Sometimes, Yes

I had just settled on our front porch swing with my yellow legal pad and favorite pen when Katie, my home-for-the-summer college girl, stepped outside with a basketball.

“Wanna shoot?”

When I didn’t respond right away, she continued down the porch steps and headed toward the ball goal.

I sighed. There was still a good hour of daylight and my mind was swirling with thoughts and ideas that I wanted to capture on paper. Writers are supposed to be disciplined and structured, right? We will never complete anything if we allow ourselves to be distracted from our work.

I watched Katie’s retreating form as she bounced the b-ball with one hand and inserted her iPhone earbuds with the other.

Decision made.

“Yeah, I’ll play.”

“Oh, okay. Cool.” She removed her earbuds, tucked them into a pocket, and launched her first shot. Swish.

I took a shot and watched it fall short (it had been awhile).

For the next hour, my daughter and I laughed, competed, and junk-talked. We took joy in the game, the wide-open night sky, and each other. And somewhere in that hour it hit me:

I needed this. I needed to step away from the legal pad and refresh a little.

Sometimes, it’s okay to say yes. We are better writers when we feed our souls in other activities and see our world from different angles.

What can you do to shake things up in your writing-life?

Play a game of b-ball (or golf, or tennis, or…).

Make a blanket-fort with the kids or grandkids.

Get in the kitchen and try that new recipe.

Take a friend up on that lunch invitation (it’s really okay).

Go on a date with your spouse.

Kick back with friends and watch a movie.

Daydream a little.

(More ideas here.)

On that special b-ball evening with my daughter, I did write a few words…

H-O-R-S-E (I lost this one, even with 2 shots on the “e”)

C-A-T (I lost this one, too.)

I-T (Um…yeah. But I did make her work for it.)

As a writer who needs to refresh once in a while, how can you say “yes” this week?

 

What can you do to shake things up in your writing-life? #writer #amwriting Share on X We are better writers when we feed our souls in other activities and see our world from different angles. #writer #amwriting Share on X