Hammock Time: Talking shit v Doing shit…

There’s a big, beautiful, often-ignored difference between talking shit and doing shit. And I say that lovingly, as someone who used to be the president, secretary, and very enthusiastic mascot of the Talking Shit Society.

We all do it. We talk. We plan. We daydream out loud and slap it on a vision board like it’s already happening. We buy gear, domain names, notebooks. We announce things. Big things. Soul-questing, purpose-filled, legacy-level things. And then… we sit.

We make spreadsheets. Color-coded, sometimes. We reorganize the junk drawer, research waterproof socks, and take another stab at the “About Me” section of our future website. But movement? Not always.

And the people around us—they let us slide. Because they’re doing it too. It’s the great group project of modern life: cheering each other on while low-key avoiding the actual starting line.

For me, it hit a point where I got so sick of hearing myself say, “I’m going to walk across the country.”

It started feeling like a hollow promise with a nice ring to it.

All I wanted was to be able to say, with my whole chest:

“I am walking across the country.”

So I stopped talking.

And I started walking.

Now I’m out here with Gertrude, my emotional support warrior-on-wheels, logging mile after mile with a tan line that could qualify as abstract art. And here’s the kicker—doing the thing actually sparked more doing.

For example: my Hammock Time—what started as just me swinging gently in my emotional support fabric, recovering from blisters and broken heart bits—somehow turned into my book writing time. And I didn’t even know that was something I wanted to do. But turns out? I’m pretty good at it. I like it. I’m in it. And now, just like that, it’s no longer “going to.”

It’s happening.

Same with the documentary. Still in the works. Still simmering. But I can feel the shift coming. I’ve been dancing around it long enough, and I know I’m about to move from “I’m going to…”

to “I am.”

Real soon.

Because once you start doing shit, your mouth doesn’t have to work so hard anymore. Your actions speak up. Your steps become receipts. And your hammock becomes a publishing house, apparently.

So here’s the thing: if you’re stuck in that loop of “I’m going to…,” maybe ask yourself if you’re still dreaming or just delaying. Maybe all that talking is just fear dressed up like productivity.

You don’t have to shout it from the rooftops. You just have to start.

Because talking shit is cute.

But doing shit?

That’s where the magic lives.

So here’s your challenge:

Pick one thing. Just one.

That thing you keep saying you’re going to do—

Start it. Today.

Even if it’s messy. Even if it’s small.

Because the only way to become someone who does is to stop being someone who only talks.

I’ll be out here walking. Cheering you on. Tan lines, sore feet, and all.