I should have guessed Monday’s return from vacation (even if it was only a Staycation) would be murder. Processing a week’s worth of work, solving deferred problems, sifting thru stale emails, and getting my work hat properly situation is always a tricky business. I survived, the universe remained intact while I was Out-Of-Office, and I expect to put the wheels back on everything and resume our scheduled smooth operating order before the weekend. My absence from the frantic pace, and manufactured drama, created a healthy dose of perspective. I enjoy the aura of calm and Zen, so predominate it causes coworkers to stop mid-sentence to comment how rested you look. My goal is to preserve those feelings as long as possible.

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 397 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

After a busy Staycation week, yesterday, I slept. Muscles left sore and throbbing from hours spent shoveling snow demanded sleep. I slept more soundly than the dead. I didn’t wake fresh as a daisy, ready to tackle any problem, leap tall building, or run faster than a speeding bullet. I wasn’t signing up to fight dragons or tilt at windmills, but I felt different. Not all changes register seismic shifts on the Richter scale. I believe we fell some like a brush of wind on a pleasant spring afternoon that almost imperceptibly nudges us a half a step north. One minor adjustment might make all the difference.

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 436 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Yesterday marked the end of our Staycation and the transition back to normal, daily, prescribed work routines. Outside, snow is falling, plows are clearing streets and sidewalks, and my neighbors scrape their driveways. I will join them soon. We may work at home, but there are still errands to run, places to go, promises to keep. A vacation in whatever form is an excellent opportunity to break expectations and place demands on hold. We can indulge in activities too often postponed or deemed unimportant in the bigger overall picture. The process lets us push pause on the incessant merry-go-round, see the world from a fresh perspective, and reconsider our true priorities. We shuffle the deck, ante up, and deal ourselves brand new cards.

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 456 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Yesterday was Day 5 of Staycation, and while I am tired, it is almost a pleasant sensation. I consider it odd to think being tired has degrees, variations, and a positive aspect. The world encourages us to place tiredness in an unfavorable light. We look at it as a failing of our frail human bodies. In a culture that prizes pushing ourselves to the limit, getting there too soon signals weakness. But the feeling serves a purpose. It is our body’s way of signaling for us to slow down, take a break, breathe deeply, and perhaps even consider sleep. Wanting to restore energy and let the body repair itself while we sleep is a natural phase, as normal as waking each morning, eating when we are hungry, and laughing when we feel joy. Why then do we demean the need to refuel? A car with a gas tank on empty won’t get you very far.

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 531 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Yesterday was Day 4 of Staycation, and a cloudless, crystal blue sky, with sunshine flooding through my windows, turned my thought to spring. Never mind the 20 F temperature or the calendar reporting that spring is still 50 days away. Forget the predictions of an additional 5-9 inches of snow on Saturday night.

Last night I dreamed of snowdrops, hyacinths, narcissus, and crocus. My garden beckons and colorful seed packets dance like sugarplum fairies. Other seeds, the ones planted deep in my mind and guarded by my heart, call to me too. The snow will soon melt, they seem to say. Timing is everything. False spring, late frosts, poor drainage, not enough rain, mold, stones, grubs, squirrels, and hungry deer can all make or break the emergence of tender sprouts and precious stories.

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 578 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Yesterday was Day 3 of Staycation, and we are finally beginning to grant ourselves permission to unwind, relax, and leave the world’s troubles at the door. The past overloaded us with burdens too heavy for a single person’s shoulders. I see the pain of Atlas’ face reflected in the loving eyes of friends and loved ones.

Oscar Wilde said, “The burden of this world is too great for one man to bear, and the world’s sorrow too heavy for one heart to suffer.”  And Denis Diderot tells us,  “Every burden is made to be shaken off.”

It reminds me of the story, The Farmer and His Donkey.

One day a farmer’s donkey fell into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out a way to get him out. Finally, he decided it was probably impossible, and the animal was old, and the well was dry anyway, so it just wasn’t worth it to try and retrieve the donkey. So the farmer asked his neighbors to come over and help him cover up the well. They all grabbed shovels and began to shovel dirt into the well.

At first, when the donkey cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement, the donkey relaxed and let out some happy brays. A few shovel loads later, the farmer looked down the well to see what was happening and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was shaking it off and taking a step up.

As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he continued to shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, to everyone’s amazement, the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 559 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Yesterday was Day 2 of Staycation Fun. A full-body exercise regime disguised as — sorry, you can try, but hiding the fact your body is moving when it is screaming for rest is impossible. At least Tuesday held diversions and rewards. I indulged, slept late, and yes, I took a nap. An honor I earned because I was forced to shovel the driveway. Not an easy task with six inches of snow and drifts topping ten inches.

My preference would have been to sit inside and wait for warm weather. The nasty weather forecaster is threatening us with more snow and freezing temperatures this weekend. The good news is I also wrote. Not a lot, but the words made me smile.

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 367 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Yesterday was Day 1 of Staycation Fun. What a relief to feel the pressures ease a fraction. I’m not good at doing nothing. Sitting to watch a show makes me nervous, and I have to get up and move, and movement with no particular meaning or direction leaves me unsettled. The answer is to address the minutia bugging me every single day. I let straightening, cleaning, organizing, and fussing over minor tasks lead me where they may. When I felt tired, I sat, rested, and yes, I took a nap. The good news is I also wrote. Not a lot, but the words made me smile.

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 308 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Yesterday I spent the day doing as little as possible. I realized the other night that it has only been two weeks since my body revolted, and in a state of total exhaustion, forced me to sleep for the better part of four days. I and still have days where I feel like I am wearing a lead suit. Try rising from a chair, climbing a flight of stairs, or opening your laptop to type. It takes determination.

It took months to reach such extreme exhaustion, and fully recharging my batteries will require time. I still have obligations, but I have reevaluated, rearranged, reassigned, and renegotiated everything possible. I added one critical stress reliever — a daily afternoon meditation hour that often resembles a nap.

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 306 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more,” is the line from Act-III, Scene-I of Shakespeare’s play, Henry V, and it is becoming my mantra. This week has left me tired, and while I got a lot accomplished, I am still not where I want to be. Bumpy roads, setbacks, and slow progress towards my goal will not deter me. Despite exhaustion, feeling outnumbered, and at a significant disadvantage, I will face the walls of Harfleur, and I’m determined to win.

No matter the challenges and the obstacles blocking my way, I maintain the item at the top of my list as a non-negotiable. Yesterday I wrote 461 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer