It’s brilliant to be properly back in the bloggerverse. I’ll be finishing up a couple of cover designs this weekend before diving into my sci-fi series book edits again next week, and now that I’m finally having some quality time back at my computer again with two of my favourite things, I’m pretty much grinning all the time. I abandoned my sketching and painting for so many years that I really didn’t think that I’d ever get back into it, but lately all the rust is falling away and I’m amazed at the huge joy it brings me. It’s weird how we sometimes stop doing the things that we love for whatever reasons, sometimes forever, and that’s a huge shame. It’s also weird how so many of us humans think that getting pleasure from an activity must mean that it’s not work and not worthy of our quality time. It’s the same with writing – how can it be your day job if it’s your favourite thing in the world to do? The truth really is that if that’s what it is – your true happy place, you’ll probably do it so much better than any other kind of “work”. It’s definitely worth striving for, to spend your life doing the work that you love, rather than getting to the end of it and looking back with huge regrets. Put as much work into work that you love as you do your day job, and with a bit of luck and elbow grease it will eventually be your day job.
Now that I’ve discovered that our illustrious scientists have discovered that Earth is actually a billion years older than they thought it was I have lots of tweaking to do to my series. Tweaking, I reckon, is the most dangerous thing to do as far as inserting all sorts of terrible inconsistencies is concerned, especially in a very long story that you’ve been away from for a while, but an extra billion years is way too cool for me to pass up. Anyway – now I’m off to paint covers and ponder what weirdness could possibly reside in dark matter.
The pleasure does not equal work thing is odd. Like we’ve evolved into a species that believes you can’t have both at the same time. Probably stems from so many people following a path solely for money and always rationalizing their misery. Congrats on getting back to the things you love.
jorobinson176responded:
November 13, 2015 at 3:54 pm
Thanks Charles! It’s going to be doing it for the love all the way. 🙂 You’re right about the evolved thing – we seem to think that the whole “born to suffer” is the way life should be lived. I’m a whole lot poorer now than I’ve been, but a whole lot happier with what I’m doing – although enough cash to survive is necessary, I reckon we don’t need as much as we think we do. 🙂
I’m in the poorer spot, but not really the happier. There’s that financial stress and people who are determined to make me feel bad for my situation. It’s amazing how often people will try to take the few things you take joy from or kick you when you’re down, but call it ‘tough love’.
jorobinson176responded:
November 13, 2015 at 4:36 pm
Up in Zimbabwe when the **** hit the fan and everything collapsed, we all had billions of dollars in worthless currency but zero food or anything else – toilet paper? Hah! It was pucker poverty on Dresden china, but it really was an eye opener about the things that were important to me, so I won’t budge as far as my writing’s concerned. Now I’m really not at all anything other than quite poor probably, although it’s still weird trying to embrace that. With your little guy things are so much different, and the shots people take at you must hurt like hell. It’s all very well to say ignore it, but when the people we love hurt us, well, I reckon then it just hurts. These days I’m thinking that life is finite – what I have of it is mine alone, and there’s not much I can do now to right the wrongs of the past other than be who I am now. That would be a scribbler of note. 😀 You’re an amazing writer and the reading world would be a much poorer place without your worlds, so useless as it is to say, I reckon bugger the naysaying and the nastiness and try your damndest to enjoy yourself anyway. As they say in Loreal – You’re worth it!!! 😀
The little guy brings an interesting aspect to it and some people try to use him as a reason for me to ‘mature’. This means get an office job and stop writing. Yet I try to explain that one of the reasons I’m doing this is because of him. Growing up, I was always being told to reach for my dreams and then I was told as an adult to stop dreaming. Eventually I saw that those who said to strive for my dreams never really tried to do it themselves. So I’d like to be able to tell my son that he can pursue his dreams and point out that I at least tried to do the same. Maybe it’s pride, but I feel that would carry more weight.
