I'm off this week

Ye olde out of office message

After writing about breaks a few weeks ago, and last week writing about my low energy for actual production of work, I’ve decided that this is really, truly, finally a good week for me to take a break from writing my Substack.

This is very difficult for me to do. I’ve wanted to take a week off writing for a while now, but haven’t been able to convince myself to do it. So I’m now forcing myself to be disciplined and actually stop for a moment, because I’m struggling. I’m struggling with the need to slow down and the simultaneous need to get a lot done. It’s making me anxious and tired and distracted and shallow in my thinking.

Unfortunately, there is only one way to simultaneously slow down and get big things done, and that is to take a few things off my plate. So, with that in mind, taking this week off writing my Substack is actually about being a grown up, making hard choices, and paving the way for future achievement at a higher level of quality.

Meanwhile, here’s a couple of Substack articles I enjoyed over the past few days, which are relevant to my current state of mind:

• You Don’t Have to Retire to Move at a Slower Pace, by Nedra Glover Tawwab on Substack. This article about what we really give up in the name of “achievement” —and what we are losing as a result—is such a good reminder for me, and I hope for you too.

  • Rest and ease are buzzwords right now, and I don’t mean that in a negative way. Buzzwords are just an indication of what’s popular. Sometimes when we say buzzwords, we think of something that’s a fad, and, to be honest, I don’t want self-care to be a fad. I don’t want boundaries and rest to be a fad. I want them all to stay around forever. For so long there has been this road to achievement that requires a reduced amount of sleep. It requires reduced social connection. It requires constantly being on and working. However, If we look at things seasonally, stuff can’t grow all year. There are busy seasons, but it can’t always be busy season… read more here

• Time is a Demanding Mistress, by Latham Turner on Substack. This article starts with a subtle reminder that there’s a f^&*$d up role for women in a lot of stories (which is worthy of a whole separate post of its own)… and then it draws this out into a metaphor about time, showing exactly how messed up a role we have given to time in our lives and our personal stories.

  • “Father Time” may be the classic image, but I prefer to think of Time as a woman. Time has always been a demanding mistress. Like every “other woman” in story, she demands attention. She is always in the background, threatening to blow things up if our relationship is not on her terms. She’s always watching. Unrelenting. But recently, I found a new relationship with Time. One that I own. Time first made her presence known in the military. Then, Time was mechanical and precise. She was always to be respected. The Navy declared “Time, tide, and formation wait for no man.” Time smirked, “Damn right I’m first.” … read more here

Lots of love,

Marisol