I couldn't figure out a post for this week so I'm writing this.

On not meeting your goals in America 2024.

Hi. Hello. Happy Friday.

I’ve had various false starts on different posts over the past few days, so I was thinking I would just let this week go with nothing posted. But, instead, I’ve decided to write this quick something because sometimes isn’t it nice to hear that other people haven’t met their goals?

I think it is.

Just as I wanted to share about Denton going out-of-print last week, it feels good to normalize the Hey, I was trying to accomplish something this week, and I didn’t! of it all.

Photo by MJH SHIKDER on Unsplash

I did do some good rewriting of my YA novel, which has been energizing and heartening. Though did I hit the benchmark I had in my mind for how much I would do this week? No, of course not! I seem to always be setting unrealistic goals for myself, and I think that’s something I need to work on. Possibly with my therapist.

But, actually, this week during my therapy session, we had a genuinely helpful conversation about the state of the world and the country and how exactly we as individuals are supposed to carry all that as we go about our lives. I mean, this has been a recurring theme since at least November 2016, but, with multiple devastating hurricanes, an escalating war in the Middle East, and a terrifying election on the horizon, there does seem to be more to process and grapple with than usual.

Alas, my therapist was not able to solve any of the aforementioned things, but talking with him about it was grounding.

I mention this to, yes, normalize therapy, but also to say that maybe you, too, accomplished less than you wanted to this week, and that’s okay. Because we’re living in a deeply uncertain time.  

To that end, I’ve also been working this week on a song on the piano that would (hopefully!) inspire people to vote. I thought I had a really solid version of it, so I played some of it for Katie yesterday. She liked it, but felt that it was missing the unique perspective my songs usually have. I immediately knew she was right. Then this morning I decided to rewatch the video of the song I wrote in October 2020 trying to get people to vote, and I realized I’d actually covered a lot of the same ground. The new thing I wrote this week was kind of like a less-good copy of the song I’d already written.

I wasn’t sure if this was more disturbing in terms of my own artistry or in terms of the doom loop our nation seems to be stuck in. I decided it was equally disturbing on both counts.

I scrapped the song but, as of this morning, I think I found a new angle on a voting song that is better than what I had.

So now I’m slightly less disturbed for my artistry but just as disturbed that America remains in this incredibly perilous position. I hope to finish that song and post it on Instagram sometime in the next two weeks. So keep an eye out for that and when you watch, know that what you’re seeing is actually an entirely new draft because the first one was not so good.

Speaking of not so good drafts, one of my false starts for a post involved an article I stumbled on about Jeff Bezos’s morning routine. Which I had opinions about. But I’m not going to link to that article because it actually turned out to be one of those articles that is mainly just summing up another article. Which, like, what is that? What is this clickbait world we live in where there are articles about tweets and articles about Instagram posts and articles about other people’s articles and what are we even doing here?

You can see why that piece went off the rails. Maybe I’ll write more about it some other time.

The important thing is I hope you’re doing okay during this chaotic moment. I hope you’re accomplishing some things, whether personally or professionally, even if it’s not all the things. And I hope you’re being kind to yourself even when your process is slow.

As we head into the weekend, I’m gonna throw a couple of T-Recs your way! Will & Harper on Netflix is so fantastic. It’s a doc following Will Ferrell and his best friend Harper Steele, who just came out as trans a few years ago, as they road trip across America. It’s hilarious and beautiful and such a moving portrait of friendship.

You should also catch the new musical Safety Not Guaranteed at BAM before it closes on October 20th! With music and lyrics by Guster’s Ryan Miller and a book by the wonderful Nick Blaemire, it’s a really charming adaptation of the indie film. It’s got some truly kick-ass performances, including Taylor Trensch as Kenneth the time traveler, and it builds to a moving and awe-inspiring finale.

Also, consider easing some election anxiety by writing some letters for Vote Forward! They need more people, and it’s simple and cathartic work. You can even just start with 5 letters! To the swing state of your choice! You write a short non-partisan message about why you vote and then address the envelope, and you’re golden.

Have a super weekend and a super Indigenous People’s Day and I’ll (probably) see you next week.