Stuck

If I see another blog post telling me how to get unstuck, I’m going to pull my hair out. Every lifestyle blogger has a custom remedy to get you unstuck and back on your way. But I say it’s okay to stay stuck for awhile.

Part of the problem with feeling like we have to get unstuck is that it psychologically suggests we’re not willing to accept the present. And if we can’t accept the here and now, we’ll never be happy or satisfied.

I’m not going to tell you how to get unstuck because I’ve been stuck for years.

  • I’ve worked at the same college for almost 20 years.
  • I’m a single dad and have a court-order to stay in the same town until my kid turns 18. (I could move, but only with permission from the court, and an angry teenager and an angrier ex-wife.)
  • Until last week, I haven’t been able to write a song with words and melody in a couple of years.
  • I’ve put off starting on a new book project for five years.
  • I’m still a green belt in karate.

I’m stuck! And there are days I feel crappy about it, too. I pout about poor me and this crappy situation I’m in. My nose is often stuck on my computer screen looking at dream locations for when I’m unstuck. But what am I accomplishing by feeling sorry for myself? Nothing.

Instead, the better option is just to accept my current stuck-ness and take little steps to solve problems that keep me stuck. In fact, that’s probably my only choice, unless I want to quit my job, lose my health insurance, cancel my retirement account, leave my kid with her mom, and move to Northern Maine to become a broke poet. Believe me, some days I’m tempted. – dse

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Author: Dan Steven Erickson

Dan Steven Erickson is a great undiscovered American songwriter.