Embracing Imperfection

It's been a minute since I've sat down to write. The words that once flowed so effortlessly from my mind onto the page seemed to have dried up, leaving me struggling to express thoughts that swirled in my head.

For a while, I convinced myself that I was simply "too busy to write". I told myself that I would get back to it when the hubbub of life had calmed down and when I had more time to dedicate to it. But as days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months and eventually months turned into years, it slowly hit me that it wasn't just a lack of time that was holding me back.

It was a lack of inspiration.

I would sit down at my desk; staring blankly at the screen, the blinking cursor taunting me for even trying to attempt, as I tried to conjure up something - anything worth writing about. The ideas that once came to me so easily seemed to have vanished into thin air. The more I tried to force them to come, the more elusive they became.

It was frustrating, to say the least. Writing had always been my outlet - a way to make sense of the world around me and the thoughts inside my head. A way to observe, understand and connect the dots. Without it, I felt lost and disconnected, like a part of me was missing.

But then I realized that maybe it was okay to not have all the answers, to not be able to find the perfect words to express myself every time. Maybe the act of writing itself was what was important, even if what I wrote wasn't always my best work.

So I started writing again in a personal setting. I wrote about mundane things - the weather, what I had for breakfast, the books I was reading - and slowly but surely, I felt the ideas start to flow again. They weren't groundbreaking, Pulitzer-worthy pieces of literature, but they were mine, and that was enough.

In a world that often tells us that we need to be constantly producing, constantly achieving, and constantly creating, it can be hard to remember that sometimes it's okay to just be. To not have all the answers, to not be able to articulate every thought perfectly.

It's important to remember that not every piece of writing needs to be perfect. Give yourself permission to make mistakes and experiment with different styles and formats. Remember that writing is a process, and the more you do it, the better you will become. And while it's natural to feel frustrated when the words don't come easily, it's important to keep showing up and trying. Whether you're writing about something profound or something mundane, the act of putting pen to paper is what counts. So don't be too hard on yourself, and remember that sometimes the best writing comes from unexpected places, because it's in those moments of vulnerability and imperfection that we can truly connect with others. It's in those moments that we can find the beauty in our humanity and the humanity of those around us.

So if you're struggling to find the words, if it's been a minute since you've written anything of substance, know that it's okay. Know that you're not alone. And know that sometimes the act of showing up and putting pen to paper is enough.