Let’s get personal: in April 2020, I had major surgery. I spent a week in the hospital. Afterwards, I wasn’t allowed to do anything. For six weeks: I wasn’t allowed to work or do chores around the house. I wasn’t even allowed to lift a plate and put it in the dishwasher – not that I could. 

After I got home from the hospital, I slept a lot. For the first time in a long time, I heard what my body was telling me: I needed to rest. So, I did. I slept and binged a lot of Netflix (Outer Banks Season 1, OMG). The couch and I became intimate friends.

Something Unexpected

After two weeks of couch-rest, something unexpected and wonderful happened: somehow, in the midst of my body healing, my brain reset.  

Let me explain: because I wasn’t allowed to work, I didn’t need to think about memos and e-mails and reminders. Because I wasn’t allowed to do anything around the house, I didn’t need to think about groceries and cleaning, and putting out the trash. Because I couldn’t go anywhere, I didn’t have any social responsibilities. I had absolutely nothing I needed to do, remember, or consider. 

Mental Space

It was a glorious experience. Suddenly, I had room in my mind. I had the freedom to look around inside my head and explore – at leisure – all the things that lived there. I had MENTAL SPACE.

I used that mental space to think about what I wanted out of life. I had no intention of ending up in the hospital again, so priority numero uno was going to be: stay healthy. What could I do to protect myself and my body? What would be good for me?

What Makes Me Feel Good

For me, the answer to those questions was: do what makes me feel good. Writing made me feel good. Creating stories, crafting characters, weaving magic – those things made me feel good. So, why hadn’t I been writing? 

Perhaps life got in the way? Nope, I let life get in the way. It was me who hadn’t said “NO” to the things that made my body sick. I hadn’t said “YES” enough to the things that made me feel good. The only one to blame was me. The only one who could change the situation: also, me.

Saying YES

Easier said than done, of course. Still, in the third week of my recovery, I picked up a notebook and dove into my newfound space, and started writing. As soon as I could sit with my laptop, I opened the Word file with the unfinished story that had been waiting for me – for me to say “YES” to writing it.

I put my fingers to the keys and the words just flowed. It was liberating and exciting and I wrote 80,000 words before my recovery was complete and I had to get back to work. Since then, my body has fully healed, I feel good, and I say “YES” to writing every day.