Learning to Get Back Up ... Again

Every time my writing life starts to get back on track ...  

... it feels like life has other plans. 

These past few months, I've shared a lot about reconnecting with my creativity. I've talked about rediscovering my love of research, embracing the child who first fell in love with stories, rebuilding my confidence, and finally feeling excited to edit Sanctuary on Severn again.

Each time, it has felt like another small step forwards. 

And then, last Thursday, life dealt me another blow 💥

I'm not going to go into the details because they're deeply personal, but it knocked the wind out of me in a way I wasn't expecting. 

Right now, if I'm honest, I feel hopeless.

Not because I've stopped loving my story. Not because I want to give up. But because I'm tired ...

... tired of feeling like every time I manage to climb back onto my feet, something else comes along and knocks me down again.

But as I sat with those feelings over the last few days, I realised something.

As much as life keeps knocking me down, I keep getting back up. 

Sometimes it takes me hours, often times it takes me weeks, occasionally it takes me months. 

But every single time, I've found my way back. 

Maybe not as quickly as I'd have liked, or with a few more mental/emotional bruises than before, but I do come back. 

So, although I can't honestly say I'm feeling hopeful today, I can say this:

I'm still here. My story is still here. And history has taught me that, eventually, I'll find my way back to it again. 

For now, that's enough.

Sometimes perseverance doesn't look like making huge breakthroughs or writing thousands of words.

More often, it is simply refusing to let go of the dream, even when life makes holding onto it incredibly difficult. 

I don't know what the next few weeks will look like. But I do know one thing: I haven't come this far just to stop now. 

I may not feel hopeful today, but I've survived every chapter that's come before this one. 

If this resonated with you, I'd love to hear your story. What helps you get back up again after being knocked down? Comment below ❤️‍🩹

Keep your eyes peeled for more news on my writing here and on my Instagram!