Lacking Inspiration
My writing life goes round in circles. At times, I feel excited. I have lots of things I want to write about. My words flow onto the computer screen, no problem at all. And then one day I wake up and I feel flat. When I write, my words are two-dimensional. No amount of effort will pump them up and make them exciting. A few times in the past, when I’ve been in one of these phases, I’ve written a farewell blogging post: Thank you for reading my blog. I’ve enjoyed writng, but it’s now time to move on. I’ve even deleted my blog a couple of times. But was that the right response?
I have discovered that uninspired times are just a normal part of my writing life. They’re also part of my unschooling family life. Yes, sometimes I wake up and life looks a bit grey. Where has my excitement for living and learning gone?
I wonder if our chidren also feel this way at times. Does their excitement for learning also disappear? Do they face the day feeling uninspired? These can be tough times for unschooling parents. We prefer days when our kids are obviously excited by their passions. We can be sure at such times they are learning.
But could quiet times, when our children don’t appear to be doing much at all, actually be normal? Could they even be essential? Should we just trust that our children will pass through such phases in their own time? Will they soon be back on track? I’ve been through the quiet time cycle a few times with different children. And I know inspiration and excitement for learning can suddenly return.
But writing and normal life blues are nothing compared to the blackness that descends when a baby dies. When we’re grieving, people tell us that time will heal all. All we have to do is wait it out. But is that true?
In this week’s podcast, I talk about uninspiring times, times when it feels like we are in a slump. I also tell you a little about my son Thomas. We’re celebrating his birthday today, and tomorrow we’ll be remembering the day he died.
I had a lot of trouble coming up with a topic for this week’s episode. Just when I was wondering if episode 50 would be my farewell podcast – I’ve enjoyed podcasting, but now it’s time to move on(!) – I decided to ask my Facebook friends for some suggestions. I’m not sure I interpreted their excellent ideas correctly. Maybe this podcast will still sound uninspired. If it does, I hope you understand. Podcasting might be cyclic too. Inspiration can suddenly disappear and then reappear when we least expect it. I could return next week with a very exciting edition. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? (I hope it works out that way!)
Show Notes
Decluttering book
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, audio book on Youtube
Resources
You can find lots of resources on my Pinterest boards!
I’m feeling rather inspired by all the things I’ve recently added to my Unschool Mathsboard. I wonder if my girls will also feel excited when they see my pins!
Blog posts
Chatting about Passions and Other Stuff
When Excitement for Learning Appears to Disappear
Regaining Her Enthusaism for Learning
Podcast
Exciting Times, Slow Times, and Unschool Holidays
Music
60’s Quiz Show by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
Thank you for listening!
Images: The photo was taken on our annual birthday visit to the cemetery. We always arrange fresh flowers on Thomas’ grave, take some photos and then have a special picnic.