It’s been a long time between blogs. Life rushes along at a pace that sees us blink, only to discover we’re over halfway through another year. (When did that happen?!)

Sometimes I wonder how we get ourselves into such a rush. One thing, then another, and suddenly we don’t seem to have time to meet up with friends, watch movies with family, or take those trips to visit out-of-the-way places. (Let’s face it, even cleaning the house and weeding the garden can be a challenge!)

Sometimes I wonder whether there’s a hidden gear stick somewhere that, if we could just find it, we could bring the pace down a little.

And yet, in the busy many great things can happen. And have been happening. For me, there’s just not been as much writing as I’d like …

A question I’ve been asked more than once is how to maintain a consistent writing habit with everything else that draws on our time. Usually my response runs along the lines of there being different seasons in life, with a different focus. Sometimes writing must take a back seat.

Sounds philosophical, right? I even tried giving up writing six or so months ago. Unfortunately I didn’t factor on the characters in my head not getting the memo! (Hey, that’s not as bad as it sounds.)

The fact is we’re wired for story. Lisa Cron reiterates this over and again in her writing resources. (And if you don’t know who Lisa Cron is and you’re a writer, seriously, you MUST google her.) Even in the busy, even in the I-can’t-write-now seasons, we can’t (and shouldn’t) stop the stories. But the stories I’m talking about aren’t necessarily the next brilliant novel on our writing lists.

By stories, I mean those everyday narratives of life: the who-we-are and how-we-are-doing stories. The stories that empower us to connect, if we allow them time to be shared and received. And the more we learn about ourselves as humans, the more we understand the critical importance of meaningful connection. This takes time, of which we seem to have so little.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a writer or reader or neither, find someone. Find several someones. Somehow we need to find a way to pause the crazy-busy for a while and share our stories with each other.

Even if we have to find that magical gear shift and drop it down one for a while, I know it’ll be worth it.