This time of year is normally very busy for people I work with: some are rushing to complete projects worked on over the summer; some have their hands full with fall classes already in full swing.
So many things pull at our attention: papers needing grading; lessons and lectures to be planned and prepared; graduate students who need work read, and support keeping going on theses and dissertations; letters of recommendation to be written and uploaded; meetings with colleagues, collaborators, community partners, state agencies; committee work for our programs, departments, colleges, universities; review work for journals, presses, funding agencies, and other universities; editorial and leadership work for professional journals and organizations; grant proposals to be conceptualized, written, and revised; and of course an impossible amount of requests by people who’d “love to get our perspective on something.”
It’s hard, I know, as we march through our days trying to keep a balance among the requests we fulfill and make. The pandemic, the violence raging in the streets, the suffocating inequalities and injustices, and climate change fueled disasters add to an already heavy load.
We do our best. And try not to become an empty shell. Or worse. Sigh.
So at times like these, I try to remember the importance of our stories. I believe stories heal. Stories teach. Stories have the ability to help us pause from the everyday grind and gain a deeper, more loving connection with ourselves and our environments.
I believe reading stories is magical, and writing stories maybe even more so.
Why not take a moment this week and savor a story? How about a two-hour break from your normal routine to write a story, or part of one, that matters to you? Whether you’re a creative writer or an academic writer (or both!), perhaps now more than ever–our stories are so important. The world needs your abstract, your journal article, your essay, your poem, your book chapter, your book, your report, your blog post, your thesis, your dissertation.
Our minds and hearts are waiting for your stories and the lessons only you can teach us.
The Auntie Way Writing Retreat Fall Sessions start Friday, September 4! Register for one session, one month, or all four months!
Michelle M. Jacob 