Another Letter to the Muse

“Some of the things you're tired of doing will lead to greatness soon if you don't get tired of doing them.”

Constance Chuks Friday

“But I can only write what the muse allows me to write. I cannot choose, I can only do what I am given…”

 Ian Hamilton Finlay 

Dear Muse,

Just so you know, I have little or no enthusiasm for writing tonight.  I feel nervous about some other work I have to do.  I’m tired from staying up too late last and if I could have just one wish, it would be to sit at my house on the beach and listen to the waves.  Instead, I feel pretty far from the beach.   A lot of my dreams seem far away at the moment.  Maybe I’m just tired, as I said.  Or maybe I just need to ignore my feelings and write anyway.

“The professional plays hurt,” according to Steven Pressfield.  He (or she) also plays when he’s bored, tired, lonely, broke, confused, angry or in despair.  Sometimes she (or he) even plays when she’s sick or she feels like she’s dying from a broken heart.  I’ve written in every one of those states.  And 99.9999999 out of 100 times, I felt better when I was done.  That’s because you came to me.

So I’m writing not from desire, enthusiasm or energy.  I’m writing because this is too important to give up, even for one day.  So, Muse, be with me.  In fact, if I could somehow find the way, I want you to live with me.  I want you with me every single day.  I never want you to leave.  You can stay in the house on the beach with me and watch me write, just as I’m doing now.  We can go shopping, go on walks, see movies, travel or just sit in the room together as I write, every day.  But I have to write every day.

So here I am writing when I really don’t feel like it.  This doesn’t make me noble or better.  I’m still easily distracted.  I’m still not as focused as I’d like to be.  I’m still like a hummingbird, my wings beating 70 times a second, barely able to be still for one minute.  But I’m here, by God, I’m here.  So I want you to be here with me, every day, for the rest of my life. 

Muse, I can’t write without you.  In fact, there’s very little I can do without you if it’s not suffused in Purpose.  Lately I’ve been noticing that there are some things I have less enthusiasm for than I used to.  Maybe I’ve just hit a rough patch, or maybe I need to spend more time on the things that do enthuse me.  Time will tell.  All I know is this:  when you are with me, everything seems better and more inspired – my writing, my job, my personal life, even how I organize my life.

So stay with me here or on the house on the beach that you help me get.  Stay with me wherever I am.  I need you because I plan on doing something inspired and inspirational for the rest of my life.  I plan to Get Started and to Keep Going every day that I can.

Thank you!