Friday, April 14th, 2023:
From time to time, I have alluded to the fact that I tend to avoid so-called "freewrites" because I don't really like (A) having to write to a fixed prompt and (B) having to write with a timer on.
The latter actually bothers me the most, because I invariably end up spending more time looking at the timer than I spend actually writing.
What I find slightly amusing is the fact that my typical journaling style actually is a form of "freewriting" that actually has no restrictions, while formal "freewriting" isn't really free, but rather... restricted.
Back to Basics...
I used to write "Morning Pages" (pretty much) every day, although it wasn't always longhand, as originally prescribed.
I somewhat got out of the habit, because... life.
Sometimes I feel like it has been the bane of my existence that I am easily derailed by interruptions requiring my attention... and then I get too easily overwhelmed when my to-do list gets too long. The "fun stuff" — and even the cathartic stuff — quickly gets moved to the end of the line and then never touched again.
Carrots... and Incentives...
In a strange "closing the circle" decision, I've decided to re-boot my morning writing... except for publishing it here on Hive, rather than in my "local" journal.
Where it actually seldom gets done, anymore.
The closing the circle bit points back to what I originally set out to do, when I started blogging, 25 years ago. In the beginning, blogging was more about my life than about opinions and commentary.
Not that I intend to turn my back on that.
Anyway, back to carrots. The carrot here is that perhaps I'll be more diligent if I "publicly commit" to the journal, rather than operate from behind the safety net of a journal nobody can see.
Also considering whether I can somehow incorporate these entries into the We Are Alive project in some meaningful and relevant way.
Income Tax Week...
Feels like I am often bellyaching about taxes.
Horrible things, taxes.
No sooner done with laboring to pay property taxes than it's time to file the income tax return. Doing so feels like such a meaningless grind... spending hours and days to do bookkeeping to document (pretty much) only that we are too poor to afford to pay taxes.
Somehow, that ends up sounding like the Middle Ages, doesn't it?
"Progressive" taxation is really a joke... the "intent" is allegedly to tax people more the more they make, but in the effective sense it tends to impact those at the bottom of the socio-economic pile more than those at the top.
Anyway, the return is due on Monday... but I think I'm going to file an extension. I just don't have another 30 hours of paperwork in me...
I'd Rather Be Mowing...
Meanwhile, the lawn is getting to that point where it is getting almost humorously fuzzy... and I guess it's time for me to deal with that.
It's my ambition to save up enough for a rechargeable electric mower... cleaner, and not as damn noisy. It would be nice if it were self-propelled, as well. I'm tired of using a push mower.
But beggars can't be choosers.
Morning Pages, my Arse...
As I'm sitting here, contemplating the whole "Morning Pages" reboot thing the greater irony of it that it's unlikely to ever be morning pages... because it's 12:15, as I write these pages.
Our life is out of sync.
We don't really have "mornings" around here. I mean, lights went out around 2:45 last night this morning, and I stumbled into the kitchen to make coffee at a little after 9:30. And mornings aren't really "my own," anyway... there's a whole slew of things to do before I can park my arse in front of the keyboard.
Maybe I should call them "Noon Pages," instead...
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Created at 2023-04-14 12:38 PST
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