A New Arrival

I sometimes feel as if I have nothing left to say on the subject to which this space is dedicated. I feel that after twelve years I have said absolutely all I have to say about creativity and imagination and stories and the life of the writer. Of course, in reality, I’m not actually writing about any of that. I’m writing about life, about what it is to be alive and writing, though even when I remind myself of this on one of those gloomy mornings, I’m capable of believing I’ve wrung the rag of life itself dry.

This is never true. If I know anything at all about life, it’s that there is always more of it. Not just the bones and blood of it, the fishes and fruit of it, but the actual thought of it, the dream and idea of it. A new thought, if it’s one I have not truly considered before, is the first step on a journey. I remember, for instance, the first time I heard a teacher say that happiness is our natural state of being, not the occasional result of fortunate circumstances.

Though I’d heard this expressed before in one way or another, this was first time I’d let myself sit with it and test it in my mind the way I’d ruminate on a new story when it arrived in its germinal form. As friendly as this new idea was, I knew that to follow it would mean leaving others behind, ideas about the relationship between happiness and success that had been companions of mine for as long as I could remember. I felt like I knew who I was with them. Who would I be without them?

I consistently underestimate my capacity to resist change. To be clear, I do change, but not without first putting up a good fight. Such is the battle I’m waging as I sit at my desk feeling as though there’s nothing new to say. I can hear something tapping at the windows of my consciousness. At first, I’m afraid even to look at it. To let it in will mean to let something else go; that’s always the math of it. And so I sit, while the tapping continues, sit with certain old ideas until I admit how long it’s been since I got any pleasure from them, and then look up and see what’s there for me.

If you like the ideas and perspectives expressed here, feel free to contact me about individual coaching and group workshops.

Fearless Writing: How to Create Boldly and Write With Confidence.
You can find William at: williamkenower.com