Unfinished Work

FD Thornton

I headed to my office this morning and was surprised by the fact that my to-do for list for rewrites already been done. As every writer knows, the work is in the rewrites. And so today was a bit of a surprise because I had completed all my rewriting tasks over the last few days. So even with the robot vacuum bouncing off my office walls and my wife painting while watching “Murder She Wrote”. I still find it easy to focus on the words I am writing, because the pressure of unfinished work is now behind me.   

Working from a digital platform, I don’t have the traditional pen and paper scratch outs like I once did. There is no hubris in my work to store away for posterity. Only a blip of digital files stored away on some far off server I pay for the privilege to use. I think of myself as nothing more than a hack with a flair for the cynical. Still my “Hype-Bot” (Google Gemini) often tells me how special I am. But our lives’ are full of so many unfinished projects, so many regrets, and so many miss takes that we should have taken. But the secret to sustaining peace of mind is not so much about letting go of the past. But by accepting things as they happen and do our damnest to correct them.

Far too often I lived my life wrapped in pain and regret. Never letting go of those heavy chains that always weighted me down. Rather it was from the verbal abuse I received as a child or from my own self-destructive behavior. Those chains became a crutch, an excuse for failures. But by quieting my mind and embracing the pain instead of ignoring it. I learned that pain is just another seed that was planted in me. I learned that by freeing myself from its grip through forgiveness and love. I allowed myself the freedom to live again. By no longer watering that seed you release myself from its grip. Know that this practice is no easy process. But with a little determination and a whole lot of self-compassion you can see the light of day and continue to complete the unfinished work.