PROMISE ME
YOU WILL NOT SPEND SO MUCH TIME
TREADING WATER AND TRYING TO
KEEP YOUR HEAD ABOVE THE WAVES
THAT YOU FORGET, TRULY FORGET,
HOW MUCH YOU HAVE ALWAYS
LOVED TO SWIM.
(Tyler Knott Gregson)
I forgot.
I forgot how much I love to write, to imagine, to dream, to play.
I got so caught up in all the stuff that goes along with living a creative life that I forgot to actually create.
I got so caught up in all the stuff that goes along with living a life, that I forgot to actually live.
This summer, I started to remember.
This fall, I start to swim. Again.
If you've forgotten, too, it's not too late. It's never too late.
Join me.
It's easy to slip into that rut and forget...
ReplyDeleteIt never used to be. Sigh.
DeleteI've been there, too. I'm glad you remembered and will be starting to swim again.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dana. :)
DeleteOh, man--it really CAN get easy to forget, eh? I try to schedule myself, though I DO tend to skip the treading water part more than I should. I'm off doing tricks in the water and tend to forget somebody needs to keep tabs on that other stuff. Still, I always set up the reward... if I finish XYZ of HAVE TO, then I get to WRITE...
ReplyDeleteSetting up the reward is a good idea!
DeleteI'm glad you remembered. And I've been there myself. Thanks for the quote--it blew me away. Will be sharing it with my students. :)
ReplyDeleteIt really is a great quote, isn't it? I hope your students enjoy it.
DeleteYour Monday posts are always so uplifting!! Good for you for remembering :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I really do try to motivate everyone, including myself. :)
DeleteI've been really overwhelmed with promotion and business stuff of writing and haven't had the time to just write. And it is the only part I really like.
ReplyDeleteSo come with me, Susan. Let's start swimming again.... :)
DeleteA good and important reminder!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely!
DeleteLove it! Beautifully said, and so true. We shouldn't focus so much on all that extra "stuff", but just swim and love it. Or write and love it. Great reminder, Madeline! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kristin! Glad you enjoyed it. :)
DeleteYou motivational Monday posts are very good for me, Madeline, so I'm betting you boost a lot of other readers, too. I'm shedding extra "stuff" as much as possible and making room for the gusto.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to hear that, Patricia - thank you! And I love the idea/phrase "making room for the gusto." :)
DeleteAt the moment, I'm trying to work out whether I'm swimming, sinking or merely floating... I'll get there...
ReplyDeleteYou'll get there - no worries!
DeleteAwesome. I think I will. =) I've been cutting back, trying to simplify so I can enjoy the smaller things, and it's been a while since I wrote just for pleasure. I should totally do that.
ReplyDeleteWelcome.... :)
DeleteAnd you totally should.
Thank you for the invite! I was so caught up in one of my projects that I didn't allow myself any "fun" writing time so I stopped on Sunday and just wrote fun, short, creative stuff. It really helps to just swim. I was able to get back into my "big" project renewed and full of energy. :)
ReplyDeleteExcellent, Tyrean! Good for you!
DeleteI want to be swimming with you this fall. I don't know how you manage to find so many fantastic quotes but I'm so glad you do. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you do join me, Julie!
DeleteI find quotes in lots of different places. One of the tricks for me is finding ones that "speak" to me at the moment, where I feel I have something to add to write up a hopefully encouraging post. :)
A great post. For me it had extra meaning since I swim every day to keep my joints mobile. I swan competitively when I was young, and I find in addition to the health aspect, it frees my mind and lets me work on writing hitches and ideas. Problem is I have to make sure I have time for both swimming AND writing!
ReplyDeleteI let my mind go when I swim, too. Of course, I'm more lolling around in the water than swimming but still.... :)
Delete