Comments - needs - by Ava - bookbear express

by Willem de Kooning I used to joke that I got too much of what I wanted and not enough of what I needed. Looking back, I was really trying to say that I didn’t understand what my needs were. Of course I had some vague sense of them—like everyone else, I require some combination of community, a healthy relationship, and meaningful work—but because I couldn’t articulate my needs with any specificity, I couldn’t make the correct decisions about what would satisfy me and what wouldn’t.

Even knowing what feels good is hard to know. I've often enjoyed what feels very good to do, with a lot of guilt, because it is a 'waste of time' according to a constant voice in my head that sounds exactly like someone I know and love. So these things I love to do, as I'm doing them, don't feel that good - they feel even dreadful at times cos of all the guilt. Getting your own voice to be louder than the other voices is the first challenge. Only then can you listen to what it's got to say. And I'm still working on this stage. Thanks for sharing your writing. I read your pieces as soon as…

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