What does Monday mean to you? If you’re like me, there are aspects of Monday that you just don’t like. Back to work…kids are back to school…no sleeping in. These are the normal complaints. What tops my Monday to-do list is having to make the sack lunches. Over the course of my children’s lives (now ages 10, 13, and 15), I think I must have made hundreds, perhaps ten thousand sack lunches, maybe more.
I wake up every Monday and make a sack lunch, continuing that habit every day until Friday. Now here’s what I hate about that activity…It’s not resentment toward my children. I love them dearly and readily make their lunch because the school based ones are not only pretty disgusting, but also not particularly healthy and healthy eating is my schtick. What I resent about the ten thousand sack lunches that I’ve prepared over my days is that I do it without any hesitation. I realize that I need to approach my writing in the same way as making the sack lunches.
I ease into my writing. I take notes. I research. I procrastinate with a little social media. I don’t follow the Nike slogan — just do it. It’s not the first thing I do in the morning…every morning without fail. So, why is it harder for authors to sit in front of the computer and write every day of the week?
I think we often wait for inspiration to strike, but I believe that if you just dive in, you can stir up that inspiration just like stirring the peanut butter jar for that sack lunch sandwich. I believe authors need to reach for the keyboard as readily as we put on our pants, get in the car, or for me, make those sack lunches. We just do it and we do those things every day as if they are the most normal things in the world.
So, I know what my New Year’s resolution is going to be…have a word with the cafeteria lady about the mystery stew! Nah, just kidding. I’m going to write…every day. Or at least, every sack lunch day.
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