Oh, the application is due at 6pm
Oh, hi friends!
I’ve been going for walks around the neighborhood with my friend Aliza, and one day when I was rushing to meet her (sending the ‘sorry I’m on my way!’ text and dodging folks outside of Trader Joe’s) she told me there is literally no need to rush — especially not for a walk, especially not now.
And that reminded me how little I’ve rushed to do anything in the past year.
It’s nice to not run for the closing subway doors or beat myself up for being five minutes late to the meeting.
But that’s also why now any deadline or hard start (or stop) gives me an incredible high.
The application is due at 6pm ET. No exceptions.
We need that edit back by noon. Can you do that?
YESSSSS.
Truthfully, I’ve been looking for a reason to rush again. Maybe it’s because my monkey mind links ‘urgent’ with ‘important,’ but constraints can also signal where you are: You can meet the goal or miss the goal. You can make it through the subway doors or have to wait on the platform for the next train.
But it can feel nice to have the chance to rise to the occasion — any occasion.
What will give you that rush today?
“If you see it, hear it, think it, your brain has to deal with it: file it or edit it.
Watch how far you open the door to your precious brain. Memory synapses are super-sensitive to repetitive scenes, and our fear-filled narratives, that embed and flow like lava.”
My wise friend Susan Hamilton (who I met through this newsletter!) said this to me months ago and I’ve reread it many mornings. When my brain feels especially squeezed, I realize I’ve been filing and editing too much and I should watch what is coming through the door.
Another New (Old) Show for You
Young Luke Kirby! Young Rachel McAdams! We’re watching Slings & Arrows, a dark comedy from 2003 set at a troubled Shakespeare theater festival. (As Vulture said, “If you feel burned out by that dull drumbeat of sameness, maybe you’d like to try something else. Maybe you’d like to watch a very wonky, very sincere, and slightly supernatural series about a bunch of Canadian theater nerds.”)
Yes, yes, that’s exactly what I want.
It’s streaming on AcornTV (??) and SundanceNow (that's how we're watching), and AMC+ and DirecTV.
It's also reminded me how weird and creative and fun TV can be. It can be whatever you want it to be.
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You can also support my work by checking out my new motivational journal, Do It For Yourself, designed to guide you through your creative and work projects.
Thanks, as always, for reading.
Love, Kara