March 2024 SOLC–Day 26
A huge thank you to Two Writing Teachers for all that they do to create an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write, learn, share and grow.
http://www.twowritingteachers.org

I’m sitting and staring at my screen, trying to figure out what to write. It’s the exact thing I did this morning when I had some time to write. And then I didn’t.

I am in a bad mood and in a bad writing place. It’s not that I don’t have anything to write about. I can think of several moments that would make a good slice. I just don’t want to. Like foot stomping don’t want to. I don’t have the energy or the urge, and I’m feeling super grumpy about it. I’ve gone from my early month jubilation to the too-close-to-quit doldrums. It’s like the early excitement of the journey has turned from “Yippee! We’re off!” to “Are we there yet?”, and the latter is definitely said in a very whiny, unattractive tone.

I tried focusing on positives this evening–the cute, skipping, rainbow-legginged girl who waved wildly at me in the grocery store parking lot, the hawk flying up to a tree as I drove by, and the cluster of deer grazing peacefully in our back yard. It didn’t help. Neither did multiple servings of Girl Scout cookies (Carmel Delites) or over-indulgence in salt-and-pepper potato chips. My husband had the wood stove going and a scented candle burning when I got home, and then he made dinner. It didn’t matter. I’m still in a funk. Not fit company for anyone.

When my children were little, and we couldn’t shift them from grumpy, despite all our best efforts, we used to say they had a bad case of the “can’t-help-its.” I guess that’s my diagnosis. I’m hoping tomorrow will be a better day, but for now I just have a deeply entrenched case of the can’t-help-its.