How can I tell if I’m being determined or just stubborn? Today marks my 365 day writing streak, a huge goal I’d set myself. But not one that came easy. I had many nights where I flinched at the flash of the monitor as I finally booted the computer in the early hours of the morning. I’d wobble at my desk. Prying my eyes open and typing as fast as I could before I fell asleep, or the baby woke yet again.

Fiction Bite - Every Little Effort

We sat on a fallen tree, the rough bark biting through my chinos. The wind whipped the cold scent of nightfall through my bones and I shivered. I handed over a cider and we sipped in silence.

“Do you think we’ll get back together?” I ask.

“You and Mum? Nah, she hates your guts.”

“I still want to make it work. You know that right?”

“Whatever. You’re dead to her.” Cider fuzzes over my tongue. I can’t see his face.

“What about you?”

“I come for the cider.”

The wind was turning me to ice. We finished our cans and walked home. I didn’t go inside.

Quote of the Week

“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” Albert Einstein

Book Recommendation - Blue Horses by Mary Oliver [Poetry]

Transcendent, yet earthy. Tiny, yet monumental. Mary Oliver speaks of trees, birds, berries, and frogs. Of death, doubt, depression, and faith. Her collection shook me, delighted me, and made me want to run barefoot in the forest, almost in the same moment. I read it again straight after finishing it. I can count on one hand how many times that’s happened.

Final Words

Determined is the artist covering hundreds of canvases before making their first masterpiece. Stubborn is the artist who covers thousands, despite never progressing. What separates the two? And how can I know which I am without relying on hindsight?

With Love

Josiah

P.S. What did you think of this week’s email? Which was your favourite bit? What didn’t work for you? Hit reply and let me know.