I have some goals I want to meet in the next few months. These goals are based on what I can do rather than what I hope happens. Instead of saying, "I want to get X stories published" I'm simply saying "I want X stories in submission to magazines."
The work is on me. And I like that better than wishing or hoping for somebody else to do something on my behalf.
Simply put--there's shit I need to get done. Shit that I'm hoping will somehow magically fix me and all the shit that's wrong with me. And that list is long.
As I sit here and write this, I can't help but feel like a disappointing train wreck of a human being and I'm struggling to get out of this mess. I'm not going to list the whole, ugly set of reasons, because it's just depressing as hell. However, I will say, each and every one of these are self-inflicted wounds that have festered.
This is my fault. All of it. And I am so angry with myself for having let it get to this point. All the while, it feels like I'm rapidly approaching The End. A stroke or a heart attack, mostly likely, and that's without pondering the other alternatives on the table.
So, no, I'm looking at what I need to do. The word "DO" being key here. Do. I must DO things.
I just went for a small walk and I'm feeling it. I need to do it again and I most likely will. More of that whole "DO" idealogy.
Do-ism.
I haven't been doing enough. Or, when I do actually do something, I don't do the right things.
So, here's what I'm working on:
I want to have a short story finished, edited, and ready to submit in a few days. There's a call for submissions that looks rather interesting. My story took a weird turn and became quite romantic. I honestly have no idea why. When I try to write romance it becomes horrid. I just can't. My pacing is all off.
So now I need to turn this romance into horror. Oh how simple that is to do when it's my life. But in fiction? This should be interesting.
There are a few calls for submissions I'd like to have things in for this month. I currently have two short stories and a novella in submission and I can't wait to hear back about that.
As for the video stuff, that's a different story. I filled my hard drive and so now I'm waiting for an external drive to arrive so I can move some files. Once that happens, I can go back to making videos. Plus, I have a new ice cream maker coming in soon. I'm really excited about that.
I have ice cream projects I want to get to. Ice cream flavors, as well as configurations, like novelties. I want to begin making ice cream cakes, pops, coated and rolled confections, and a few other things.
I have goals and this new ice cream maker will allow me to make ice cream faster so I can work on those goals.
There are two projects I have in mind. Because they are surprises, I cannot say right now, but if they are close to being what I want, they will be my Magnum Opus. Or at least a crescendo in a body of work that is full of crescendos.
One of the reasons I love to make ice cream so much is the reactions from others are immediate and feed my need to approval from others. I'll admit that with my self-esteem so low I have become needy as hell for approval from others. Ice cream gets me that approval.
I'm not going to beat myself up for having that need. Instead, I will say that maybe one day, that approval with come from within, and I will find a way to value myself for no other reason than I am me.
The next goal I have is to get some seeds ordered for the front of my apartment. Last year, we had flower pots full of plants and it looked incredible. That neighbor who did about 75% of the work moved but I have some pots and he's going to help me with some things. I can't wait!
I'm going to grow all kinds of stuff. Peppers, herbs, tons of basil again, and a wide variety of flowers. In fact, I want to have a larger variety than last year.
There is something healing in doing that. I felt better just for doing that last summer and it meant a great deal to me. Sure, people used to drive by and look just because it was such a stark improvement over the solid concrete. But also, people loved how beautiful it was, and we got a lot of compliments. That offered me approval as well.
So, let's review--I'm waiting for approval from some editors, but while I wait for their approval, I'm making ice cream to get instant approval from folks, and I'll be planting some things soon so I can get approval from people around town. Because I need approval. Badly.
One of these days I'll be able to get that approval from myself but for now, I'm at the mercy of those around me. Of course, who am I kidding? It's always been that way. I've never had that confidence and self-love or self-acceptance. I've always seen myself as less-than everybody else and too much of the wrong things.
But I'm working on it. I just started reading a self-help book called The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. This is the quintessential book for artists who are trying to heal. I read the first chapter last night and it did something. I was really upset and I woke up this morning just a wreck. I woke up feeling lowest that I can ever remember. Never have I woken up in such despair and misery.
I woke up this morning (afternoon) being fully aware of the sum of all of my problems and worse, no hope of fixing them and no reason to even begin.
The reason for this has been an issue for me in recent months. Is it worth the effort to fix my life? Am I worth the effort to fix? Is there anything worth sticking around for? So much of my life is gone. So many things have been taken from me. So many times have passed me by. So many phases of my life have been destroyed. And now that I'm in the 2nd half, what could I possibly look forward to? Is there anything out there for me at this point?
Will I have to lie to myself until I can gladly allow a baseball bat smash my brains in and tell myself how happy I am to see the pretty colors? Is that what happiness will have to be for me? Is that the key to happiness? Self-deception masked as the acceptance of terrible circumstances? Admire the pretty pattern of the snake's skin as it bites me over and over, injecting deadly venom.
Is that happiness?
I don't know the answer. All I know is I'm still alive and I'm still submitting fiction. I'm still making ice cream and I'm still planting flowers out in front of my apartment. I have no idea what will come of it. All I know is that these are the things I'm doing.
