Monkey on my back

For the past 4 months I have been carrying a monkey on my back -- a writing assignment that I just couldn't finish. Granted I had to take a short break for entertaining guests and moving, but I just couldn't write the article that was required.

I think I was paralyzed by the task itself (maybe you've had that problem?), and I just couldn't get over it. I would roll ideas over and over in my head, but I couldn't get anything written down. As my deadline loomed, my stress intensified and the monkey kept getting larger. Finally I decided the only way to get it off was to face it head on.

As I sat down at my computer, I still didn't have the words to write but I decided to just start typing anyway. My words came out sounding like a third-grader, "This is my true adventure story. It's about a time at the Frio River when we faced danger." And on and on it went. HONEST! But the more I wrote, the smaller the monkey seemed to get. Soon I had written 350 words and had a sketch of what I wanted to write. And all of that in less than an hour.

Obviously I deleted that piece and started over, but just sitting down and facing my fear helped me to deal with it. Many times in the past I have just quit because the monkey seemed larger than I could handle, but now I'm realizing that I can do it!

I pray that whatever "monkey" you may be facing today, you will confront it and not let it paralyze you or cause you to back down. If I can, I know you can too!