Using Up Words

I love my job: I'm the writer at Horizons Foundation, the world's first LGBT community foundation. It's a fantastic organization making a real difference in the lives of LGBT people, I get to work on lots of different kinds of writing projects, and my coworkers are not only smart and hard-working, but also completely hilarious and fundamentally kind. I have thanked my lucky stars for the opportunity to work there ever since I started in 2004.

So it almost feels like poor taste to say there's a drawback: at the end of the day, I feel like all my words got used up. After eight hours of intense concentration at my job, there's nothing left for my own writing projects.

Now, I know this sounds completely trivial to non-writers, and compared to many work issues that people are dealing with -- unlivable wages, harrassment, unsafe conditions, and so on -- it is minor. Trust me, I'm well aware of how good I have it.

At the same time, for someone like me who is nourished by her creativity with words, the potential long-term consequences can't be dismissed. I need to acknowledge that the situation is serious for me, and find ways to get those words flowing again.

My current plan: on the mornings when I haven't been getting up early to go to the gym, get up early anyway and write. Once it becomes habit, it'll be easier to expand from there.

Welcome to the fruits of Day 1.