Inspiration

I did not publish last week. ("Publish" is a generous term, maybe "post" is more apt). I didn't feel like it. Yes, I know that it's important to take actions consistent with the way you want to feel. And believe me I know that most of being an adult is doing things even when you don't feel like it.

But sometimes it just doesn't happen. Fortunately, (and I am writing this part after I put together the body of the newsletter below), there are so many sources of inspiration into which I can tap. And for that I feel most grateful.

Singing With All Your Heart

The Gospel According to Mavis Staples. I don't know how I forgot just how much Mavis Staples has made my heart soar. Her performance in the Last Waltz has been part of my DNA for more than 30 years. And she sang The Weight with Jeff Tweedy and Nick Lowe more recently, too. Like Staples, a lot of us are living with more ghosts and those "memories of a bygone world." Maybe we can take a page from her book, do a little less thinking about where we've been and where we're going, and just keep doing what we're supposed to do.

What Was I Supposed to Do, Again?

The Upside of Being a Late Bloomer. There are untapped sources of curiosity and creativity. My job is to keep trying to discover and rediscover them, particularly when they're not in plain sight (or I refuse to see them). It's never too late to become yourself. (I want an AI tool that will set off an alarm when I write clichés and platitudes).

I Am Supposed to Do the Work

Leonard Cohen on Creativity, Hard Work, and Why You Should Never Quit Before You Know What It Is You’re Quitting (The Marginalian). Now I am feeling silly for whining above about not feeling like doing something. As if I carry some unique burden or face challenges unknown to anyone else. Once I start doing it, that hesitancy vanishes. Most of the time.

Grief and Anger are Part of The Spirit, Too.

Democrats Need Patriotism Now More Than Ever. I am a little embarrassed that sometimes I have remained quiet and allowed someone else's idea of "patriotism" to hold sway. I don't really understand how and when it became impolite to argue with passion. Particularly when the subjects are the things that matter.

Have I Posted This One Before? I Don't Care.

I don't want to stop talking and singing (another generous term) about the good stuff.