I have been super sick for four days. I am still sick. It’s not covid. I don’t think it’s a cold. My best guess is allergies. Really it doesn’t matter. What matters is that I am very sick, and I hate being sick. I am terrible at being sick. Often when I am sick, I fight doing the most important things required to get better: surrendering and resting and waiting it out whilst hydrating and snoozing.
This morning I decided that even though I cannot think clearly enough to watch TV or knit, I would still compose and send out my weekly thing here. Not because y’all will wilt without my weekly input. But because I am a fan, in some instances anyway, of discipline. So I just spent about four hours writing what should have taken me half that time at most. And then, just as I was getting close to finishing a good enough draft, something occurred to me.
I went into the archives and did a search. I discovered I had already written this same piece back in May. I’m glad I realized this before sending out the “new” version. Besides sparing y’all a repeat, this discovery provided proof that in some situations, giving up is the best choice. My brain is in no position to generate new ideas today, let alone deliver them in an articulate fashion. And so, there you go:
I give up. Tada!
But still, I at least wanted to say hello.
HELLO.
I hope you will also remember to give up when giving up is the healthiest decision for you. Over my six decades on the planet, I have thus far given up booze, holidays, men, meat, suffering fools, hunger strikes and being disrespected. Each of these choices has improved my life.
What have you given up? What do you want to give up?
I’m going to try to sleep now. Y’all have a good week.
Love,
Uncle Spike
Since entering my 60s I've given up booze and (mostly) gluten and dairy. What I'd like to give up are things like a strong tendency to self-deprecation, so I can advertise my strong skills and abilities without also feeling like an impostor idiot.
I just realized I forgot to tell you get well! I was glad to see you out on Insta! xoxo