We had thought we were going on a sailing trip.

At least, that’s how it was pitched to us. But when we set out in the 38-foot Bantry Bay gigs, there was no wind. Therefore, the oars were distributed, and the ten of us rowed out of the harbor, stroke by stroke.

For the next six hours, we headed east over the gentle three-foot swells that were the only remaining vestiges of the previous day’s storm. For a while, we caught some wind and made way toward our destination, but the configuration of our sails made it impossible to sail upwind, and the wind shifted unhelpfully.

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I used to give out stickers to my music students for each piece of music they completed.

One little boy earned a few stickers in one day. “I wasted these ones,” he said, pointing to the empty spaces on the sheet where the stickers had been. I smiled at his subtle mistake. “Yes, you used them,” I said. What’s the point of stickers, anyway?

For her “virtual red carpet” appearance at the 2021 Screen Actors Guild Awards, Kerry Washington donned a stunning silk velvet gown embroidered with Swarovski crystals, plus a matching cap.

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After months of being too bummed out to even look at the numbers, I started budgeting again properly in January.

Of course, numbers are numbers. They are what they are, without emotion. Whether I choose to examine them or not doesn’t change their reality. But if I didn’t pay attention too closely, I didn’t have to deal with them. I didn’t have to deal with reality.

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Okay, y’all. I’ve been going on about starting a YouTube channel since May.

And guess what? I haven’t done it.

You know that I can ship my work — here it is. But though I’ve made moves toward a YouTube channel, I haven’t actually shared a completed video. And I find myself thinking about why.

And then I realize that, as a matter of fact, I’m on the path. It’s just taking longer than I thought it would, and the progress that I have made doesn’t look anything like a finished product.

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I’m building a new business, and I’m finding it hard to shake the feeling that I need to be moving faster.

In the past, when I’ve created a new offering, it was often accompanied by the desire for a quick return on investment. I wanted to launch a thing because I needed some money coming in.

But now, despite COVID, things are more stable. I’m creating something new because I want to, not because I’m desperate and digging myself out of a hole. And that means I can take my time. However, I still feel that underlying sense of urgency. And this urgency carries a cost.

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