I think I was possessed on Sunday morning. I was chatting with Kathrin Ivanovic at The Well and for some reason, I burst out with “I think I’m ready to come back from my blogging break”.
Really? Really, Dorie? After two and a half weeks of a break, you’re ready to come back?
I must be possessed. Because I’m really not sure that I am ready. But I’m also not sure I’ll ever be completely ready. I still don’t know what the changes in my life mean for me or for my family.
Now the question has become “Is not blogging still helping me figure things out and process this change?” Not so much.
If anything it is just throwing me off.
After my declaration to Kathrin, I panicked. Performance anxiety? Maybe. Maybe I had been secretly hoping for some big, profound return where I would write something that was earth shatteringly brilliant and then I could pat myself on the back for returning. But earth shatteringly brilliant ideas don’t come to me while I am on staycation and watching way too much DIY network.
Earth shatteringly brilliant ideas come when I’m interacting, when I’m communicating, when I live somewhere outside of my own head. Those ideas happen in the midst of community.
I spent a week on staycation and now I’m starting to get back into the swing of things. I’m trying to be a person again. My staycation didn’t quite go as planned. When I scheduled it, my plan was to have a one woman writing boot camp – I was going to flesh out the ideas on my personal post to do list and see where it takes me. I was going to be totally blissed out and learning and growing as a writer.
Instead, I grieved. The extent of my writing was a much needed gratitude list. I took long baths. I listened to Patsy Cline. I baked favorite treats. I hid. I turned off the outside world (okay, I was still on twitter but the burst of 140 characters was not taxing). And while it was very good and very needed to do those things, I missed community by the end of it. I felt disconnected.
It turned into a battle to not blog but when I verbally announced my return, I freaked out. Was I even ready for this? If someone left a negative comment for me, would I be able to take it in stride or would I turn to the comfort of homemade baked goods? If no one left a comment for me, would I take it as a personal rejection? Was I even in a place where I could be vulnerable and open again?
So on Monday, I started looking at all of the blogging I missed. I caught up on a few favorites like a little kid sticking one big toe in the deep end of the pool, fearful but knowing I really wanted to be in the water. On Tuesday, I let my feet dangle in the water by responding to a few emails. On Wednesday and Thursday, I started commenting again, holding on to brief interaction with others like an inner tube. And today, I’m in the water. I’m kicking. I’m keeping my head up. I am not drowning.
It’s a little scary coming back but soon my hair will be green like an over chlorinated kid on the last day of summer.
Susan Pogorzelski said...
1Dorie,
First, my condolences are with you and your loss. I’m glad that you took the time to properly grieve and focus on yourself during your staycation — maybe that’s exactly what you needed.
But I have to admit I’m glad that you’re back and writing, as well. It’s interesting that you say you missed community, that solitude doesn’t work for your writing. I think this is fairly accurate, especially as you just spent a lot of time dealing with emotions and being “inside your own head,” so to speak; sometimes, we have to step out of that.
I love how you say that “ideas happen in the midst of community” because this is true — it’s by interacting and experiencing that we learn, and what we learn translates into opinion, ideas, and is put down on paper. Or on a blog.
Good for you for acknowledging your needs and taking it step by step, and welcome back. I hope you know that you’ll always have readers (and friends) to support you.
03/13/09 7:58 AM | Comment Link
Rebecca said...
2Your writing keeps getting better. I’m glad you’re back.
03/13/09 11:40 AM | Comment Link
Dorie said...
3@Susan, @Rebecca – As always, thank you for the support!
03/16/09 5:52 AM | Comment Link
Reclusive Writing « James Ayrton Thesis Blog said...
4[...] March 18, 2009 · No Comments Jumping in without Swimmies [...]
03/18/09 6:02 PM | Comment Link
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12/17/11 12:21 AM | Comment Link