Reader, there's no sense in sugar coating it: this week was tough. I got sick and was laid out flat. Then we got some hard news about our baby girl up at UW Madison Children's Hospital. And then I found out that the boiler at my building--which was supposed to last until 2030--won't make it another season.
I couldn't help channeling 5 year-old Emily and dreaming of ways to run away.
Remember running away when we were kids? I'll never forget it. What a little cretin I was. When things got bad, I used to pack a suitcase full of "essentials" (aka Little Debbies, a blanket, magazines), bid my family a dramatic farewell, make a sweeping exit from the front door, then start heading down the road, all the while knowing with certainty that I wouldn't get far, and that I didn't really need to run away in the first place.
But problems get a lot bigger as adults. And there really is no way out. Or back. Or over. So what's a grown-up to do?
In the great words of Robert Frost, "The best way out is always through."
Those words really resonate with me tonight. Who knows what the coming days will bring for any of us. All I know is that there is only one way to approach it, and that is head-on. Reader, whatever comes your way this week, I hope Frost's message is useful for you as well. No matter what comes our way, I think we could all use gentle reminders to persevere.
(And on our way through life's hard times, we have unexpected bright spots. After a miserable week, I played a show last night in Chicago with Steve Dawson at the Elevated Songwriter Series. What a lift. I felt so supported by friends and fans. Thanks to everybody who was there...you can bet that I'll be riding this high as long as I possibly can.)
I've got my fingers crossed this week is a bit better that last, but if it's not, I'm bracing myself and preparing to put one foot in front of the other and push through it. ONWARD! I'll see you next Sunday. -Em
I couldn't help channeling 5 year-old Emily and dreaming of ways to run away.
Remember running away when we were kids? I'll never forget it. What a little cretin I was. When things got bad, I used to pack a suitcase full of "essentials" (aka Little Debbies, a blanket, magazines), bid my family a dramatic farewell, make a sweeping exit from the front door, then start heading down the road, all the while knowing with certainty that I wouldn't get far, and that I didn't really need to run away in the first place.
But problems get a lot bigger as adults. And there really is no way out. Or back. Or over. So what's a grown-up to do?
In the great words of Robert Frost, "The best way out is always through."
Those words really resonate with me tonight. Who knows what the coming days will bring for any of us. All I know is that there is only one way to approach it, and that is head-on. Reader, whatever comes your way this week, I hope Frost's message is useful for you as well. No matter what comes our way, I think we could all use gentle reminders to persevere.
(And on our way through life's hard times, we have unexpected bright spots. After a miserable week, I played a show last night in Chicago with Steve Dawson at the Elevated Songwriter Series. What a lift. I felt so supported by friends and fans. Thanks to everybody who was there...you can bet that I'll be riding this high as long as I possibly can.)
I've got my fingers crossed this week is a bit better that last, but if it's not, I'm bracing myself and preparing to put one foot in front of the other and push through it. ONWARD! I'll see you next Sunday. -Em