Life is definitely finite. Wish more people realized that and didn’t waste it. World would be a happier place.
jorobinson176responded:
November 13, 2015 at 5:17 pm
Office job – ugh. Been there and have the horrible T-shirts. We love our babies and it’s so easy to guilt us about how we go about things that could possibly impact on their future lives. I actually got it all pretty much wrong, although I thought not at the time. You’ll find when you get as almost geriatric as I am now that guilt is generally misplaced and applied by those who wish to assuage their own guilt. We should never be hostages to anything or anyone I reckon. I should probably stop saying I reckon. 😀 I reckon (ahem) that we should all have a think now and then about the big picture – the importance of doing what you are called to do is probably much more important than a bunch of people being mean because they haven’t got there yet.
jorobinson176responded:
November 13, 2015 at 5:35 pm
It’s almost impossible to fight back if you actually feel any guilt. And we all feel guilt unless we’re psychopaths. Then you have that rollercoaster of staring at blank pages and wondering what the hell it is that you’re scared of. That gorgeous ghostly fear that stops us from writing. Or doing any other cool thing for that matter.
jorobinson176responded:
November 13, 2015 at 5:41 pm
I love rants. I saw a post the other day saying that all blogs should be professional, and – really! – do you honestly think that your blog is your personal diary you tool?!?!?!?! Well – yes – that’s exactly what blogs were created to be. Personal journals submitted to the world at large. Our blog sites and websites are our own spaces, and if we feel like a rant that’s totally cool. Also inspiring and helpful to others who resonate with our rant subject – and there generally are many – much to our surprise.
I think the level of professionalism on a blog depends on the goal. Many don’t realize that there are blogs out there for fun or anything else beyond promoting a business. It’s a very narrow worldview in a way.
Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
Jo has been very busy offline for the last few weeks but will soon be back with us all guns blazing.. Good to hear as whilst the earth may be a billion years older than first thought, holes are still punched in the atmosphere when one of our favourite bloggers is away for a time. The world is a better place.. good to hear you are back Jo. hugs XX
jorobinson176responded:
November 13, 2015 at 3:58 pm
Thank you my beautiful friend! You really are my rock and I think you’re the bestest of the best. Here’s a toast to us having a blogger ball as we always did – clink clink. HUGS! ❤ XXXXX
After so many years of struggling to do what was expected of me, I have finally retired (in a very real sense of the word) to doing what I want to do, all the things that make me happy. Life is far too short (and getting shorter) to contemplate anything else.
Jo Robinson 
November 13, 2015 at 3:41 pm
The pleasure does not equal work thing is odd. Like we’ve evolved into a species that believes you can’t have both at the same time. Probably stems from so many people following a path solely for money and always rationalizing their misery. Congrats on getting back to the things you love.
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 13, 2015 at 3:54 pm
Thanks Charles! It’s going to be doing it for the love all the way. 🙂 You’re right about the evolved thing – we seem to think that the whole “born to suffer” is the way life should be lived. I’m a whole lot poorer now than I’ve been, but a whole lot happier with what I’m doing – although enough cash to survive is necessary, I reckon we don’t need as much as we think we do. 🙂
LikeLike
November 13, 2015 at 4:23 pm
I’m in the poorer spot, but not really the happier. There’s that financial stress and people who are determined to make me feel bad for my situation. It’s amazing how often people will try to take the few things you take joy from or kick you when you’re down, but call it ‘tough love’.
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 13, 2015 at 4:36 pm
Up in Zimbabwe when the **** hit the fan and everything collapsed, we all had billions of dollars in worthless currency but zero food or anything else – toilet paper? Hah! It was pucker poverty on Dresden china, but it really was an eye opener about the things that were important to me, so I won’t budge as far as my writing’s concerned. Now I’m really not at all anything other than quite poor probably, although it’s still weird trying to embrace that. With your little guy things are so much different, and the shots people take at you must hurt like hell. It’s all very well to say ignore it, but when the people we love hurt us, well, I reckon then it just hurts. These days I’m thinking that life is finite – what I have of it is mine alone, and there’s not much I can do now to right the wrongs of the past other than be who I am now. That would be a scribbler of note. 😀 You’re an amazing writer and the reading world would be a much poorer place without your worlds, so useless as it is to say, I reckon bugger the naysaying and the nastiness and try your damndest to enjoy yourself anyway. As they say in Loreal – You’re worth it!!! 😀
LikeLike
November 13, 2015 at 5:08 pm
The little guy brings an interesting aspect to it and some people try to use him as a reason for me to ‘mature’. This means get an office job and stop writing. Yet I try to explain that one of the reasons I’m doing this is because of him. Growing up, I was always being told to reach for my dreams and then I was told as an adult to stop dreaming. Eventually I saw that those who said to strive for my dreams never really tried to do it themselves. So I’d like to be able to tell my son that he can pursue his dreams and point out that I at least tried to do the same. Maybe it’s pride, but I feel that would carry more weight.
