My publisher has a passion. You see that passion in what Plum Tree supports. Soon, Plum Tree will put out a book and hold an art auction to raise money to help people in Sahel. Where is the Sahel? Here.
A piece of my art is part of the auction, too.
I know that many places in the world need, but we’ve got to start somewhere. Like the parable of the starfish, Sahel is another starfish.
An old man had a habit of early morning walks on the beach. One day, after a storm, he saw a human figure in the distance moving like a dancer. As he came closer he saw that it was a young woman and she was not dancing but was reaching down to the sand, picking up a starfish and very gently throwing them into the ocean.
“Young lady,” he asked, “Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?”
“The sun is up, and the tide is going out, and if I do not throw them in they will die.”
“But young lady, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it? You cannot possibly make a difference.”
The young woman listened politely, paused and then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves,saying, “It made a difference for that one.”
The old man looked at the young woman inquisitively and thought about what she had done. Inspired, he joined her in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved. –Wikipedia
Why not begin by helping save this starfish? Every starfish matters.
Plum Tree is my publisher, and I want Plum Tree to succeed, and I want what the Plum Tree supports to succeed. That includes good causes and that includes me.
This is where the self-sabotage comes in. I want to do enough to support others and support myself. Fear of bothering others, of getting it wrong, of failing, helps me procrastinate on what I need to do.
Fear. Procrastination’s best friend.
That nagging feeling that I’m not doing enough manages to keep me from doing anything except to make excuses. Why is there always time to make excuses and no time to do anything constructive?
Now, I’ve got a novel to edit and an art show to prepare for.
You can follow these endeavors on my facebook page.
What helps you procrastinate?
Marta Pelrine-Bacon 
Lovely Blog Marta…Thank You for sharing this. And yes! Doing the smallest thing can make a difference if we all do a small thing.
Most of the time I feel I’m doing only small things, nothing really big enough to make a difference. But every effort should add up, one hopes.
Thank you for all you do, Niamh.
I love the idea that perfection is the enemy of good enough. I follow flylady and she is always calling perfect the P word and banishes it, because having to be perfect means you never start. Very valid blog here
Dixie
Thank you. I’ve heard of the flylady, and she sounds great. Oh, that annoying P word. I keep banishing it, but it keeps coming back.
Marta, you speak my language. Thank you for your wonderful support and contributions of Plum Tree Books. I can’t tell you how much I look forward to reading your debut novel
I’m an avid procrastinator and like you, I have revisions/rewrites/etc. and deadlines looming. Oh yes, the fear. I’m learning to ride the beast and not let my imagination keep replaying the same scene over and over again: Niamh sighing and trying to come up with a polite way to tell me I’m a hack. Ha, talk about baring it all. Does this mean we’re in cahoots? 🙂
Your voice is rich, quirky, and compelling. If it’s your voice in the novel, you really do have nothing to fear. 🙂
Thank you, Tonia. We may well be in cahoots. Which is good because I don’t want to be all on my own here.
Wonderful. Don’t forget the special Internet Radio show too! Sept 15th from 6pm UTC+1 (London UK time). Going to reblog this! 🙂
Thanks for the reminder, Claudio. I enjoyed your show the other day and look forward to this next one. And thank you for coming by too.
Marta, this is such a beautiful post and will draw many to the SOS Sahel event, I’m sure. I also adore your artwork. Such a talented woman, you are.
Thank you, Cher. I hope my posts help at least a little.
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