(This is a follow-up to the quote I posted yesterday.)
Many times, I’ve seen quotes along the lines of how there’s basically no good time for anything.
If you always wait for the “right” time, then you’ll miss the boat altogether.
And the holidays should be no exception to this.
I had to take some time on and off Tumblr in order to squeeze everything in this past month or two (or three? I lose count sometimes).
Taking care of and being with the people you love–that’s pretty important, too.
When people you love are ill or are in need of your help, you sometimes have to let your own stuff slip a little.
I always feel kinda gross when I skip out on being productive. But sometimes, there isn’t time to feel gross.
Sometimes, you don’t get time to feel gross until you’ve been working yourself to the bone trying to take care of everything for three months straight.
Juggling work and life and family and friends–this is not an easy task, by any means.
I’ve spent a lot of time on this blog saying that there’s no excuse for not getting any writing done. I still mean that.
But life happens.
And maybe this is just me trying to justify my lack of posting and other stuff. I don’t know.
When people need you, you have to be there.
Work will always come and go. But people are important. If you lose your connections with the people you care about, it’s a lot harder to earn back those connections than it is to find a new job or return to your hobbies.
You have to be there when people need you. Yes, you have to put on your own oxygen mask first. Self-care matters. It does.
But this is for all of you tired folk, the ones who are working multiple jobs and/or are taking care of others and/or whatever else extreme/uncertain circumstances have come your way.
Sometimes, people get cancer or need help studying or need a positive relationship to keep them from going off the deep end. You can’t predict this stuff, okay?
Just be there.
Be there for the people you care about. My secondary families have lost a lot of people this year. And my own dad has cancer. The best person in my life is dyslexic and needed help getting ready for finals so he could graduate. Plus, he’s been overworked with working full-time and also taking care of his mom since she just recently had surgery on her dominant hand (carpal tunnel).
When things start slipping through the cracks for other people, you can step in and help them out. You should, in fact, if you are able to do so without major detriments to your health (mental, emotional, physical, etc.).
Sometimes, you can’t do anything to help. But you should when you can.
Life is about making connections with others and maintaining them. It can be your mutuals on Tumblr or someone you’ve known since you were 3 years old.
Take a step out of your happy bubble to take care of someone who needs the help or the company.
And look, take it from a workaholic:
It is okay to step back from your regular responsibilities when you are needed for other things.
People get sick, and people die. There will always be work. It is not the end of the world if you get fired. But you can’t go back in time and give yourself more time with someone who’s gone now.
I’m still here. I’m going to try to maintain this blog the best I can. I still have standards–really, I do.
I’ve spent quite a bit of time the past few days working on getting more work set up for myself. And once I have more work, I can set up a real work schedule and then schedule in time just for this blog.
I have gotten so many wonderful questions and responses and tags lately. Yes, I have seen them, and yes, I love them. They all really mean a lot to me, and I will slowly but surely get to them.
It’s tough to try to establish a career for yourself and make time for a passion project.
I’m not writing this post to try to plug myself and my work, but if you wanna help me out, then you are very much welcome to do so! Will provide links at the bottom, if you’re interested.
I love you guys so much, and I’m just here to tell you that I’m back, and I’m going to do what I can to make this blog better and better every day. I’m almost up on 16,000 followers, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
I love that so many of you have stuck around for so long. I love that you respond to my posts. I love that you are so patient and so kind and so interesting and so creative.
Everyone says they have the best followers, but mine are some heavy contenders. You all rock. Each and every one of you.
It doesn’t matter if you write once a year or once a day. You are a writer. And you are trying. Always strive to do more, of course, but you are awesome as you are.
There is no one just like you, and there never has been, nor will there ever be someone just like you again.
You are truly one of a kind. You are special and important in your own ways, even if you can’t see any of them right now.
It’s okay.
It’s okay to be sad or overworked or creatively drained or some combination of all three of those things and beyond.
You are valid.
Your feelings are valid.
Your life is valid.
If you feel like you need help, seek it.
If you feel like something shouldn’t be in your life, remove it.
If you feel like you can do better, try it.
Some days will be bad.
Some days will be good.
Some days will be indescribable.
Chase your dreams. Be the amazing, stunning person that you are deep down inside. You can be anyone you want to be.
Just a few years ago, I didn’t know who I was or where I was going. Life changes so quickly.
Take care of yourselves, my lovelies. Change the world. <3
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I am also considering doing webinars and ebooks and stuff. Perhaps collections of my most well-received posts? Grammar guides? College guides? Punctuation guides? I really don’t know right now, but if you are interested in additional free or paid content, please let me know! I’ll try to set up a survey sometime soon, just to gauge interest.