The Joy of Quitting

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Little is off-limits here as Roberts (literally, visually) bares all, certain to induce welcome nods of utter understanding from many readers."— Shelf Awareness Multiple people told me to quit. I remember distinctly, Monday night, as I was falling asleep and praying to God, I asked Him what I should do. Tras Mi tabla de súplicas e Isolada, Alpha Decay nos trae apenas un año después de su publicación original esta nueva pieza del puzzle vital de Keiler Roberts, donde vuelven a entrecruzarse la ocurrencia y el sinsabor, el chiste malo y la punzada amarga, el humor absurdo y el absurdo existencial, la cínica de lengua afilada y la payasa triste. La mujer, la madre, la esposa, la enferma y la artista. Así, entre gags visuales de una sola viñeta y pequeñas historietas de hasta tres páginas, entre posturas de yoga que también pueden sentirse de lloro y lamento en posición fetal, Roberts vuelve a utilizar el cómic como mecanismo de supervivencia y gestión de las emociones, similar al "diario de agradecimientos imaginarios" que guarda en el baño. Y se nota que esta es su obra más reciente porque, aunque hay viñetas más aparentemente desganadas, otras trabajan la precisión del detalle, nutriendo de contrastes la obra y transmitiendo a través del trazo las mismas sensaciones que pretende trasladarnos con su guion (no hay más que ver al adorable "Mateo 2" apoyado en su carrito de la compra).

Flourish: A leader in the Positive Psychology movement, Dr. Martin Seligman goes beyond happiness to examine what makes a fulfilling life. But I’m twenty-four years old, and one of my biggest fears is becoming that thirty-year-old man living in his parent’s basement, playing video games and chugging Mountain Dew—which is funny because I am neither a man nor do I enjoy Mountain Dew, so as far as fears go, that ones pretty unrealistic. Regardless, I’ve been praying for a job for a while. I love that my parents support me, but I don’t want them to have to help me forever. Except it wasn’t a consistent job. It was a one-time thing I was going to get paid for. Forging my path A diary in comics form, Roberts’s book collects snippets from eight years of her daily life, capturing exasperating and hysterical moments of mothering, friendship and more."— New York TimesRoberts possesses this unique ability of holding a mirror to our lives, compelling us to pay a little more attention to what we’re missing out. Her panels are full of little ‘aha!’ moments that stand-up comics deploy so effectively, making us nod in recognition while we giggle despite ourselves. She grapples with deeper questions too, such as mental illness, or the pros and cons of using her daughter’s life and conversation as fodder for her jokes. How do you know when to quit? I think your gut knows. How do you feel when you think about quitting? Does it bring feelings of relief or regret? It seems to be a common theme on the blog in the past couple of weeks or so to talk about hard things and how to persevere despite the difficulties. And while that’s all well and good, I think it would be a great disservice to only talk about doing the hard things that are worth doing and not the other side of that coin. When to Not Do the Hard Things

The idea of a moral fable drawn from everyday life is extended with another new book, Creepy, a collaboration with her friend Lee Sensenbrenner that has been published alongside The Joy of Quitting. Described as a ‘picture book for grown-ups’, this second book focuses on the overwhelming presence of digital devices in the lives of today’s children. It is a charming tale that allows Roberts to flex her artistic muscle, but the story itself doesn’t dive much deeper into why these online lives have begun to supersede the real world for so many young people. I felt like there wasn’t enough time in the day, but would be ashamed to share my screen time data with a friend. Anyone who’s squinted doubtfully at a parenting manual will relish The Joy of Quitting by Keiler Roberts, which skewers family life with merciless and very funny directness."— Guardian Best Graphic Novels of 2022In the grand tapestry of life, quitting is just another thread. It may be brief, but it can add depth and colour to the overall picture. The willingness to quit can open doors to new opportunities and uncharted territories. It allows you to embrace change and embrace the unknown.

