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I can relate to needing big chunks of time to write. For me it’s a whole day, usually 8 to 12 hours, to get a piece drafted and edited and posted with photos. I require a lot of momentum to get going, so I don’t even bother writing in short spurts. If I don’t finish a piece while I’m in the moment and it’s on my mind, I lose the spark and never come back to it. I think it’s OK to have our own rhythms and to follow them. I’ve sometimes gone several months without posting, and I don’t apologize for it. Otherwise I think my posts would be an endless series of apologies! Do what you need right now. Your season will return. And I’m looking forward to it, since I love your work!

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This is beautiful! Thank you for writing this- and I’m so glad my piece was of some comfort. Hang in there! ❤️

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Thanks Amy!

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I’m checking in to let you know that your words are missed… I hope they crawl back out of their cubbies soon! 🤗

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Aww thank you! I have actually been thinking in the past few weeks about restarting; I’m gonna take this as a helpful nudge from the universe :)

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Thank you for the shout out Liz, and for coming to the BK event! It was so nice to see you. Stay on the grind!!

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The only way I write is that I never cook 😂😂😂 really. I haven’t cooked something in ages. I don’t have bandwidth for it. Glad your creative energy is still being explored.

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Haha to each their own!

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In an earlier post, you mentioned the parallel journeys of parenting children and dogs. I’d say another parallel is that this is a season. It feels like forever, but someday Mochi will be old and napping most of every day, settled into his old dog grumpiness. That isn’t to diminish what’s happening now.

I’ve never attempted writing unless my children are absent or sleeping, and a puppy adheres far less faithfully to boundaries than any toddler. Mochi will find a groove, and with it, lose much of that buoyant, spontaneous energy that makes him so adorable. Maybe you are planting seeds now, to harvest in the next season.

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Yes thank you for the reminder, and the reassurance that you need them absent or sleeping. This weekend is the first weekend I could fully pass the pup off for a few days away, and it’s reminding me how glorious uninterrupted mornings are!

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There will be other workshops; come back.

Here is what my average day looks like: wake (too late; I like sleep). Mother call #1. Coffee. Walk. Work: editing, writing, tweaking, hitting deadlines....interrupted by: Mother calls #2-#9, whining dog, phone ringing, the cat knocking my water glass over on my desk, the other cat scratching at my Asian rug. Podcast taping, more writing. Teaching 2.5 hours. Feed dog, feed cats, feed wife. A meeting. Mother calls #9-#11. Caregiver issues. More writing. Some reading. Bed.

Please return. And keep going.

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I find this schedule oddly reassuring, thank you. When I reach cruising altitude, I’ll be back. Thank you!

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As writers, we all often feel this disconnect with words, or this inability to put manifest our thoughts in writing. As a writer, being ABLE to write on any given day is no guarantee. But I am honored that Tenderheart has given you space to cook, to process, to find joy. Thank you for welcoming me and my recipes into your daily. Sending lots of love and can't wait to read more of your words. Love Hetty x

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Yes, very true. The donuts and peanut ramen got me through this winter, no joke. Thank you for putting them in the world.

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