I’m alive! As you may have noticed, there were no Unprocessed Thoughts during August, and September’s is a little late. This is because breaks are healthy. Of course, if you don’t manage the time away correctly, it’ll get sucked up by other activities that may cause stress and don’t provide the mental freedom that you are looking for. Yes, that is a statement about me over the past couple of months. But I’m alive, back in the ring, and writing away.
Welcome to another edition of Unprocessed Thoughts.
The blog has been empty due to the shift in focus on audiobooks and the Patreon. If you follow the newsletter or the Patreon, you’ll see that things are still moving and grooving, just at a slower pace. There are the monthly short stories and the soft launch of Cultivate: Seed Me Relapse Edition.
I planned to publish this blog post on October 4th, but the Facebook DNS downtime was an odd surprise to me and many others. So, why the time off and late post? I have intentionally taken a break from writing to make room for some of the heavy-duty graphic design and website contracts I have on the go. I’m also figuring out life over the next year. The world has woken up, summer was fun, and people are ready to get back at it. At least my clients have.
The free time during the summer allowed me to write Cultivate: Seed Me Relapse Edition and record its audiobook, along with the narration for Rave‘s Audiobook. Now, as always with the fall, there is a craze of urgency with client work. It’s the “the world is falling apart if it’s not done NOW” type of thing. The NOW has passed, and we are in October where I can return to writing. This will be seen in this month’s short story on the Patreon. And maybe, just maybe, I can return to some of the half-baked manuscripts I have on the go. Oh, there’s also finishing up the Rave audiobook, updating this website . . . And the list goes on.
Remember, Breaks Are Healthy
The months away from the blog wasn’t all work, work, work. I took a real break and went to Vancouver in British Columbia, west of Alberta. During the road trip, my girlfriend and I listened to The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History while driving through the aftermath of forest fires. Let me tell you, that book and the drive painted a grim image of what our future looks like. I like to remain on the optimistic side and believe we can make the world better. The drive certainly put things into perspective, especially when you stack on the past couple of years.
Remember What’s Important
The social isolation we experienced during 2020 gave us plenty of time to remember what’s important in life and why we are alive. So quickly, a lot of that self-reflection and understanding was thrown out the window once the vaccines started rolling in and life returned to a semi-normal state.
It is unfortunate to see the vengeful return of economics and capitalism being number one in a lot of people’s lives once again. There is hope. People’s attitudes have changed about their work and life balance. We’re seeing it in the lack of workers in the workforce. It tells us that people want to live their life. They’re seeing what is essential. Our time is limited on this planet, and we may not leave much left for future generations. Enjoy it while you can. Still, I’m optimistic we’ll get out of this rut for the better. Humans are innovative creatures, and no one wants the world to burn – even the big bad corporations don’t.
The Irony of the High Ground
There is an irony in me working like a horse and talking about time away from work. Unfortunately, I face a very real situation. Like many others, you still need food on the table and a roof on your head.
Balancing your work with the essential values of life is why breaks are healthy. For this reason, the writing has taken a step down over the past couple of months, and it let me focus on these big contracts and start planning some significant life changes over the next year.
Downtime is critical to our well-being, and we’re not designed to work all the time. Plus, as mentioned in other blog posts, downtime is all part of the creative process. The time away lets you spring back and get into the ring with a fresh mindset, energized to rock! Listening to the slightly depressive audiobook of The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History and driving through the aftermath of burned forests put a lot into perspective. Experiencing another city, Vancouver, provided plenty of time to decompress from the writing.
Alberta had its open for summer, and now we’re done. We’re in the fall, and winter is around the corner. I’m certainly looking forward to staying inside more and cranking out some words now that this healthy break is over.
Beer Note: Apex Predator Brewing – Dead Woodsman Pale Ale
For this month, I tried the Apex Predator Brewing – Dead Woodsman Pale Ale. It is an unfiltered beer, which I am not too fond of. There are countless hazy beers out there. However, this beer lives up to the pale ale name and isn’t too hoppy. As time has gone by, my happy tastebuds have diminished. I prefer to taste the beer as opposed to an overbearing amount of hops assaulting my tastebuds. Dead Woodsman Pale Ale is easy to drink, making multiples a lovely time. I quite enjoyed this beer, and it is one I will pick it up again.
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