Sitting. Watching. Doing. Nothing.

Get up!

Alethea's Mind

I love Facebook Memory. It brings up things you otherwise would have forgotten, especially things that you shared in your time of pure genius. This is one of them. I wrote this 3 years ago and Facebook reminded me today. I’m not saying the post is genius, but it’s one I don’t mind sharing here. I hope you enjoy it.

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If I wrote down everything that crossed my mind and developed every idea that slipped by, I probably might have been a bestselling author today. So yes, I’m a lazy writer, that I can’t deny. But there are thoughts that come through with such a compelling force that I just can’t ignore. This is one of them, and I hope that somehow it sends a jolt of electricity through someone, somewhere, someday . . . to get us achieving.

I’m sitting here, watching. The view might be narrow, but I can still see. I’m sitting here, watching as friends and family and acquaintances too, smile in their pictures and share their happy posts. I’m sitting here, watching as dreams are being made a reality and passions are driving lives to achieve what was once called ‘hope’. I’m sitting here, watching as a new business is formed, a new discovery is made, a new product is launched, the song is recorded, another book is published, five kilograms is lost, by that person I know, who obviously isn’t me. I’m sitting here, watching, wishing that somehow, it was me, but I’m sitting here, watching. Watching my ideas sink to their deaths in my mind and my dreams fade away in my heart; my passions misplaced and my hopes dashed by no one but me, sitting, watching. Doing. Nothing. I’m sitting here, wondering, that if others were sitting there, watching like me, the hours would have passed by and we’ll all still be sitting here, watching as everything was nothing. But while I was sitting, watching and wondering, they got up and watched me sit till they were tired of watching me. They wondered what they could do to keep me watching, so they did, and I watched, and they did some more as I watched some more, till they had done all they could do and all I could do was watch their lives matter, watch them make a difference, watch as time slipped by till I became too old to watch anymore. Now I’m sitting here, watching myself watch me. I’m sitting here, wondering why I’m still sitting here. I heard life isn’t a race with men, but does that mean I shouldn’t run? I’ve got a passion, I have a dream, I too have hoped that one day the world would watch me. So I’m tired of sitting, I’m tired of watching, I’m tired of wishing it was me achieving something. It’s time for me to take my dreams and reach for the skies, to let my passion bring me back to life; so maybe, one day, I’ll be a bright star, and they too will sit and watch me shine.”

…For those who find themselves comparing when they could be compelling! ~  (27/06/16)

27 thoughts on “Sitting. Watching. Doing. Nothing.”

  1. While all my sitting and watching does not often involve comparing, I am arrested by your last quote, and thinking that maybe I COULD be compelling!
    This is a very interesting string of words you put together, dear Tosin. I shall have to revisit a few times, re-read, and let it sink in.

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  2. Althea, this is so well written and very true. I see me in your words. As a writer and blogger myself, I often wonder why I have spells where nothing comes to mind. I start listening to the comments in the back of my mind telling me I have nothing relevant to say; that I will never amount to anything. I see the negatives, the failures, the false-starts, the frustration. But then I realize two very important things, and I want to pass them on to you for your consideration. FIRST, the times I am not writing down my thoughts or ideas (where I too am sitting and watching) I realize I am actually writing in my mind. Some ideas need more time to germinate than others. I have a new poem bouncing around in my mind right now. All it is so far is a title. If it’s writer’s block we are both speaking about, the best antidote to not writing is WRITING. Write about anything. SECOND, I have come to understand that those of us who are creative (or who want to be and hope they are) have a habit of vicarious participation with those who ARE creating. This happens when we sit and watch Facebook posts or read the blogs, poems, flash fiction, or prose of those we admire and follow. It’s time we give ourselves permission to be creative. Everyone is creative. I believe that. We are creators born from the Great Creator. We were given certain gifts and talents to be used. Not buried in the ground. Shine on my friend. I can tell just from your post that you ARE a writer. You ARE creative, and you WANT to create. Great post. Have a fantastic week.

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    1. Thank you, Steve. Your first point actually rang a loud bell. My husband paints, and earlier in our marriage, many times when he has a canvas set up for days and there’s nothing on it, I ask him why and he would say he’s painting in his head. I started using his those lines too when he asks why I haven’t written in a while 😄. So I really relate to it. Your second point is also true. I like how you called it vicarious participation, like feeding off each other, if that’s what you meant. Thank you for your very kind comment. It means a lot to me. In fact, God has spoken through you to me, as I’ve been working on a post in my head that addressed my identity and my past struggles. Thank you.

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  5. How long can one watch? One should be tired of watching. When everyone of us should be contributing to the world by making it a better place to live in. Procastination and day dreaming is our enemy. So we should all get up and do something to help so that those that are already that are already doing will not be weighed down and weighed out. Blessings!

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  6. Hello my friend! And you are very and wonderfully creative and your Heavenly Father made you just as you are! I am so thankful for you and all you have to say……….you are a writer I would more love to be like!
    I have had those periods where I say: LORD, I got nothing! But somehow, in someway and all in a very special way, GOD directs my eyes to “see” a word or phrase that jumps off a page I am reading and before I know it, a post has happened. It is why I say I write alongside HIM…….I am just HIS instrument placing the written word on a page. Blessings and keep building us up sweet one!

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  8. Very well written, Tosin. I know I have days when I feel like doing nothing, though that is hard for me to do. And, there are days when I, in my emotions, don’t feel like writing anything; days when I feel like I have nothing to give, and I don’t know where to begin. But, it is often on those days when the Lord uses me the most, when I totally realize my absolute dependency is on the Lord and not on myself. And, when I sit down to write and nothing is there, I realize more than ever that God just has to pour the words into me, and he does. And, so when it blesses someone’s life, I truly can give God all the glory, because I know on those days, more than ever, that what he had me write did not come from me.

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    1. Thanks for sharing your own experience, Sue. It means a lot to see those who really are more experienced than I am struggle with the same things. It’s not much of a struggle anyway as I have come to understand by your testimony, when we rely on the Lord to lead us. I’m blessed to know you.

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      1. Tosin, you are so sweet!! We are all human. As long as we live in these flesh bodies there will exist a struggle between the flesh and the Spirit, for they are at war with each other. We will have good days and bad days, days when we feel like doing things, and days when we won’t. But, when we walk according to the Spirit, we let the Spirit take over and we don’t let our flesh and our feelings control what we do. And, we rely on the strength of the Lord instead of on our own strength, which will often fail us, especially the older we get. 🙂

        But, none of us are perfect. This Christian life is a daily walk, daily dying to sin and self and putting on Christ. But, that just makes us all the more aware that our dependency has to be in Christ, and not in our own strength (or lack thereof). And, I am so blessed to know you, too. I appreciate so much your heart. Love you! Sue ❤

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  10. Pingback: Sunshine Blogger Award! – The fourth dimension of life

    1. Awww, how thoughtful of you, Stefan. Thank you.. We’re now award-free though, but appreciate the kindness that is the foundation of every award. God bless you, dear friend.

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