Going fallow

I noticed it in myself several weeks ago. I hadn't touched my camera in two weeks and I had no desire to snap anything when I did pick it up. Then I noticed that I don't the time or motivation to write up all the ideas that are percolating in my head. Then I noticed that all my friends seem to be in a similar position, with their sites going silent for a week between updates.

We're in the thick of the summer doldrums online.

Every year from about mid-July to about mid-August there's a big lull in activity online among all my northern hemisphere friends. Usually, it's everyone going outside to enjoy the good weather. Often, it's a long planned vacation taking them away. Sometimes we all just take a collective break at the same time. Me? I've been spending 5:30am to 8:30am every day enjoying Lance Armstrong winning the Tour.

I've been thinking about this for the past week or so, since I noticed it in myself and how my RSS subscriptions are also suffering from a lack of updates. But I've been thinking this whole time about how it's a good thing. It seems like a natural cycle that happens every summer and some good creative output follows it. Then as I was watching tonight's Six Feet Under (sure sign of taking a break -- watching lots of TV), Olivier put it perfectly:

We all go through fallow periods. We must let the soil rest..to prepare for new growth.

So don't mind the weeds that are popping up in the cracks of all my sites. Whenever the lull is over I'll be back, posting up a storm.