Write about the last time you left your comfort zone.
Today. This very moment.
It’s the prompts. They’re a great way to get the creative juices flowing for those who are stuck in the proverbial mud, but that’s never been the case with me. I’ve been blogging for over 20 years and, though I may occasionally recycle an idea or two, I never run out of things to say.
Writers write. It’s in our DNA.
I think back often to our road trip to Ohio last year. My only regret was committing to write from the road every single day. There was no time to unwind and relax, and let me tell you, each day was a whirlwind of adventure. By the time we got back to our hotel, it was invariably late and we were exhausted. One evening, Tara was enjoying a bubble bath while I was banging out a blog post. That was when I realized I’d bitten off more than I wanted to chew. But I soldiered on anyway. I never once got to enjoy a relaxing soak on that trip. When we got back home, I told myself, never again. I’d rather live in the moment than do something out of a sense of obligation.
Writing is a compulsion; I could no sooner give it up than I could stop eating or breathing or laughing out loud over JD and Turk’s escapades on Scrubs. But I don’t have to do it every single day. I already do anyway, between the hours of 8 and 5. It’s my job. If the mood strikes after hours, great! But I refuse to force the issue. Life is too short to pass up bubble baths.
So, I’m bowing out of Bloganuary.
Blogging once or twice a week is a comfortable pace for me.
I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but I do like to look at the bigger picture. My life often feels like one big obligation, and usually, it’s self-imposed. I’m going to try to knock that shit off. I don’t always have to be doing something…and if I am, it should be something I want to do, not something I feel I have to do. Maybe that is taking a bath. Or reading. Maybe it is writing…but perhaps fiction instead. It’s been years since I’ve thought about starting a new novel.
Tara was reading old blog posts of mine over the weekend and mentioned this one. I wrote about how much I suck at relaxing. Well, seven months later, I still suck at relaxing. But I’m going to work on that…starting right this very second!.
Err. Starting in eight hours. Still got a job to do today and all.
See you whenever!
Mark My Words 
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