On writing and the “busy” life
Beware the barrenness of a busy life. ~ Socrates
"Temple Garden" by Paul Klee
Busyness has been the order of the day for me now for quite some time, and hence, there has not been much action at MontanaWriter of late. Being busy is not, of course, my natural disposition… far from it. Poets are not doers but dreamers. And dreaming requires nothing less than plenty of time and quietness. Alas for now… there can be little of either.
While I allude occasionally here at MontanaWriter to my personal life, I notice looking back through posts that I seldom say very much directly. It is the same way in my personal life. I work and hang out with people who have no idea that I blog, or write poems and western short stories, or read poetry, or went to seminary and was once a chaplain and a pastor…. The list goes on. An introverted personality and a natural western reticence to talk about myself keep me from sharing much more than few comments about the weather or last night’s game… even with those with whom I drink beer.
I notice I do the reverse here at MontanaWriter, hardly ever write anything about my life.
I have been thinking lately of how to bring these two sides of my self together, hoping perhaps that bringing them together will give me much needed creative energy. It certainly couldn’t hurt.
For those who know me only through MontanaWriter here is an introduction of sorts, to my non-blogging life these days:
I currently work full-time, 40 hours a week, doing tech support for a public school system here in Minnesota. On top of that, I have also been working a second job, 15-20 hours a week, at one of our local Apple Stores since last August… almost a year now.
Mornings come early when you are working two jobs. I start at 7:00 a.m. on my “day job.” I get home between 9:30-10:30 p.m. from my second, part-time job. Since it takes awhile to “wind down” from that second job, I usually try to read a bit on my iPhone: a couple of blogs I follow, some sports sites to catch up on scores and news, a book on my Kindle app…. just easy, light reading.
It is not the kind of reading that a writer needs and not the kind of time… but it is what I have. I am mindful that Wallace Stevens and Ted Kooser and William Carlos William had full days and still managed to write some of the most original poetry written by Americans. And I am also mindful that in an economy where so many are out of work only an ingrate would complain about being lucky enough to have two jobs they enjoy.
My energy for writing and blogging ebbs and flows… MontanaWriter shows this. During the latest “hiatus” I have done some planning to help make things easier on myself during times when creative energy is hard to find. I am excited about some new directions and trajectories. I hope you will be too.
For now, it is is enough to be writing and posting again….
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