However, I would never have been able to keep going with Weirdo Poetry if I hadn’t quit a bunch of other things along the way. I’ve quit two other newsletters, writing non-fiction books and articles about freelancing, Medium, and freelance copywriting twice. I’m compelled to work on this stuff. It’s what drives me. I would, and have for years, do it for free and to an audience as small as my closest friends and family. My advice to anyone who wants to give up, is that you have to WANT to give up. There is little point in putting yourself through it if you don’t really want to. I loved a cigarette and I miss them when I think about them (which isn’t often nowadays, thankfully), but now that I am on the other side of it, I can’t believe the damage I was intentionally doing to myself for something that is not a necessity, very unhealthy, very expensive, very smelly (especially your breath and fingers) and is ultimately a drag on your subconscious.I’d mute phone calls from real life people when they came in during my leisurely social-media scroll, choosing synthetic connection over the real deal. I quit law school because I didn’t want to commit my precious life to fighting other people’s wars in musty courtrooms. I quit a relationship after my partner disrespected my boundaries and cheated on me. And I quit living in England because I didn’t care for what then seemed to be a national attitude of cynicism and small-time thinking. There is no discernible narrative arc, partly because of how life tends to unfurl in most households anyway, and partly because this is a collection curated from earlier ones: Powdered Milk (2012), Miseryland (2015), Sunburning (2017), Chlorine Gardens (2018), and Rat Time (2019). And so, what we get are snatches of conversation, mind-numbing chores that can’t be avoided, and a bit of happiness bubbling to the surface now and again. Mastery: Robert Greene draws on the lives of Martha Graham, Charles Darwin, and others to show how pursuing mastery of the thing we love to do can lead to great things.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, claiming 1.4 million souls each year. Approximately 80% of them are caused by smoking. Similarly, 80% of COPD deaths are smoking-related. There is a friend or member of family that you just don’t see eye to eye with. You’ve tried various ways to communicate, and you keep reaching a stalemate, but they seem to be intent on arguing their way through it. You have a choice – you can keep the toxic communication going or you can quietly quit. Walk away from unwanted drama. The Joy of Quitting covers a period of eight years in Roberts’ life and involves people she lives with or interacts with daily. Her daughter plays a prominent role, along with her partner, parents, assorted family members, friends, and pets. These interactions lend themselves to humour, not only when her daughter Xia says something precocious (like asking for Tylenol because she’s sad or whispering to avoid fat-shaming squirrels) but when her partner asks the kind of questions that rile every woman up (“If I ask you something, do you promise not to get mad?”). Think about why you want to quit smoking, and commit those reasons to paper and to memory. Start with the big, obvious reasons, and keep going until you've listed all of the little ones, too. Smoking touches so many parts of our lives. Look at how it has affected yours in detail.

Upgrade your Joy!

I’m a big proponent of quitting; I do it regularly. I began my quitting career in law, which I sort of found myself in by mistake to begin with. After studying English literature – which is an excellent grounding for a life of perennial disillusionment – I got a job at a corporate law firm because that seemed to be what a lot of people did. They funded a law conversion course and this was followed by a well-paid two-year training contract. It seemed like a no-brainer. However, because I have persevered, grown my skills, and attracted more readers, doing the work is sweeter now than ever. I feel your energy every time I sit down to write or draw. Hearing from you about how my work makes you feel, fuels me to get better and make more stuff. The idea behind quietly quitting is that you don’t always have to or need to have the last say in something. In fact, sometimes you don’t need to say anything at all – you quietly quit from the situation. How do I resolve things? Ultimately, Roberts’ work questions the nature of meaning, and what we hold or should hold dear as we go about the business of living. It reminds one of Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, where Linda, wife of protagonist Willy Loman, defends him by pointing out that he wasn’t a great man, a rich man, someone in the paper, or the finest character that ever lived. “But he’s a human being,” she says, “so attention must be paid.” Divine intelligence is constantly inviting you to let go and trust, to be bold enough to jettison what isn’t working and clear away the deadwood that no longer serves you. Always, you’re invited to be spiritually defiant, to lower your umbrella of resistance and excuses, and do what’s right according to the dictates of your soul. I repeat: your soul. Not what your parents want, or your spouse, your kids, your preachers, teachers, friends, society, or the media, but you. This is your life, your journey. Consider others’ feelings, by all means; honor their path, too; but don’t let it dictate your own.