The work is on me. And I like that better than wishing or hoping for somebody else to do something on my behalf.
Simply put--there's shit I need to get done. Shit that I'm hoping will somehow magically fix me and all the shit that's wrong with me. And that list is long.
As I sit here and write this, I can't help but feel like a disappointing train wreck of a human being and I'm struggling to get out of this mess. I'm not going to list the whole, ugly set of reasons, because it's just depressing as hell. However, I will say, each and every one of these are self-inflicted wounds that have festered.
This is my fault. All of it. And I am so angry with myself for having let it get to this point. All the while, it feels like I'm rapidly approaching The End. A stroke or a heart attack, mostly likely, and that's without pondering the other alternatives on the table.
So, no, I'm looking at what I need to do. The word "DO" being key here. Do. I must DO things.
I just went for a small walk and I'm feeling it. I need to do it again and I most likely will. More of that whole "DO" idealogy.
Do-ism.
I haven't been doing enough. Or, when I do actually do something, I don't do the right things.
So, here's what I'm working on:
I want to have a short story finished, edited, and ready to submit in a few days. There's a call for submissions that looks rather interesting. My story took a weird turn and became quite romantic. I honestly have no idea why. When I try to write romance it becomes horrid. I just can't. My pacing is all off.
So now I need to turn this romance into horror. Oh how simple that is to do when it's my life. But in fiction? This should be interesting.
There are a few calls for submissions I'd like to have things in for this month. I currently have two short stories and a novella in submission and I can't wait to hear back about that.
As for the video stuff, that's a different story. I filled my hard drive and so now I'm waiting for an external drive to arrive so I can move some files. Once that happens, I can go back to making videos. Plus, I have a new ice cream maker coming in soon. I'm really excited about that.
I have ice cream projects I want to get to. Ice cream flavors, as well as configurations, like novelties. I want to begin making ice cream cakes, pops, coated and rolled confections, and a few other things.
I have goals and this new ice cream maker will allow me to make ice cream faster so I can work on those goals.
There are two projects I have in mind. Because they are surprises, I cannot say right now, but if they are close to being what I want, they will be my Magnum Opus. Or at least a crescendo in a body of work that is full of crescendos.
One of the reasons I love to make ice cream so much is the reactions from others are immediate and feed my need to approval from others. I'll admit that with my self-esteem so low I have become needy as hell for approval from others. Ice cream gets me that approval.
I'm not going to beat myself up for having that need. Instead, I will say that maybe one day, that approval with come from within, and I will find a way to value myself for no other reason than I am me.
The next goal I have is to get some seeds ordered for the front of my apartment. Last year, we had flower pots full of plants and it looked incredible. That neighbor who did about 75% of the work moved but I have some pots and he's going to help me with some things. I can't wait!
I'm going to grow all kinds of stuff. Peppers, herbs, tons of basil again, and a wide variety of flowers. In fact, I want to have a larger variety than last year.
There is something healing in doing that. I felt better just for doing that last summer and it meant a great deal to me. Sure, people used to drive by and look just because it was such a stark improvement over the solid concrete. But also, people loved how beautiful it was, and we got a lot of compliments. That offered me approval as well.
So, let's review--I'm waiting for approval from some editors, but while I wait for their approval, I'm making ice cream to get instant approval from folks, and I'll be planting some things soon so I can get approval from people around town. Because I need approval. Badly.
One of these days I'll be able to get that approval from myself but for now, I'm at the mercy of those around me. Of course, who am I kidding? It's always been that way. I've never had that confidence and self-love or self-acceptance. I've always seen myself as less-than everybody else and too much of the wrong things.
But I'm working on it. I just started reading a self-help book called The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. This is the quintessential book for artists who are trying to heal. I read the first chapter last night and it did something. I was really upset and I woke up this morning just a wreck. I woke up feeling lowest that I can ever remember. Never have I woken up in such despair and misery.
I woke up this morning (afternoon) being fully aware of the sum of all of my problems and worse, no hope of fixing them and no reason to even begin.
The reason for this has been an issue for me in recent months. Is it worth the effort to fix my life? Am I worth the effort to fix? Is there anything worth sticking around for? So much of my life is gone. So many things have been taken from me. So many times have passed me by. So many phases of my life have been destroyed. And now that I'm in the 2nd half, what could I possibly look forward to? Is there anything out there for me at this point?
Will I have to lie to myself until I can gladly allow a baseball bat smash my brains in and tell myself how happy I am to see the pretty colors? Is that what happiness will have to be for me? Is that the key to happiness? Self-deception masked as the acceptance of terrible circumstances? Admire the pretty pattern of the snake's skin as it bites me over and over, injecting deadly venom.
Is that happiness?
I don't know the answer. All I know is I'm still alive and I'm still submitting fiction. I'm still making ice cream and I'm still planting flowers out in front of my apartment. I have no idea what will come of it. All I know is that these are the things I'm doing.
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