Don't Be an Acorn Sitter Like Me

Every noble achievement is a dream before it is a reality just as the oak is an acorn before it is a tree. ~Patience Strong

I have a confession to declare:

What stopped me from pursuing my love of writing until my senior years was my propensity for 'Acorn Sitting'.

I'll explain that in detail a little later but for now, let me open the window on my writing world.

The fact that I'm in my 70's, coupled with the fact that I didn’t start working on my dream of writing until the age of 50 should qualify me as an expert Acorn sitter.

What was I doing for all those years?

Nothing too serious, just dreaming, doodling, meditating, fiddling, and on especially good days, writing in spurts.

What changed when I turned 50 years-of-age

With no formal education in the art of writing, I just sat my bottom in the chair and started writing by the seat-of-my-pants. And, if you can relate, I wore out a few pairs of pants that way.

But little by little, I began to build a small pile of confidence and kept going. Some days I’d play on the top of that pile and other days I’d lay at the bottom and moan pitifully.

My advancing age contributed the most to my lack of confidence. I just knew other people would think I was crazy to jump into something so bizarre as becoming a professional writer in my approaching dementia years. The only upside to that was, if I failed, I probably wouldn’t remember.

But there were so many factors in my favor that I just couldn’t ignore. I started focusing on assets instead of deficits and found I had all the bare necessities.

• Time — lots and lots of time on my hands. I could write at leisure.
• A moderate retirement income freed me from having to work.
• Children were raised and successfully removed from the nest.
• I was not having to raise my grandchildren like so many of my friends were doing.
• My spouse was very supportive — puzzled at times, but supportive. He even created a writing corner for me in the living room so that I would be near him. And most importantly, he promised to never talk to me when I was deep into another dimension. It doesn’t get any better than that!
• Health problems were not debilitating.
• Decades of experiencing life lessons provided a reservoir of ideas.
• I still had a sense of humor.
• I’d learned not to take myself too seriously — no stress, no anxiety, no depression.
• My husband gifted me a shiny new Macbook Pro. How could I not write?

I gave a lot of consideration to my advancing years and this was my conclusion

• Age has never been or will ever be a valid reason for giving up on my dreams.
• Age doesn’t determine my ability to use what I have at the time.
• Age doesn’t limit my right to pursue a dream.
• Age doesn’t limit my desire to move ahead.

Acorn Sitting

So, I'm no longer an 'Acorn Sitter' and you shouldn't be either. Be honest with yourself. Are you a climber or a sitter when it comes to starting, continuing, or finishing your writing dreams?

One way will get you there NOW.

The other way will get you there—Someday.

This conclusion is well supported by a quote from Kemmons Wilson.

“There are two ways to get to the top of an oak tree. One way is to sit on an acorn and wait; the other way is to climb it.”

Sitting is EASY!

We’ve all probably been an acorn sitter at some point in our lives. I know I have. And there is plenty of opportunities to do so since some oak trees can produce up to 50,000 acorns in one year. Truth be told, I’ve been known to fabricate almost as many excuses as to why I haven’t finished my next story.

So why aren’t we all climbers? REALLY… You didn’t just nod your head to that question, did you? Have you taken a really good look at how tall some species of oak can grow? Would you believe 130 ft. high? That’s not a gentle slope — it’s a straight-up vertical climb.

Climbing is HARD!

If we are sitters, we are also procrastinators — delaying action when it is an action that is needed.

Here are a couple of reasons that might explain the sitter syndrome. There are others but these two resonate with me.

Fear goes on my list. I don’t have enough time to finish. The projects too big for me. I don’t have the necessary skill or talent. What if I fail?

Attitude is another item on my list. I’m more motivated if I wait till the last minute. I just don’t feel like doing it now. It’s just the way I am. It’s not that important anyway.

If any of those excuses sound familiar, how do you work past being an acorn sitter?

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Originally published here

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