Hello block, how are you today?

Well good morning Mr. Block. Lovely seeing you again. Just in case you aren’t that swift, that last sentence was indeed dripping with sarcasm. Well, I can’t stand it anymore. I have things to say, and you are blocking me. What’s the deal?

I close my eyes and I’m nose to nose with this great, dark wall. This huge insurmountable thing, it obscures everything. It’s dark and scary and seems like it could engulf me, if it wasn’t so solid and thick.

Well no wonder I’m having trouble getting started! That is one big freaky writer’s block. And then I notice my competitive streak is waking up, “Insurmountable, pshaw. We can do this, don’t be a wimp, let’s pound it to a pulp and breakthrough to the other side!”

Wait, wait, wait. Now how can beating myself up help? Because yes, despite having all these conversations with all these different things, I realize this is all part of me. I don’t want to force myself, I don’t want to be mean to myself, I don’t want to make myself do it.

I close my eyes again and take a step back. A sliver of gorgeous blue sky appears. Another step back, and another, looking all around me. I’m standing in the middle of this beautiful meadow, with a creek running behind me. Lovely trees, wild flowers, mountains in the distance.

That big dark foreboding block? It’s an old falling down rock wall. The mortar has turned to dust. A gentle tap and the rocks tumble down. It only seemed like a big, horrible, insurmountable wall because I had my nose pressed up against it. A step back, a little perspective, some gentle questioning, and like magic, I write.

Image by hball via flickr, used under a creative commons license.

7 comments to Hello block, how are you today?

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