Yesterday I was having a bit of trouble getting motivated, for the usual reasons – a slew of rejections, a couple of them unexpected and dispiriting, a bunch of pitches that had obviously wandered into the black hole of non-response, a rainy dark morning and a kid who wanted to go to the pool and didn’t want to hear “ain’t happening today, sweetie.”
There was not enough mocha coffee in the world to overcome my slump, until I was looking over something I wrote several years back, mentioning the job I had at the lumber yard when I was in college. Did that bring back memories.
There was a lot that I enjoyed about that job, including some fun friends and the fact that I was in my early twenties and not quite as, umm, jaded to the world as I am now.
But oh the drawbacks. Low pay, crappy hours, management by whim instead of plan, little chance of advancement and co-workers, who, shall we say, were not as yet enlightened to the principles of not harassing the female help.
In other words, a small journey to my past made me thankful – grateful – for the work I have now, and helped jumpstart me out of my slump.
What do you do when you’re looking at your work and feeling “meh”?