Life is definitely finite. Wish more people realized that and didn’t waste it. World would be a happier place.
LikeLike
November 13, 2015 at 5:17 pm
Office job – ugh. Been there and have the horrible T-shirts. We love our babies and it’s so easy to guilt us about how we go about things that could possibly impact on their future lives. I actually got it all pretty much wrong, although I thought not at the time. You’ll find when you get as almost geriatric as I am now that guilt is generally misplaced and applied by those who wish to assuage their own guilt. We should never be hostages to anything or anyone I reckon. I should probably stop saying I reckon. 😀 I reckon (ahem) that we should all have a think now and then about the big picture – the importance of doing what you are called to do is probably much more important than a bunch of people being mean because they haven’t got there yet.
LikeLike
November 13, 2015 at 5:28 pm
I’m seeing the guilt thing a lot lately. I see it getting used more as a weapon or manipulation tactic than a genuine emotion these days.
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 13, 2015 at 5:35 pm
It’s almost impossible to fight back if you actually feel any guilt. And we all feel guilt unless we’re psychopaths. Then you have that rollercoaster of staring at blank pages and wondering what the hell it is that you’re scared of. That gorgeous ghostly fear that stops us from writing. Or doing any other cool thing for that matter.
LikeLike
November 13, 2015 at 5:36 pm
Thankfully I’ve usually just ranted or purged the guilt onto the page if I feel like that. Doesn’t have to be published or shared to count as writing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 13, 2015 at 5:41 pm
I love rants. I saw a post the other day saying that all blogs should be professional, and – really! – do you honestly think that your blog is your personal diary you tool?!?!?!?! Well – yes – that’s exactly what blogs were created to be. Personal journals submitted to the world at large. Our blog sites and websites are our own spaces, and if we feel like a rant that’s totally cool. Also inspiring and helpful to others who resonate with our rant subject – and there generally are many – much to our surprise.
LikeLike
November 13, 2015 at 5:54 pm
I think the level of professionalism on a blog depends on the goal. Many don’t realize that there are blogs out there for fun or anything else beyond promoting a business. It’s a very narrow worldview in a way.
LikeLike
November 13, 2015 at 3:48 pm
Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
Jo has been very busy offline for the last few weeks but will soon be back with us all guns blazing.. Good to hear as whilst the earth may be a billion years older than first thought, holes are still punched in the atmosphere when one of our favourite bloggers is away for a time. The world is a better place.. good to hear you are back Jo. hugs XX
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 13, 2015 at 3:58 pm
Thank you my beautiful friend! You really are my rock and I think you’re the bestest of the best. Here’s a toast to us having a blogger ball as we always did – clink clink. HUGS! ❤ XXXXX
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 13, 2015 at 4:23 pm
XXS
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November 13, 2015 at 3:49 pm
Yesssssss!!! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 13, 2015 at 3:59 pm
LOL! I like Yessssss Lorrie – thank you! 🙂 XX
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 13, 2015 at 6:28 pm
Good luck, Jo! And nice to have you back!
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November 13, 2015 at 11:19 pm
Reblogged this on Kim's Author Support Blog.
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November 14, 2015 at 1:06 pm
After so many years of struggling to do what was expected of me, I have finally retired (in a very real sense of the word) to doing what I want to do, all the things that make me happy. Life is far too short (and getting shorter) to contemplate anything else.
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November 14, 2015 at 1:07 pm
Reblogged this on Anita Dawes & Jaye Marie and commented:
love Rumi…
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November 15, 2015 at 9:53 am
Welcome back, Jo. So good to hear that someone loves their work. You hear so much of the other. 🙂 — Suzanne J.
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November 16, 2015 at 7:55 am
Welcome back — missed you. Glad to hear you’re back at the sketching and painting and getting so much joy out of it. : )
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November 17, 2015 at 7:02 pm
You are definitely sitting pretty in your happy place, Jo. I have a smile just reading your post. 😀
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