I am sitting in my home office (that is pushing aside my craft room more and more) staring out the window, with little energy for much more than sitting.
Sick for several days and diagnosed with COVID-19 last night, energy and ambition are hard to find. The new semester begins in a week, but I am not ready. I thought perhaps I could manage to close out a few of the too many tabs always open on my computer and feel like I have accomplished something today.
Moving through the tabs one at a time, I came across your article on resolving to write. Writing is a task I enjoy and want to do more, but always manages to get swept aside by other action items that appear to be more important; calling louder and louder for my attention. Endless meetings to attend, papers to grade, classes to prepare, family needs, and more steal away each day. I encourage my students to allow for self-care while creating little opportunity for my own.
Years of pandemic stress and overload, multiple family illnesses and deaths, and my own health challenges have not made it easy. However, the desire to set aside time to write still calls to my deep inner soul, crying softly to get out. I am determined to listen and plan and steal away designated blocks of time on my calendar as sacred, not to be disturbed. The world will continue to turn if I am not spinning it.
So, thank you for bringing the reminder and steps to the forefront on my open tabs. SMART goals are very familiar and part of some of my teaching lessons.
My tired and oxygen-deprived brain has pulled together the first goal:
By Sunday, January 9th 2022:
I will choose three potential topics of writing/revision from my existing list of ideas and share these with my writing buddies.
In addition, these ideas will be posted on my wall above my desk.
This is only a small and incomplete beginning; yet a step in the ‘write’ direction.
I am sharing this email and your article with several of my writing buddies and asking for support, collaboration, and encouragement.
Thank you!
Linda Crawford DNP, APRN, NP
Associate Professor,
School of Nursing, Azusa Pacific University
