A small reminder of the importance of friends

Guess what?

The fact I am writing a long overdue blog post may give you a clue.

I finally finished the assignment I was getting my knickers in a twist about…And I got a reasonable mark too.

I’m hoping that now I’ve got past that particular brick wall I can move onwards and upwards with a little more confidence. If I take that long faffing about every assignment I won’t finish my copywriting course until 2016!

Knuckling down and getting the job done, though, was not without issue.

By the time I had written both a ‘home’ page and an ‘about’ page and all the associated metadata, I felt slightly like I had birthed another baby (Complete with J-breaths for the ‘hypnobirthers’ amongst you! No, seriously!). I was terrified when I sent it off for marking, and very relieved when it came back with positive comments.

Is this what it is like sending copy to clients? Jeez, I’m going to need beta-blockers on repeat!

The biggest issue, though, is the realisation that in focussing on getting this far through the course I have totally and utterly neglected all those around me!

You see, I have this incredibly selfish tendency to get totally absorbed in stuff to the point where I just filter out everything else. It doesn’t mean other things aren’t important; I think it is more like some kind of brain efficiency thing that I have always suffered with!

Have you ever tried to hold 3 snooker balls in your hand?

I guess it depends how big your hands are, but mine are the exact size that as soon as one of the balls moves, it skims off the sides of the others and I inevitably drop one, or more usually all of them!

That’s kinda how my brain works – I have to stick to 2 balls or I just end up crawling around fishing them all out from under the sofa.

With Toddler, my job (which, helpfully, has become more busy that any other time in the last 6 years!), my copywriting course…Oh, and doing all the usual things like eating (not very well), sleeping (a little) and speaking to Hubbie (occasionally)…my tiny brain has been totally and utterly, well…’snookered’!

Not that this makes it OK.

In the course of my copywriting journey so far, I have:

1. Forgotten a friend’s birthday
2. Missed an important event in another friend’s life
3. Not given a friend with a new baby anywhere near enough support!
4. Forgotten to Skype my parents, with Toddler (Twice!)
5. Forgotten to reply to countless texts and calls (in fairness I am not great at this at the best of times!)

And, if these weren’t bad enough, there are a few other things that I am too embarrassed to even mention…Cringe!

Is it really worth it?

Well, yes and no!

In life, we must follow our hearts, we can’t put off dreams on the basis that it will be tricky in the short term, or we wont have time to do it all. We have to just give it a go, do our best and take it one step at a time, finding our way as we go.

We must accept that sometimes our priorities will go a little awry. We cannot always make the right decisions. Things, and people, will invariably fall out of the loop.

It's how we manage this. If you can’t make time for a half-hour chat, don’t just give up on the idea, instead send a quick text simply saying, “Hi.”

True friends will understand this and support us in trying to do the best for ourselves and our families; while gently pulling us back on course when we overstep the mark. More than this, they will be excited for us. I am certainly grateful to have such friends.

So, I guess the point of this post, aside from being a little reminder of the important things in life, is to offer an open apology:

To my amazingly supportive friends who should get far more attention than I have been able to give…

I love you and I promise to try harder to be the kind of friend you deserve! I will remember that some things are more important, and that you must never be the ball that gets dropped and left amongst the mothballs at the back of the sofa. 

Just because I know that when I finally get around to digging you out and dusting you off you will still be there, doesn’t make it OK…One day you won’t be. And why should you? After all, you have your own balls to juggle, brick walls to conquer and interests to focus on. 

I want to share these with you. I want to share your successes and to offer advice, not to learn of your achievements through Facebook or Twitter.

I want to know what is making you laugh or cry today, I want to know all the funny things your babies did, and the stupid things your husbands said. I want you to want to share these things with me, because you know they are as important to me as they are to you. 

Please don’t give up on me, I promise to try to do better.

But above all else I promise to put up a noticeboard in my kitchen so that I can stop bloody forgetting things!


What do you think? Is it worth putting your friendships at risk to pursue your dreams?

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Wondering how it all started? Read my first post: CA – Copywriters Anonymous

Follow my #copywritingjourney on Twitter: @weenixlen