The Novel One: Taking the Day Off Just to Process

It was 13 years ago today that I bought my first pair of Brooks running shoes. I was on a trip to Missoula, MT, to see CAKE at the Big Sky Brewery’s outdoor concert venue just west of the city.

It was at that concert that I first began to germinate the idea of exploring the 7C’s. Not directly, but it was definitely one of the inputs that eventually grew into that vision. I remember the date so well because I bought a T-shirt that day with a summer camp theme and the date August 3 printed on it.

Missoula is a great little city. I have often thought I would like to live there someday, if given the chance—or perhaps by creating the chance myself. I pass through it at least once a year on my way to or from the Southeast, and I am always drawn to its beauty.

But, the remoteness and cold winters keep me from fully committing, but who knows? Maybe spending a month or so in Missoula is exactly what I need. We will see.

Missoula is also the kind of 7C’s place I have envisioned visiting and playing our music for audiences. But that hasn’t happened and likely won’t happen this summer.

It’s an 8 hour drive, hotel rooms are pricier there this time of year, and … well, the reality slaps me in the face when I seriously start thinking about jumping in my car and heading there.

Anyway, today’s article is about why I’m taking today to process, and it is somewhat inspired by a song I wrote that I have recently started performing at open mics.

Last night I got back from the three-day Northwest Tarot Symposium in Portland, OR. I thought I would spend the drive home processing what I had learned and the insights I had gathered.

But no—I ended up listening to comedy albums, almost intentionally suppressing any deeper reflection. I will chalk that up to my inner wisdom telling me to give myself some time and space before diving in.

This morning, though, I have started.

The song I am referring to is titled The Novel One. The first verse goes like this:

I know the answer is written on the wall

But the foundation is cracking and I fear

That it’s coming down.

Expecting to hear it in the news,

I had to take the whole day off,

Just to process.

Noticing my slow foot,

Dragging me backwards

Towards the door I’ve just came in from,

Out of the cold.

Reluctance is contagious if you

Gather at the well too long,

And soon, thirty years are gone.

The chorus goes:

The question is if, at the end of the day,

You still feel ready to roll,

Then what is the point of withholding your love

From the world?

And if you don’t, then hurry up and punt.

You’ve been sitting on that stool too long,

And now it’s gone.

The novel one.

You can thank reluctance.

It’s a good song. At least I think so. It speaks directly to this journey of finding and getting out on a Highway to Yeah.

So far this summer, I have failed to execute the plans I made in the spring to get out and visit the 7C’s—at least in the way I originally envisioned doing it.

I did have Ashland, OR, as one of the places I considered a 7C. But I became so wrapped up in the IASD Annual Conference that I decided not to go play at an open mic, and I barely left the hotel grounds.

The same thing happened on this Portland trip. I brought my guitar and harmonica. I didn’t touch them once while I was there, except to unload them when I arrived and load them back into the car when the conference was over.

Am I disappointed by either of those outcomes?

Not in the least.

I think there is great benefit in being fully present to your core mission.

My mission at both conferences was to connect with people, learn something new, and bring back wisdom that might help guide my own journey—and perhaps yours—out onto and down the Highway to Yeah.

Mission accomplished.

But…

Tick, tick, tick.

“Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’ into the future,” Steve Miller sings, and he is right.

Processing takes time.

Is it the best use of time?

I don’t know, but it is what I feel called to do today.

Will it help me come alive in a way that I am not currently feeling?

I hope so, because I believe I came away from the symposium with insights that really matter and that may prove helpful over time.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again here.

It’s Monday.

TGIF.

(Thank goodness I’m FIRE.)

I have the time to do this kind of processing, and I am excited to see what it yields.

I am also grateful for the experiences I’ve had so far this summer. There is still half of it left, and it holds tremendous potential.

Now it is time to fully realize that potential, if I can.

Psychological freedom is one of the keys to a fulfilling post-FIRE lifestyle.

It is likely one of the biggest challenges you will face after achieving financial independence, and hopefully some of this recounting and sharing May help make that journey just a little easier For You when it’s your turn.