Pacing and Priorities

On exhaustion and expectations (of and for myself)

Hullo my lovely readers

A quick content note for (brief and vague) discussion of fatigue and energy management, in relation to both my experiences and those of other people. Also reference to noise sensitivity.

I had an intense and inspiring (intensely inspiring) week last week, about which I’m desperate to write; not least because it also provided a fitting conclusion for my long-promised letter about my noise sensitivity and how it affects me as a performer. Also, entirely as a coincidence, this week’s letter is somehow the fiftieth (!) I’ve published in this version of Wordy and Wheely.

However, because of the intensity of the week (and some other professional and personal commitments this week), I’m just utterly exhausted.

I was feeling so guilty and frustrated. (Honestly, I still am.) But this morning I read a beautiful post by a friend and fellow writer on Substack, Tilly Lunken, about the complexity of navigating fatigue and other symptoms. In it, Tilly wrote:

I couldn’t do it so I didn’t.

That line, along with the rest of Tilly’s words, resonated with me on a soul level. So, with thanks to Tilly for the much needed reminder, I’m using my letter this week to share hers.

Falling Short?

And, with thanks for your kindness about last week’s letter and poem for Bi Visibility Day, I’ll be back next week with another short poem for World Cerebral Palsy Day that’s already scheduled. Then after that (hopefully) I’ll have a longer letter finished.

For now, thank you so much for reading, take care of yourselves and one another, and love and solidarity until next time,

Jx