could drink up the exact energy I'm trying to give my readers. It fed me, reminding me of the escape I want my writing to be. I'm happy I managed another 2,000 words today - and now I'm going to slink back into my game and remember to fight for my happiness.
Congratulations on 2000 words — that's truly tremendous! This week has definitely & understandably rattled the internal/emotional structures it seems many folks were just starting to get back into place after November's election.
Also, your project sounds awesome! We love a polyamorous & trans romance!
After a staycation of three weeks and lots of self-care, I felt ready to get back to it this week! As a solo entrepreneur, I was proud of myself for actually taking a vacation and treating it as such instead of working the whole time. All was going well until the coup hit on Wednesday and then my energy just flew out the door. I gave myself permission that day to recuperate and rejuvenate. So now I'm taking it slower the rest of this week and into next week so I can regain my footing and feel grounded once again.
Taking a vacation when you work for yourself is so hard. Congratulations! That is legit a tremendous accomplishment.
I know a lot of folks are still having to work through a coup (because, the world we live in), but seriously if you can r&r, do R&R! My fragile baby meditation practice is out the window, and I'll pick it back up sometime, but I've been trying to get outside to take walks instead to just burn off the constant simmering anxiety.
Whew. I guess I thought with Mars moving into Taurus, I'd appreciate a slower, earthier start to my mornings, but I feel more like I'm stuck in the mud. Energy towards priority projects has been low, but then I found myself easily writing an essay about my mother. This is surprising because I rarely write essays or nonfiction. I wonder if part of this has to do with Taurus being in my 4th house, so if 4th house-related topics would come more easily. Unrelatedly, some petty feelings have been arising within me, but when I reframe them in metaphors about gardening and plants, the feelings give way to more awareness and compassion.
This is all so real! Mars going into the 4th and writing about parents/origins feels *extremely* on the nose. And I love the garden metaphor. That's so helpful.
I don't know where you live, but here in the US, current events (also very on the nose astrologically — the right wing terrorist coup happened when Mars was at 29* of Aries) have, I think, basically thrown everyone's daily schedule off.
This was the first week I was expected back in-person at the office since the pandemic. It was also the week where Senate control would be determined by my state, where we found out the lame-duck President pressured election officials to undermine the vote. Casual. And this was all before the coup.
I knew going in to have grace for myself. This goes against my Virgo perfectionism, which typically operates at a fever pitch. But I’ve gotten better about managing my desire for flawlessly smooth systems, for ultimate efficiency with no wasted effort, thanks to new parenthood during a pandemic.
When I’m can’t be productive or my plans otherwise don’t live up to my (exceedingly high) expectations, I practice self-compassion. What do I need in that moment? A lot of times, it’s to simplify. You quickly realize a lot of stuff doesn’t HAVE to get done right now.
Watching my daughter grow reminds me that childhood is not a race. Neither is our creative process. It’s often better to slow down and savor where we’re at right now. There are seasons for everything.
Thank you so much for sharing all of this. (Georgia! Come through!)
"Watching my daughter grow reminds me that childhood is not a race. Neither is our creative process. It’s often better to slow down and savor where we’re at right now. There are seasons for everything." The wisdom here! <3
I took almost a year off of writing my queer romance novels due to finally confronting painful trauma I'd been avoiding. I'd been blocked for quite some time, and at the end of 2020 my creative energy started filtering in, so I eased back into a writing schedule. I kept with it for a week and felt absolutely incredible.
And then Wednesday happened.
I'm still wearing a thin, baby fresh skin--it hasn't toughened up to handle the world being on fire, and I knew if I tried to push, I'd end up back where I was through most of 2020. So I took Wednesday and Thursday off, then woke up today hungry to create again. At least if the world was burning, I'd be building something new.
It's tough. I'm high risk, so I'm not able to work outside the home, and I don't have a career that lends itself to working from home either. All of our income is tied up in freelance work right now, and that means the pressure is heavy. But I can't let myself break again. I can't risk saying goodbye to my writing forever.
Since my current draft is essentially a polyamorous and trans romance inspired by Stardew Valley, I let myself sink into a new game so I could drink up the exact energy I'm trying to give my readers. It fed me, reminding me of the escape I want my writing to be. I'm happy I managed another 2,000 words today - and now I'm going to slink back into my game and remember to fight for my happiness.
Congratulations on 2000 words — that's truly tremendous! This week has definitely & understandably rattled the internal/emotional structures it seems many folks were just starting to get back into place after November's election.
Also, your project sounds awesome! We love a polyamorous & trans romance!
After a staycation of three weeks and lots of self-care, I felt ready to get back to it this week! As a solo entrepreneur, I was proud of myself for actually taking a vacation and treating it as such instead of working the whole time. All was going well until the coup hit on Wednesday and then my energy just flew out the door. I gave myself permission that day to recuperate and rejuvenate. So now I'm taking it slower the rest of this week and into next week so I can regain my footing and feel grounded once again.
Taking a vacation when you work for yourself is so hard. Congratulations! That is legit a tremendous accomplishment.
I know a lot of folks are still having to work through a coup (because, the world we live in), but seriously if you can r&r, do R&R! My fragile baby meditation practice is out the window, and I'll pick it back up sometime, but I've been trying to get outside to take walks instead to just burn off the constant simmering anxiety.
Whew. I guess I thought with Mars moving into Taurus, I'd appreciate a slower, earthier start to my mornings, but I feel more like I'm stuck in the mud. Energy towards priority projects has been low, but then I found myself easily writing an essay about my mother. This is surprising because I rarely write essays or nonfiction. I wonder if part of this has to do with Taurus being in my 4th house, so if 4th house-related topics would come more easily. Unrelatedly, some petty feelings have been arising within me, but when I reframe them in metaphors about gardening and plants, the feelings give way to more awareness and compassion.
This is all so real! Mars going into the 4th and writing about parents/origins feels *extremely* on the nose. And I love the garden metaphor. That's so helpful.
I don't know where you live, but here in the US, current events (also very on the nose astrologically — the right wing terrorist coup happened when Mars was at 29* of Aries) have, I think, basically thrown everyone's daily schedule off.