Your work is so honest and easy to read. It never occurred to me that you sometimes struggle to keep motivated. I’m so glad you found an aha moment in Helen’s essay. And it’s lovely to see how you’ve honored her contribution here.

May I suggest something else you might also try? If you haven’t already done so, why not give fiction a shot?

Churning out articles can sometimes feel like flogging a donkey that refuses to move. It’s easy to burn out. Nonfiction is not a self-renewing process. It’s nice to get claps and reads, but the act of writing nonfiction over and over can be draining.

Fiction, on the other hand, taps the infinite resources of your imagination. Sometimes it takes on a life of its own. It’s hard work, but I find that it gives back more than it takes.

It sounds like you may have plenty of stored life experiences that might provide fertile ground for fiction. Things you could explore more fully and more freely than in an article.

Looks like I said more than I meant to here. Best wishes to you as you move forward with whatever lies ahead for you. And thanks for writing this piece.