Resist!

 

According to my husband, Farmer Bill, there's no crying on La Belle Farm and I must at all times resist the urge to break down and bawl.

Okay, it's not that I cry all that much, but yes, occasionally, I get what you might call a little weepy. Life is like that. And our current travails are certainly enough to make the most hard-hearted types tearful. However, I have indeed learned to resist the urge to cry. And I believe the art of quiet resistance is underrated, and desperately needed.

We live in a loud and emotive age that demands we get on the Social and make big incendiary announcements and that we do it fast, adding lots of CC's that we haven't even really checked because we're so darned excited and our Adderall prescription has just kicked in and yeah, we're young and strong and muscled and we’re gonna grab the ball right away! Today! In this news cycle!

But as we all have learned, this sort of haste can lead to making mistakes and even grabbing attention from the wrong people.

Or, perhaps the exact right people, as the case might be.*

Creative Friends--there's a lesson in here for all of us. Let the fools rush in. For you, the best course of action is to slow down. Rest assured that your creative superpower is your ability to pay attention to the details. Make sure you slow down and look between the lines. Notice everything. Don’t numb yourself with the daily nonsense, but do pay attention to possibility. Look for interesting themes, connections, strange little missteps. The bad guys are weak and they’re going to make mistakes. Your eyes— wide-open—will lead to your well-thought out form of resistance.

And in the meantime, there's no crying in the revolution.

Love,

Jamie

*hats off to Jeffrey Goldberg at The Atlantic