Apr 01 2009
Oh, Come On Already!
Dear Readers:
I know you lead hard, busy lives. I know some of you are working two jobs, have kids, are seeking a degree, have illnesses in the family to deal with, have dishes to do, bring work home, and are otherwise feeling overwhelmed.
But, you see, that’s just it. You need a break from all of that, a way to rise above all that tedium for just a few minutes, to let your right brain free, if only for a moment, so that you can show the world the genius you are keeping so tightly reined in for days on end.
Yet all the tedious activities are winning out. You look at a writing exercise, and think, Well, I’d love to do that, but it would take about ten minutes to complete, and I could take a shower in that time, or fold a load of laundry, or unload the dishwasher, or call two clients, or give my kid a bath…and on and on. So you don’t respond. You don’t take the ten minutes to do something you truly love because you let it fall to the bottom of your list.
And meanwhile, your own novel bides its time on your laptop, waiting for you for weeks on end, without a change. And that novel wakes you up at night, calling to you like an overstuffed eclair, and though you cannot find the strength to resist the eclair (after all, who could?), you find the strength to turn over, face the wall, and put yourself back to sleep. After all, you say, if I don’t get enough sleep, I won’t get as much work done tomorrow.
January 1st is always the time for New Year’s resolutions… yet April 1st is better. Couldn’t you resolve to play–to be the fool–at least once a day for the rest of the year? I’m sure most of you have already given up on your New Year’s resolution (I haven’t, but I tend to stick to things), so let’s make a new one. Resolve to put at the TOP of your list one foolish, playful thing each and every day. Don’t allow yourself to do the dishes until you’ve done it. Suck all your obligations up, and force yourself to do something no one else would value.
Color with crayons (it is really quite therapeutic). Put on some tango music and pull your significant other out on the dance floor, especially if you don’t have the first clue how to tango. Pull out that novel and write on it–even if you only get a paragraph written in those ten minutes. Take a completely useless walk. Go to a coffee shop with a magazine tucked under your arm, and don’t leave until you’ve gone through the whole thing. Take time out to round yourself a bit more, to venture off into the unknown.
And next time you read a blog, and it gives you something creative to do, don’t say you don’t have the time. Just write already! Do it for me. More than that, do it for you. You’ll be glad you did.
Just ONE silly thing?
Whoops!
(Yes, I know you were directing it at me. By the way, I’ve got a doozy of an exercise planned for Rocket Scientist this evening. Check it out [when it’s up])
You make some great points and I agree we all need some time each day to refresh. I like the crayon idea. I’ve always liked to color. When my Mom was alive and worked, she kept a coloring book and crayons in her desk for that purpose, to take time for herself. I may try it. Thanks for the tips.
How did you know my novel calls out to me in the dark when the rest of the world sleeps????? Has my novel been talking to you? Did it call to complain because I’ve been neglecting it? Now it’s going to get other people stalking me to try to get some attention??
Maybe I should be working on that instead of trolling blogs. But then I would have missed this wonderful reminder.
Okay, so if my novel calls you back and wants to know how things went down, let it know that I got the message and I’m coming…right after I eat this cookie.
Stephanie, you are the ONE person I know who already does this… You must sleep 20 minutes each night to accomplish what you do every day.
Oh, and BTW, I have my first Tarot deck! I can’t wait to try it out!
Jodapoet, at one college where I worked, the Creative Arts Society (a student group emphasizing all the arts) did what we called PLAY DATES. We’d set up watercolors or pastels or crayons in the student lunchroom, and invite passers-by to come and paint/color with us. The crayons were the best, for everyone remembered using them when they were little, so they didn’t feel the same pressure they might have with fancier stuff. And coloring is GREAT therapy (kind of like writing!)
Oldwestmom, I think we all have novels calling us… or plays, or paintings, or something pulling us toward using our right brains. It’s amazing to me how much we deny ourselves what we truly love.
Mmm, I didn’t know the writing exercise had a time limit. Yes, I have been busy with the start of the new quarter, However, let me think about it, and I will write something ridiculous for you.
Yup…this worked…I feel guilty ….
Still not tackling writing exercises though…but I will try to do better one sometime really soon
So completely love the idea! Will get new crayons tomorrow.
And it seems so fitting that the words I have to type for security are “work hopeful”. Don’t you just love it!
I’m so glad you did write something, neenee. It was wonderful! The rest of you should check it out!
Oh, and flit, I can’t say I didn’t intend to make you feel guilty.
Flemisa, your enthusiasm is contagious. I’ve got the crayons out right now, and I’m going to color with my kids. That’s why I had kids in the first place, so I could color any time I wanted and watch cartoons with impunity.
I painted a picture, too, with my watercolors. I’ll post the picture as soon as I can.