Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Writer's Block

I have become frustrated with writing daily thoughts.  More and more I have writer’s block where I simply can’t think of anything to write about that I haven’t already written about multiple times.  Since 2006 I have posted over 1,400 daily thoughts.  If they occasionally give you a feeling of Déjà vu, you are not imagining it.  I do sometimes re-cycle writings from my archives.  Even though I have some devoted followers who occasionally write to me and tell me how great I am, most days I get no acknowledgement, feedback, or comments on anything I write.  As a result it is difficult to judge if my writing has any real value or it’s simply one more thing for people to delete.  More and more it feels like a burden to write and sometimes it stresses me out.  Part of me is not surprised by these feelings.  I am going through a time where I feel a little disconnected from life.  Sometimes I feel like I have lost my way and sense of purpose.  As one gets older it is common to let things go.  Some call this de-construction and it is a normal part of the second half of life.  Occasionally, however, I feel like I may have let too much go too soon.  Perhaps I have over-simplified my life.  It has been reduced to working, going home, and returning to work.  On a good weekend I get to be in my Paw Paw role.  Most of the good things I have written in the past were inspired by real life experiences in which I found meaning.  These days, however, there seems to be fewer and fewer things in my daily life that I find meaningful.  Even for me it is a stretch to make every trip to the grocery store or pharmacy a spiritual experience.  In spite of these mixed feelings about life and writing, I will continue to be on the lookout for moments that have meaning, even if they are not obvious, and I will continue striving to articulate them with the written word.  This will make some of you happy and other will think, “Darn, I was hoping we would be rid of this guy”!   
 

1 comment:

Diane Hughes said...

I enjoy your daily missives and would comment more often, but I frequently read on my mobile device and the captcha is sometimes a problem. I admire you for posting every day, and I know that I could never do it. If you reduced it to once a week, I would miss your daily musings but would understand. I have read your blog almost every day since discovering it, and the thoughts you express often make me feel like you're living inside my head. I, for one, do not delete my daily delivery of your prose, and I find great value in what you have to share. :-)