I am taking another class from brilliant teacher and author Natalie Goldberg. She shared a teaching about enlightenment as seeing something through to the end. This is what I have always grappled with. When one thing isn’t working, the temptation to move on to something new is so palpable. But even listening to her talk all the way through, without stopping to eat or while scrolling Facebook, is hard. It got me thinking about the entire writing process and life itself. How do we see through all of it, even the difficult parts to its very end?
I started writing my first picture book while my now 11 year old was an infant. I was nursing him at the SCBWI conference held at University of Hawaii at Manoa. It was 11 years ago and I just received an email with illustrations for my book.
The things we want come slow like molasses while there can be an onslaught of tragedies, one after another, at lightening speed. For someone who is sensitive like myself, the world’s calamities are heartbreaking. I am physically affected by the impact of our past on the future of humanity.
It’s hard to write like that-in a state of fight or flight. It’s hard to imagine stories when reality feels so dismal. Yet, the truth is that we will inevitably all have to deal with the consequences of our actions.
What’s helped me is taking a recent trip with my kids, seeing new things, traveling, experiencing something new. But it’s equally important to remember not to use these things as distractions. And also to not get lost in despair. What helps is remembering to do what matters. Helping other is what matters. Spending time with those we love. Creating something meaningful. Seeing things through to the end.
A lot of our lives are beyond our control. *Bad things happen. And to good people. We lose jobs. We lose people. There are wildfires, and earthquakes and animals go extinct. The air gets bad. People do bad things. People are suffering.
So we find ways to not just cope, but do what we can in the moment to make things a little better. It’s not about having hope that the end result will change, but to use our abilities to change what we can in the moment.
To write that book. To say what we always wanted to say. To confront our fears in big and small ways.
Life is short. Our time on this earth is not a given. I hope you, dear reader will read this as a reminder to not give up. That your words are needed. Your passion, your experience, your specific talent. Because that’s all there is at the end of the day. You, and what you can offer the world.
*I recently shared the difficulty that began my 2024 with The Missing Slate. You can read the full essay for free without having to sign up for anything here.
