I just finished the book “4,000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals,” which offers a great reminder:

There’s no tip or trick that can save you from the fact that you’re going to die one day, and your life is pretty much meaningless. 

Happy summer! 

(But seriously stick with me.)

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This should feel freeing. In fact, the morning after I got back from my recent New York trip, I made myself contemplate my own death because I felt so anxious about the future. 

Like, what if I found out I had two weeks to live? Then none of this stuff would matter.

We’re always working toward something that’s supposed to pay off in the future. As a former lazy person and afflicted striver, I always feel like I have to catch up. 

It’s time to take a conscious, seasonal pause from all the striving.

Summer is a great time to release and enjoy your writing life—the life you’ve already built, not the one that’s perpetually trapped in a future “one day.”

Let’s bring a beauty and a pause to writing…

• It’s the slow, first sip of coffee in the morning with your open notebook.
• It’s stepping outside and feeling the breeze and the warm sunlight on your skin as you take a walk to think.  
• It’s loving where you’re at in this moment.

Some of the brightest spots of my writing life have been at retreats where we can give ourselves space, meet new friends, and just be writers together.