This is a little tricky. I’ve been working on something important and pithy to share with you today. Something that has been troubling my mind for a while.
But my plans changed, and I can’t talk about it.
You see, my plan is to not talk about that post or anything else like it today. Just for one day, I’m taking a break from the evil and ugliness that seem to creep into my everyday life and dull , either in small or large measure, whatever joy there is to be found. The new name for these issues and situations is the Terribles,
I have a slight case of guilties because the people most impacted by the Terribles cannot just walk away or forget or tell themselves a story to escape. And the people causing the Terribles will not take a break just because I am.
But in the interest of sanity, I’m walking away for the day. Until tomorrow morning, I’m going to avoid social media because that is where most of the Terribles are told and explained and revealed. It’s how they persist in staying right there at the front of my mind, blocking out the Wonderfuls, like creativity, peace, and balance.
And, as weird as it seems, I’m also going to avoid silence. Yes, many of us introverts like Abraham Lincoln, Frederic Chopin, Rosa Parks, and Dr. Seuss, need both solitude and silence to refresh and revitalize. And we don’t know for sure how many times Jesus retreated by himself to just pray in the quiet.
Today, however, I’m quite sure if I don’t keep Aaron Copeland, Twila Paris, Ray LaMontagne, Bonnie Raitt, or the Indigo Girls on and loud, I’ll get myself sucked back into serious contemplation about the Terribles and the people surviving them. See, there I go, talking about them, adding the details and thinking about those most hurt by what is dark and evil.
I know for sure that I will be tempted to click on those Facebook and Twitter apps. You know, just to check. Ana might have posted a picture or a memory… Laurie might have shared a new bee-YOU-tee-ful painted gourd… Freedom with Writing will probably recommend the perfect freelance job for me and… Those go fast, you know. And the Twitter-posted daily Calvin and Hobbes is always a scream.
As you can see, my chances of succeeding with this self-imposed lightheartedness will diminish every time I sit at my laptop (which I need to meet deadlines). Or when Tim shares a “Check out So&So’s post on Twitter” via text. Or when my phone rings or beeps.
Okay, let’s be real, every time there is a brief pause in whatever I’m doing, I’m going to have to RUN to my next task or this is never going to work.
If you’re interested, I’ll share my day with you – my success or the extent of my failure. So far, I’m proud to say I’ve consulted Facebook only once and that was to find a website. Honest. The other tabs are clear and free of distractions.
Sometimes it’s really important to follow-through on plans, to keep going, persevere, achieve your original goal.
Today, however, it’s more important that I walk away. If I do not avoid the Terribles, the risk of my Wonderfuls starting to disappear grows. And I can’t bear the thought of losing even one of those.
Nancy Burton Wolfe 