In July of 2019, I sat at a cafe table with a woman I had just met, and listened to her as she explained everything I’d ever done or said and why. It was…both enlightening and rather mind-boggling. (Now I know how the Samaritan woman at the well felt.) As much as we want to be understood as humans, the moment when someone reflects your soul back to you is very disconcerting.
But this woman was incredibly kind and encouraging and overall very understanding as she described both my strengths and my weaknesses.
There was only one moment where she became stern with me, and it was when she was telling me about my high need for a creative outlet.
“Honey,” she said, holding her pencil to the page to point out the personality test score in question. “This is really, really high. Do you write?”
“Yes,” I said. “I have a blog.”
“And do you write every week?”
I hesitated.
“I’m not consistent, unfortunately.”
The look she gave me practically melted me to the chair.
“You need to write every week. Make yourself do it. And keep it short, 300-400 words. Nobody wants to read more than that. Okay?”
“Okay,” I said, sheepishly. “I’ll do my best.”
She gave me one more long, severe glance, and then moved on to another topic and resumed her encouraging, positive discussion of my personality.
So, when I returned home from that experience, I told myself I’d write every week.
And I have. It’s been 13 months, and although some of my posts have gotten a bit wordy (sorry, y’all) I’ve been consistent, which, I must say, is rather miraculous.
And now, I am going on a sabbatical, which means I may take a break from writing. It’s possible I will keep writing, but I don’t want to put the pressure on myself to publish once a week.
Which leads me to say this:
Thank you for joining me this past year, for listening to my tangents, following my absurd jokes, and engaging in my life questions.
I have learned a lot about myself from writing consistently, and the first thing on that list is this: I need to write consistently. It’s a helpful outlet, a positive impetus to process my thoughts and feelings, and a good way to connect with others.
So, whether you have been here for a week or 13 months, thank you for spending some time with me this year.
As I prepare for my sabbatical and take to time reflect on this past year (beyond my blogging) I would love to hear from you: what’s something you learned about yourself this year?
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