Can totally relate to this, although I am only in charge of one child in the summers.
Regarding the end of your piece: I always find going “out” and doing “things” changes my opinion of the current state of our world. If all you do is consume what is online you’d think the world was coming to an end.
Don’t get me wrong, I see a lot of what is happening as abhorrent as well. I just think staying in our own little silos is not the answer.
I think you probably don’t give yourself enough credit, Andrew. Being the primary parent on duty is a full-time job in the summer! But I relate with the struggle to equate that to the kind of financial results that society labels as success or an accomplishment.
That was an impressive number of ads, BTW!! Wow. Sometimes just keeping family afloat and intact without losing your mind is a feat these days.
I think living our lives with joy and freedom is a radical act of hopefulness. Playing with our kids and writing novels are the normal we need to hang on to.
Oh my gosh Andrew I feel this viscerally. I think we're around the same stage of parenting (mine are 10 and 13) and I recall, we both have badass Weezer-loving daughters? I also feel like I don't have much to show for the year; waiting on my editor to edit, procrastinating first round edits of the other novel I wrote which I'm fairly sure is shit, and yep the world is on fire. You made me and so many others laugh this year. Your awesome publication, Frazzled, gave me a home for my half-baked stories. You had a good year, even if it wasn't a lucrative one, it still made an impact in so many other important ways.
Thank you, Lisa! That means a lot! So happy to have you at Frazzled. And it sounds like you have quite a bit going on, even if it hasn't all come together yet. I'm sure it will get there. You're a fantastic writer!
I feel this way, too, Andrew. How was it possible to be more productive when the kids are younger? I go around all day now saying, "I'm tired," and accomplishing nothing. When I meet a productive person, I immediately ask if they're taking vitamins and, if so, which ones. :). Yesterday I was patting myself on the back for some deep litter box cleaning. I'm afraid of what's next. And this really hit home "And unsurprisingly, because capitalism has trained us to quantify success by productivity and earnings, I felt more accomplished than ever."
Your newsletters always strike a chord and I hope you have a wonderful summer!
Can totally relate to this, although I am only in charge of one child in the summers.
Regarding the end of your piece: I always find going “out” and doing “things” changes my opinion of the current state of our world. If all you do is consume what is online you’d think the world was coming to an end.
Don’t get me wrong, I see a lot of what is happening as abhorrent as well. I just think staying in our own little silos is not the answer.
Easier said than done I know.
I think you probably don’t give yourself enough credit, Andrew. Being the primary parent on duty is a full-time job in the summer! But I relate with the struggle to equate that to the kind of financial results that society labels as success or an accomplishment.
That was an impressive number of ads, BTW!! Wow. Sometimes just keeping family afloat and intact without losing your mind is a feat these days.
Thanks, Jen! I appreciate that!
I think living our lives with joy and freedom is a radical act of hopefulness. Playing with our kids and writing novels are the normal we need to hang on to.
Oh my gosh Andrew I feel this viscerally. I think we're around the same stage of parenting (mine are 10 and 13) and I recall, we both have badass Weezer-loving daughters? I also feel like I don't have much to show for the year; waiting on my editor to edit, procrastinating first round edits of the other novel I wrote which I'm fairly sure is shit, and yep the world is on fire. You made me and so many others laugh this year. Your awesome publication, Frazzled, gave me a home for my half-baked stories. You had a good year, even if it wasn't a lucrative one, it still made an impact in so many other important ways.
Thank you, Lisa! That means a lot! So happy to have you at Frazzled. And it sounds like you have quite a bit going on, even if it hasn't all come together yet. I'm sure it will get there. You're a fantastic writer!
Thank you Andrew :)
I feel this way, too, Andrew. How was it possible to be more productive when the kids are younger? I go around all day now saying, "I'm tired," and accomplishing nothing. When I meet a productive person, I immediately ask if they're taking vitamins and, if so, which ones. :). Yesterday I was patting myself on the back for some deep litter box cleaning. I'm afraid of what's next. And this really hit home "And unsurprisingly, because capitalism has trained us to quantify success by productivity and earnings, I felt more accomplished than ever."
Your newsletters always strike a chord and I hope you have a wonderful summer!
Thanks Liz! Hope you have as good of a summer as possible!
Thanks! Crossing my fingers it's uneventful. :)
Thank you for writing this.