A Practice: Rebecca Solnit
Taking Your Work - And Yourself - Seriously by Saying 'No'
If you haven’t read anything by Rebecca Solnit, consider this your encouragement to buy one or more of her books or Google and read her online articles. Curious and engaging pieces that teach you what you didn’t know you desperately wanted to know are what you will find. My favorites so far:
Aside from the writing, Solnit, without realizing what she’s done, has offered us a practice to develop in our own lives. In Men Explain Things to Me, she writes, “The ways creative work gets done are always unpredictable, demanding room to roam, refusing schedules and systems.” This is something we all agree with in theory.
Before we begin a new project, we commit to setting the boundaries needed to see the project through. And, please, don’t be confused about what constitutes a creative project. Life should be creative - from writing a book, to painting a picture, to playing with grandbabies, to organizing your kitchen cabinets. Regardless of the undertaking, time needs to be carved out of the ordinary.
Oh, but the ordinary creeps in, doesn’t it?
And when it doesn’t creep in - phone calls, ‘quick’ favors, family emergencies - we creep back out to the ordinary - scrolling and posting, cleaning out the inbox, picking up the slack instead of letting the small things go in order to accomplish the big things.
I wondered how Solnit resisted these temptations, so I went to her website, determined to ask her, and found this notice on her Contact Page:
Please note that Rebecca Solnit is working on a new book and cannot reply to individual emails, or take on new speaking engagements
Rebecca Solnit does not play. She takes her work - and herself - seriously.
For half a second, I considered sending an email anyway. Maybe she would respond. Thankfully, I fought this urge. Pushing up against very clear boundaries is not how we show support.
Learning to set boundaries is the first spiritual practice to undertake because, without boundaries, no other serious work is possible. The common assertion is that once you learn to set your own boundaries, you will be ready to respect the boundaries of others. This is backward. Practicing respect for the boundaries others have in place makes it much easier to set your own.
Consider adopting this practice in your life, and while considering it, check out Rebecca Solnit’s work, which you can find here.
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