reader. writer.

My weekly check-in on my favorite topics

What works

Given my skill in stating the obvious, I could mention there are many distractions right now making it hard to get things done. But as I think about it, there are always distractions. Sometimes, not having a distraction is a distraction. One strategy that helps me is to find ways to clear my head before I start work. Sometimes, it’s through physical steps, such as taking deep breaths, stretching, or tidying my workspace. Sometimes, it’s through journaling or reviewing my task lists/calendar tools just to be sure I know what I most need to do in the moment. Accept that there is only this moment now, take a breath, then get started.

What I’m reading

I just finished burning through a SF trilogy that I picked up at our library used book sale (I ❤️ libraries)— the Protectorate series by Megan Keefe. It was a fun read that reminded me of Ann Leckie’s Imperial Radch series and James S.A. Corey’s Expanse series. Immersing in the series helped me clear my head, too.

What I’m writing

Clearing my head has been necessary because I have been struggling to stay focused on the revision. Nonetheless, I continue to make progress on reviewing each character and am almost done with the last major character (fingers crossed that the minor characters won’t take quite as long, if only because they appear less frequently).

Democracy, yes, please

This week I have been filled with grief at the sight of so much deliberate cruelty, selfishness, and lies, not to mention the near constant reminders that we are all at the mercy of the elements. I sometimes wonder if those seizing power in my country act from a place of absolute despair, a sense that we are all doomed so why bother helping anyone? To which I say, we are all doomed, so of course we should try to help however we can.

A friend gave me the advice to stand back to observe rather than immediately react to what is happening. It helps to take time to make sense of it, evaluate the context, then act based on deliberation, not emotion (or not emotion alone). And she’s right—I take a breath, I clear my head, and then I see what is happening and where there are openings to push for something better, something gentler, something hopeful, something worth saving.

A quote I liked

“The encouragement to step two feet into life isn’t to say, ‘Life is full of suffering, get over it!’ but to say, ‘Living in ambivalence won’t protect you from pain. There has always been pain in existence and being alive in these times is filled with suffering and uncertainty, but there is joy and beauty here too.’”

Satya Doyle Byock