WHAT ARE YOU GIVING UP? WHAT ARE YOU DOING A NEW?

I heard Ariel Dorfman speak as a part of the NextBook series at the WDCJCC in the spring. He talked about his relationship with language and giving up speaking Spanish for ten years as a child. It made me think about transitions and moving from one part of life to another always seems to require giving up something in order to make space for the new thing, the next thing. So I'm thinking about what I'm giving up for the next ten years to do something new.

This is what I'm giving up:

1. Quitting fundraising
2. Quitting sitting on committees for non-profit organizations
3. Working less and creating more time for my creative work
4. Going on my partner’s health insurance
5. The notion that I have to completely support myself and not receive things from others

This is what I am doing anew:

1. Taking myself seriously as a writer which means giving myself time to write
2. Feeling unapologetic about making this change
3. Committing to writing and approaching it as a the central passion of my life
4. Telling people I am a writer
5. Yet not explaining myself to others to seek their approval